


The Lieutenant

by Milksapphire



Series: The Huns [4]
Category: Xena: Warrior Princess
Genre: Alternate Universe - Xena: Warrior Princess, Ancient China, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Byzantium, Concubines, Established Relationship, F/F, F/M, Forced Abortion, Heavy Angst, Historical References, Japanese Culture, Long-Term Relationship(s), Love Confessions, Love/Hate, Miscarriage, Not Canon Compliant, Persian Empire, Polygamy, Rape/Non-con Elements, Türkçe | Turkish, War Heavy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-01
Updated: 2020-12-31
Packaged: 2021-01-16 05:23:06
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 61
Words: 502,920
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21265751
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Milksapphire/pseuds/Milksapphire
Summary: The Huns Part IV: Xena and Gabrielle continuously mentor Xena's granddaughter, Arielle, to ensure she becomes a great Commander. As events unfold, the empire undergoes a series of unexpected changes, and Arielle makes it her mission to right the wrongs by expanding her army. She relies on the help of Gabrielle and her grandmother to create a powerful Hun Empire for the future generations of their family.Part I: Chapters 1-21Part II: Chapters 22-40Part III: Chapters 41-61





	1. Chapter 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> While getting acclimated to her new life as a wife in Kazakhstan, Cera hits a roadblock with her much older sister-in-law. Xena is having a difficult time adjusting to her new tranquil life, and Arielle finds it hard to balance her duty as both commander and mother.

**If you haven't read the previous stories it is _strongly_ suggested to do so before reading this one. **

**This story is broken up into three sections so that's why it's so incredibly long.**

**Welcome back to our infamous Hun family, everyone! **

**Also, Xena isn't old as sin in this story lol she's about 65 years old if you all were wondering.**

** Original characters belong to me and historical figures have been fictionalized for this story. **

**All of the images used do not belong to me and are being used as a tool to help visualize all the characters in the series.**

**Enjoy and thanks for coming back and reading ;)**

Part I: The Commander's Poet

Part II: The Consul's Warrior

Part III: The Governor's Wife

Part IV: The Lieutenant

Chapter 1

Eight months since arriving in Kazakhstan, Cera was still adjusting to her new life as a married woman. Mirac's family was very receptive of her and brought her several gifts upon her arrival. She got a chance to know all five of his brothers, their wives and children. Four of Mirac's brothers did not live in the same tribe and were scattered across the territory.

She did meet her husband's sisters briefly but was unable to have decent conversations with them because they lived in the mountains with their families. Mirac arranged for his older sister, Yana, to come down to the camp because Cera invited her mother to come visit.

It was clear that Yana was one of the oldest out of eight children. When their mother died Yana assumed the matriarchal position in the family and took care of all her younger siblings and Mirac looked up to her as a mother figure and valued her opinion greatly.

Now, Cera was supposed to meet Yana and spend time with her over the next few months. She was nervous to meet her husband's sister because she will be alone. Mirac was off with his brothers in eastern Kazakhstan to buy supplies, weapons and soldiers.

Cera waited patiently outside of her yurt and Yana dismounted her horse. She was very nervous to spend some intimate time with Mirac's older sister but she tried to put on her best face. Although, Yana did not seem the least bit happy to see her. Cera was unsure of how this was going to play out given her sister in law's unreadable face.

Yana approached the Pannonian Princess with caution. She raised her eyebrow and Cera gave her a great big welcoming grin. She saw the resemblance between Yana and Mirac –both with pale skin and light blue eyes. She instantly knew that she'd have to impress this woman.

"My brother tells me that your mother is coming here," says Yana.

Cera nodded.

"I know we have not had much chance to talk one on one," she informs the nervous princess. "But I want to let you know that I do not care if you are a princess. You will get no special treatment from me."

She stared at the princess intensely and Cera's smile faded away, feeling like a meek child again, even though she was slightly taller than the intimidating woman, she felt so small. Mirac warned her that his sister could be very forward and blunt at times but she wasn't expecting Yana to be so harsh with her upon having their first words together.

"Aren't you going to invite me into your yurt?" asked Yana with a menacing frown.

Cera ran her fingers through her long auburn hair and lowered her gaze then stepped aside to allow Yana to pass. Cera watched as she passed by and Yana's servants followed quickly behind her. She let out a sigh, knowing this time spent with Mirac's sister was going to be a challenge.

* * *

Ditron held a shooting target over his head and his sister was not far from him. He lifted the target higher as she told him it was too low. He sighed and stretched his arms as high as they would go.

"Is this high enough for you?"

Xena squinted one of her eyes and focused on the target. She twirled the knife in her hand and smiled. "Perfect!" she yelled. "Hold it still."

He had some caution and doubts being in the danger zone for his sister's target practice but he knew she wouldn't hurt him. At least, not intentionally. Xena gave him a big smile and then tossed the knife onto the target and he held his breath the entire time. He pulled down the target and the knife landed dead center.

"So, Arielle just came back from Balaam. Have you talked to her?" he asked and pulled the knife out of the board.

She sighed and tapped a second blade against her palm. "That girl doesn't like to listen to anyone."

"Not even you?"

"Not even me," she emits a sad smile. She wanted to be there for her granddaughter even when Arielle didn't want her there. "I helped her in Balaam for awhile but she didn't want me there. Navaz was very hard on her during the battle. They lost to Balash."

Ditron shook his head. "You can't win every time. She'll get over it."

"Yeah, I guess you're right. Hey, do you want to continue target practice with me? I'd let you give it a go but I don't really trust you throwing knives at me."

Ditron scoffed and tossed the target onto the grass. "Sorry sister, I have to go see someone. You can throw knives at another sap," he paddled her shoulder and sauntered away.

Xena frowned and threw the knife into the target on the ground. "Who're you going to see?!" she calls out.

"A lady friend!"

"Again? Am I ever going to meet this woman? This camp isn't that big, Ditron. I'll find out who it is eventually!" she says with promise and she heard him laughing.

She stood in the field not far from the surrounding yurts and Adame. Folding her arms, she waft a bug away from her face and glanced at children playing in the center of the camp. It wasn't like she was bored but she had so much free time now she didn't know what to do with herself. Playing games with the children and teenagers was always entertaining.

She also still taught at the school and it was definitely a challenge to find new ways for the children to stay focused. Xena had no idea how hard teaching children could be. Her wife must have had a difficult job back in Athens long ago. Aside from teaching her weaponry classes and occasionally advising Arielle, she had nothing else to do.

Farah was heading her way carrying a huge parchment in her hands. Xena grinned maliciously and stood in front of the queen, blocking her path. Farah halted and lowered the parchment from her eyes. She couldn't help but feel a bit apprehensive at Xena's expressive smile.

"Xena, what can I do for you?" she felt the need to ask since her path was obstructed.

"Would you be interested in doing some target practice with me?" the retired commander asked with glimmering eyes.

The queen nervously smiled at the gesture. She had grown to like combat training and learned how to use a small amount of weapons but she hoped she'd never have to go to war soon. She liked staying in the camp and being a math instructor and mother to her three boys.

"Um, ah…" she rolled up the parchment and looked into Xena's big luscious blue eyes, hungry for entertainment. "I'm actually very busy today. I have to take this to the school. I have a great lesson planned. We're going to learn the Pythagorean Theorem tomorrow!" she squealed with excitement.

All this talk of math put Xena off immediately. She didn't care for math, not as much as Ana hated math, but it was a low totem on her pole. It was no use getting anyone to fill her time here in the camp, especially Farah. She couldn't even get Gabrielle to pay attention to her lately.

"You…have fun with that."

"I'd love it if you could stop by my class. You could learn a lot."

Xena put up a hand. "I'm good."

"Are you sure? The children really love you a lot and I've heard that your class is going well."

"Math isn't really my best subject. Are you sure you don't want to help with my target practice?" she hinted with the knives on the ground and one in her hand.

Farah smiled nervously. "I really am busy…maybe another time?"

* * *

Xena, bored with her current situation, decided to visit her wife in her office. She came up behind Gabrielle and wrapped her arms around the governor's neck, squeezing tightly. Gabrielle jumped and pried Xena's arms off and continued signing her name on the next few papers.

The tall brunette frowned and sat down beside her wife, eyeing her work diligently for hours on end. "Are you ever going to take a break?"

Gabrielle tapped the quill on the table and eyed her wife with narrowed eyes. "I have a lot work to do, Xena. Why don't you go on a hunting excursion with Ebnedzar?"

"I already did that three days ago. We caught several deer and –"

"Rabbits, I know. You told me twice." Gabrielle sighed and smiled softly at her bored-stricken wife. "I'm sorry. I really need to finish these papers for Ana. Since she left for Kazakhstan, I've been overwhelmed with this. Alaric wants a new legion of soldiers soon and it's up to me to decide if he gets it or not but I need Arielle's consent. Is she ever going to come out of her room?"

Xena shrugged and rested her cheek on her palm, gawking at all the work Gabrielle had done in just a few short hours of the day. "She's throwing a tantrum because she lost in Balaam."

"Tantrum or not, I need her to sign this. Could you give this to her?" she hands her wife the document without lifting her eyes from the desk.

"Gabrielle, you can't keep working like this all day and night. We haven't done anything together in weeks!"

The blonde knitted her brows and waved the paper. "I just need this signed. You have all this free time on your hands and I don't. Help me out, would you?"

Xena snatched the paper and got out of the chair, glaring at her wife. She hated being bored throughout the last eight months but she was the one who chose this lifestyle. She gave her position away and she thought she'd feel free but instead she became restless as days went on. The first couple of months were nice to sit and relax but now she felt she had no purpose.

"I give up my role as commander and now I am demoted to messenger. Yes, this is exactly how I wanted my life to be like," she says and walks away.

Gabrielle rubbed the back of her sore neck. "Xena! That's not true!"

* * *

Ku picked up several of Arielle's clothing items off the floor and cringed in disgust at the dirty clothes caked with mud and other things she didn't want to be made aware of. She stepped over an empty plate and half filled wine glass. As she stepped around the messy room she kicked an empty bottle of wine across the room by accident which woke up Arielle.

The tired commander lifted her head off the pillow and brushed her curls out of her face then scowled at Ku. She pulled the sheets over her head and groaned.

"Arielle, this room is a disaster!" yelled Ku. She kept picking up clothes and throwing each pair of pants over her shoulder. "Your behavior is unacceptable. You can't keep wallowing in your room. You must come out sometime."

"You sound like my mother…"

Ku raised her eyebrow and smacked the commander's hip and Arielle squealed and ripped the sheets off, glaring at her friend. "Perhaps your mother has a point."

Ever since Bayan told Arielle about Sarnai, she didn't want to talk to him even though he sent her letters. This had been nonstop over the last eight months. Ku had decided to read the letters without her permission and feared that Arielle wasn't being a very responsible wife. Bayan's mistress delivered their child couple of months ago and Arielle refused to acknowledge the child's existence. She didn't even bother to ask whether the child was a boy or girl either.

She was still Queen of Harran even if Bayan had another woman in his life. He told her that she could still maintain her status as queen even if they got divorced but she didn't want to talk about divorce. Instead, she ignored it and blocked that part of her life out of her mind. She also dealt with an incredible loss in Balaam standing alongside her father and Safiya. Arielle felt like her life wasn't going the way she thought it would at all.

"I understand that you are upset about Bayan."

"He can go fuck himself," Arielle picked at a scab on her elbow and got a glare from Ku. "But he might enjoy that."

The handmaid shook her head and dumped the clothes into a basket and folded her arms. "Arielle, I have done everything I can to help you and you don't seem to care. You have not even paid attention to Aurora since you got back from Balaam. She is asking for you."

"I will see her later," says Arielle.

"When is 'later'? I am not her mother and you can't live like this! Look at this room! It's filthy! And you have empty wine bottles everywhere!"

"I already have a mother, thank you Ku."

Ku scoffed and picked up the basket and marched off, stomping on a plate and bumped into Xena on her way out. Xena stepped out of the way and held the paper close to her chest. She frowned upon entering the room and gasped.

"Arielle…" she began and the young commander lifted her eyes, surprised by her grandmother's entrance. "This room is a pigsty."

She didn't reply and brushed her fingers through her curly locks, avoiding eye contact with her grandmother. Xena stepped over the leftover clothes that Ku didn't bother to pick up for daily laundry. She didn't even want to touch anything and kept her hands to herself. Upon coming to the side of Arielle's bed she saw several wine glasses, some filled, some empty, on the bedside table.

"Gabrielle…wanted me to give this to you. Alaric wants some of your men for a legion in Rome. She wants you to sign it."

Arielle grabbed the paper and frowned. "Why should I give him my men?"

Xena didn't want to feel like she was stepping on her granddaughter's toes all the time when she gave advice. She pulled back a lot but was always there when Arielle needed guidance. "He is our ally and he probably needs more men to fight the Franks."

"I'm not signing this." She threw the paper off the bed and reached for the half empty bottle of wine.

Xena grimaced and grabbed the girl's wrist. "You don't need any more of that. You need a bath and to get out to the field and train your recruits."

Arielle ripped her arm away and reached for the wine anyway.

"Arielle, don't make me regret giving you this position."

"Am I not allowed to have a few days to myself? Is that illegal? I think not." She poured the last bit of wine and drank it generously.

It took every bit of strength for Xena to hold her tongue. "Your mother will be gone for a long time visiting Cera. Do not disappoint her but most of all, don't be a disappointment to yourself."

* * *

Gabrielle plopped down onto the bed after a long day of organizing and signing papers. She hated it when Ana wasn't here to do half the work. She even thought of asking Xena to help her out but she knew her wife would never go for that. Xena hated paperwork. It made her flee for hours and never to return.

Aside from a long day, Gabrielle enjoyed the peace and quiet. It wasn't that she was annoyed with her wife but Xena just had so much leisure time and it was beginning to get on her nerves. Xena was more than bored. She was suffering in a way that Gabrielle never thought was possible. Long ago, she wanted Xena to retire as commander because she thought it was the best thing to do. They tried it and it didn't work.

Now that Xena finally did pass down her role, Gabrielle thought this wasn't working out either. Her wife needed stimulation and advising Arielle wasn't exactly filling that void. Arielle wasn't easy to be around especially now that she lost her first battle in Balaam against the young Shah Balash.

Xena walked in and saw her wife sprawled across the bed dressed in her robes and boots. She took off her cloak and tossed it on the chair. Gabrielle opened one of her eyes and smiled weakly. A paper was thrown at her face and she abruptly sat up and sighed.

"She didn't sign it."

"Nope." Xena looked in the mirror and combed her long hair, searching for any grey hairs as usual. "I should have taken Kreka's advice and used her hair paint."

Gabrielle, frustrated with the unsigned document, hopped out of bed and was going to make Arielle sign this no matter. Her hand was grabbed and she furiously glared at her wife. Xena pleaded with big eyes and slowly, she calmed down.

"Gabrielle, she's not going to sign that. I tried. She isn't in the mood to listen to anyone."

"She isn't queen! She can't just –just do that!"

Xena gave a crooked smile. "Gabrielle, she _is_ a queen. Besides, you really shouldn't go in her room. You might catch something."

The governor loosened up and pulled her tight collar away from her neck. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"That girl is living in utter filth. I told her to get herself together but we'll see how that goes. Only time will tell." She turned back to the mirror and fixed the part in her hair and ruffled her fringe.

Gabrielle fiddled with her coat and gripped her wife's arm firmly causing Xena to turn and stare at her with warm eyes. "I…I'm sorry about how I acted towards you earlier today. I've just been so busy and with Ana gone and not knowing how long she'll be away, I'm very…overwhelmed. I…I've been ignoring you."

Xena cupped her cheek. "I know you're busy, Gabrielle. I haven't exactly been very understanding of your job. I just don't know what to do with myself. Nobody needs me anymore."

"That's not true. I need you." she cuddled close and kissed her shoulder.

"Well, it's nice to know that I'm still needed by _someone_," she joked.

Gabrielle punched her arm and hopped back onto the bed. "If you really want to do something, you could take your class on a field trip. I could finish my work early and I could come with you. Just for a couple of days. What do you say?"

Xena walked over to the bed and put her hands on either side of her wife, pressing her forehead against hers. "Let me get this straight," she whispers, "you want me…to take a group of twenty rugrats on a field trip?"

Gabrielle nodded.

"You're really trying to kill me, aren't you?"

"It'll be fun!" she pecked her lips and Xena rolled her eyes. "We'll set up traps for them to find and teach them how to track."

"Now you're speaking my language."

"Not lethal traps," she felt the need to clarify.

"_Gabrielle_," she scoffs, "what kind of a person do you think I am?" she winked.

They began unbuttoning their blouses and heard a tiny wrap at the door. Xena held up her hand and walked over to the door and opened it slowly. She held her blouse closed and frowned, seeing nobody at the door then felt a tug on her pants. Aurora beamed up at her, holding her blanket named 'Esen'.

"Can I stay with you?" she asks in her sweet soft voice.

Xena had a hard time saying no to Arielle at this age and she equally had a hard time saying no to Aurora. Although Aurora was a much sweeter girl than Arielle ever was. Anyhow, she stepped aside and the tiny princess waltzed in and waved at Gabrielle.

"Why don't you want to stay in your room?"

Gabrielle helped Aurora get onto the bed and the princess cuddled her soft blanket. "Cause…"

Xena raised her eyebrow. "Because…why?"

"Cause…cause, I get lonely," said Aurora and Gabrielle wrapped an arm around her. "And –and I have not seen mommy in forever!" she threw her arms in the air.

Gabrielle and her wife shared a worried look with each other. She went and asked, "What do you mean? Your mother hasn't been spending time with you?"

Aurora shook her head.

Xena folded her arms. "Arielle, I swear to god. I'm going to –" she turned to her wife wagging her head. Her jaw clenched and Aurora stared at her with big green eyes. "I'll make sure she spends time with you."

Gabrielle was grateful that something foul didn't come out of her wife's mouth and smiled at the princess. "Aurora, we're going to go on a field trip soon. You'd like that, right?"

"Yeah!" she cheered and stood up on the bed, clutching her blanket. "Can we go to the river? We can catch the fish!" she jumped up and down excitedly. "Grandma Ana takes me there. I really like it."

"Okay, okay!" Gabrielle laughed and grabbed the jumpy princess and placed Aurora on her lap. She fixed the messy brown wavy locks in Aurora's face and couldn't help but smile at the girl's beaming face. "We'll go to the river. Is that okay with you, Xena?"

"She had me at fish."

* * *

So far during Yana's visit Cera had a very difficult time trying to have a decent conversation with the woman. She was convinced that Yana was never going to be pleased with anything she did. She never realized in laws could be so irritating. She'd been around in laws before and now she knew she was incredibly lucky to have Farah and Rabia as sister in laws. They were very accepting. Rabia was hard to talk to sometimes but she wasn't nearly as curt and blunt as Yana.

Everything Cera did not satisfy Yana and she was beginning to realize nothing ever would. She was counting the days until her mother's arrival so she could stop conversing with her husband's sister so much. By the looks of it, Yana looked about to be the same age as Anastasia. Cera was hopeful that the two could get along and why wouldn't they?

She wondered if Yana was going to overstep her bounds and combat her mother; the queen of the entire empire! She wouldn't put it passed the woman. Yana was demanding and felt very much in charge of the tribe alongside her father. Mirac's father adored Cera and she was grateful but she couldn't wait until Yana's departure.

Luckily, she did have one person to talk to when she needed: Mirac's other sister, Inzhu. She was closer to her age unlike Yana and very kind. Inzhu lived on the other side of the camp and came to visit regularly.

Cera scooped several scoops of sugar, three to be exact, into the tea. Yana liked her tea to be made a certain way. She was glad that she had this time to herself but knew her sister in law was coming back soon. Inzhu made her way into the yurt and smiled at the redheaded princess.

"Cera, how's it going?" she asked and the princess turned with a meek smile. Inzhu flipped her long brown hair behind her shoulder and nodded, knowing that look. "I know my sister can be a bit of…"

Cera raised her eyebrow.

"A _pain_," she added. "She loves Mirac a lot. He's the youngest in our family and she only wants the best for him. She was elated when she found out Mirac was going to marry the princess of the Hun empire!"

That didn't make Cera feel better and she set the tea glasses on a tray. She signed, "_She doesn't like me._"

"She has a tough exterior but once you get to know her, she'll love you. I promise." Inzhu smiled and cupped Cera's cheek.

Yana entered the yurt and Cera grabbed the tray and quickly set it on the rug. Yana eyed the tea, Cera then her little sister. "Inzhu, I wish to speak with Cera alone."

The younger sister nodded and grabbed her sister in law's shoulder. "Good luck," she whispered in Cera's ear.

Cera half smiled and waited for Yana to sit first and then she handed her a glass of tea and a spoon on the saucer. Yana stirred the tea and stared at the princess. "I have a yurt set up for your mother's arrival. She should be arriving soon, yes?" asked Yana.

Cera nods and tries not to look her sister in law in the eyes and focused on the tea, blowing against it gently.

"Are you and my brother planning to have children soon?"

Cera coughed on the tea and wiped her lips with the backside of her hand. She gawked at Yana, unsure of what to say. At eighteen years old she didn't want children right away. She and Mirac agreed to wait until they were both ready and not rush into anything. She hated to think this way but she didn't want to be like Arielle –alone and miserable with a child.

"You have lived here for eight months and yet there is no news of a pregnancy."

Cera's cheeks turned bright red and she signed slowly to the woman. "_Mirac and I want to wait awhile before…we have children. My mother told me it was best to wait until I am comfortable here_."

Yana sat in silence and eyed the princess then sipped the tea. "Are you not happy here? Has my brother not provided for you properly?"

This wasn't going the way that she hoped. "_I am happy here. Mirac has given me everything I ever wanted._"

Yana smirked. "It is remarkable to me that my brother would marry a mute girl. What ever do you two possibly have in common?"

Cera frowned, feeling incredibly insulted. The loss of her voice was not in her control and she wished she could yell at the woman right about now, but frustration overcame her when she couldn't utter a word. She stood up and Yana blinked up at her. She walked over to the yurt's entrance and pointed outside.

"You wish me to leave?" Yana asks and the princess nodded. She gathered herself and fixed the coined headdress about her head then walked over to the exit, glaring at her young sister in law. "Don't make this difficult on yourself, Cera. I'm not going anywhere for a long time."

* * *

Arielle succumbed to getting out of bed and was training her recruits, men and women alike, in the field. She was conditioning them to build endurance with heavy armor. She waved her hand up and down to signal them to drop to the ground and do pushups and stand back up to hold their arms out whilst holding their weapon to build arm strength.

Xena saw her granddaughter in the field and marched up the hill. Many of the soldiers' eyes darted towards her but paid attention to their new commander's orders. She stood next to Arielle and watched the men and women struggle to keep their weapons afloat.

"I need to talk to you."

"I'm busy," replied Arielle. She waved her hand and all the soldiers dropped to the ground and began doing incredibly slow pushups. She sighed and ran her fingers through her straightened hair.

Xena folded her arms. "Tell them to break."

"You are not in charge here. I am. Whatever it is, we can talk later," the commander says and looks over to her grandmother with a frown.

Xena groaned and clapped her hands. "Enough training!" she shouts at the soldiers and given that most of these recruits were trained by her, they immediately stopped training and Arielle gasped.

"Grandma, you are not commander anymore! This is my army!"

"Then you are not doing a very good job since they still listen to me." She grabbed the girl's arm and ushered her aside. "We need to talk about Aurora. You've been ignoring her ever since you've come back from Balaam."

The commander scoffs. "I am preoccupied with other things, obviously, until you put a stop to it."

"Arielle, I understand that you're not pleased about the turnout in Balaam but you can't ignore your daughter. She's been coming to my room every night for the last week. Ku is too busy cleaning your filthy room and she can't take care of Aurora by herself. You're Aurora's mother."

"I know! I am trying my best."

Xena looked into the commander's eyes and sensed anger, sadness and doubt. It was obvious Arielle was distracted by something, probably more than the loss of the battle, but with something else.

"You can talk to me. I can be a good listener. I know what you're going through, Arielle. I used to be in your position. It's very hard to be a commander and mother at the same time. I wished I paid more attention and spent more time with your mother when she was younger. You can't get those years back and I just don't want Aurora to suffer the same way your mother did."

"Are you saying I'm a bad mother?"

Xena was taken aback slightly by her granddaughter's accusation. "No, I never said that. Just remember to manage your time well. Pay attention to Aurora. This is a crucial part in her life when she'll remember everything you've done for her and what you haven't done."

The young commander was very avoidant of the topic. "Can I just get back to my job?" she says quietly.

"Gabrielle and I will be taking the children on a field trip soon. Aurora is coming with us. Are you okay with that?"

Arielle wiped a tear falling from her eye and nodded. "Yeah, that's fine. I really need to do my job now." She cleared her throat and walked back to her soldiers waiting for her instruction.

* * *

Gabrielle stared at all of the children from her wife's class and brought them to the river. They were dressed in their regular clothing and had black paint painted on their cheeks, very eager to get on with this field trip. They were hard to gather into a large group as some of them ran off, yelling, screaming and playing with each other.

She smiled at all of the children and finally was able to get their attention. "Okay, Xena made maps for you guys and you're supposed to do _what_?"

"Find the traps," Aman said for everyone.

"Correct. So everyone get your maps out," she instructed and they pulled out the small parchments from their pockets. "You all need to split up in groups of two and work together. When you've disarmed the traps then we'll meet back at the river bank. Does everyone understand what to do?" she asks and the students cheered.

She smiled and clapped her hands. "Get going!"

Aman and Aladar paired themselves up and darted across the field together. Edemen was stuck with his cousin, Issik, which he was not happy about. Gabrielle got the feeling that Edemen didn't like being in this class because he was one of the older children and Issik was the only person his age in the class. Even after all of these years, the two did not get along as well as everyone would've liked them to.

After everyone split up and eagerly looked for the traps, Gabrielle walked behind a huddle of trees and found her wife holding a bow and arrow ready to be shot at the little students. Xena smiled and pulled a mask over her face and eyed Farah's boys searching in a bush for a trap, working so well with each other.

"I know I was really against this trip but I must say this is very amusing."

Gabrielle grinned and crouched down in the brush. "See, I knew you would think this is fun." She eyed the arrow in the bow skeptically. "You put a protective tip on that arrow, didn't you?"

Xena sneered. "Safety first, Gabrielle." she pulled back the bowstring tautly and aimed the arrow directly at Edemen who was bickering with his scavenger partner.

"We should look in those trees across the river," suggested Issik.

"There aren't gonna be any traps there." Edemen groaned and looked at the map. "This is so stupid," he mutters. He felt something strike his back and bounce off him. He spun around and saw an arrow in the grass and scanned the area. Issik snickered and he was punched by his cousin in the chest.

Xena shook her head and loaded her bow to shoot the boys again. "Spoiled princes." She squinted her eye and shot Issik in the leg and he frantically looked around for the source.

Gabrielle concealed her laughter with a hand over her mouth. She couldn't stop laughing at the two princes' baffled faces and it was even funnier that Xena kept shooting them with arrows and they increasingly got angrier by the second.

"Yes, by all means, stand there and get shot at," muttered Xena. "Because that is exactly what soldiers do in the battlefield."

"Remember to have fun, Xena."

She shot a couple of more arrows and the boys did dodge them this time but still stood in the same place. Xena felt herself getting triggered by their clueless nature. She was used to training soldiers and if they were shot by an arrow or multiple, she felt like she failed as a leader and commander. Her upper lip quivered and she came out of her hiding spot.

Marching over to the squabbling boys she ripped the mask off her face and glared at them. They stopped arguing and widened their eyes. "Why do you stand there and do nothing!" she yelled.

Gabrielle raised her eyebrow and noticed the other children looking their way.

"You think it's wise to stand there and be shot at hundreds of times? Do you?!" she reprimanded and the princes backed away slowly silently. "This is not a game!"

"Xena!" Gabrielle ran out from behind the tree and gripped her wife's shoulder. "Xena, they're just _children_…"

Xena's eyes softened and she pinched the bridge of her nose. She closed her eyes for a brief moment and gathered her thoughts then stared at the frightened princes. She felt like she reverted back to her old self and the look on their faces was something she never wanted to see. They were horrified. Her eyes darted to the other students who also were in shock and gaped at her with open mouths.

"I'm sorry…" she says softly. "Go continue with your scavenger hunt." She dropped the bow and walked off away from the river.

Gabrielle was left with two fear-stricken boys and she picked up the bow and placed a hand on Edemen's shoulder. "Keep an eye on everyone. I'll be back."

She caught up with her wife who stood on a hill overlooking the snowy mountains across the valley. She slung the bow over her shoulder and approached with caution. It'd been awhile since she'd seen Xena act that way with anyone, but she didn't expect that kind of reaction to occur with a group of children. Now she knew that her wife's decision to abandon her role as commander was a lot harder than she expected it to be. And she had ignored her wife's feelings and emotions for months. She didn't know how much this decision would affect her.

"Hey."

Xena turned around and folded her arms, feeling very embarrassed and ashamed of herself. "You don't have to lecture me, Gabrielle. I know what I did was out of line."

The governor nodded and stood by her side, gazing at the sun hidden behind a tall mountain peak. "I didn't come to lecture you. I know you're capable of recognizing when you're wrong."

"I thought…I thought they were my soldiers. I forgot where I was, that's all. I hope they are not afraid of me."

"I…I didn't realize that this change of giving up your role was going to have a big effect on you…"

Xena frowned and looked at her solemn wife. "I chose this. It wasn't like it was ripped away from me. I just have to live with my decision."

"That doesn't mean that you have to go through this alone. I'm here for you –I always am. It's hard to change something that you've known your entire life. I should have seen that you needed me. I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize. I hate when you do that," she said with a crooked smile. "I will just have to learn how to adjust although that's easier said than done."

* * *

Csaba made his way to the dining hall in the middle of the night with a big smile on his face. He was spending time with Farah while he could since they were so busy. He told her that he was going to bring wine to the room and he quickly padded into the dining hall to grab a bottle of wine off the shelf.

He looked at the several bottles and rubbed his chin then took two bottles on the top shelf. Turning around he saw his sister sitting by herself by the fireplace, drinking wine. He furrowed his thick brows and set the bottles on the table and approached her.

"Arielle?" he says softly and she turned around and looked up at him with puffy eyes. He sat down on the floor beside her and watched the fire. "What are you doing in here all alone?"

She sniffled and took a small drink of the wine. "I just came here for peace and quiet and now you've ruined that."

He chuckled and wrapped his arms around his knees. He knew his sister always tried to put on a tough exterior but that was dwindling over the last few months. He touched her long straight hair and she slapped his hand.

"You look like mother with your hair like this."

Silence passed between them and he looked into her sad blue eyes. He hated to see her upset even if she got on his nerves from time to time. "What's bothering you?"

She glared at the fire and then wiped her nose. "He ruined everything," she admits barely above a whisper.

Csaba nodded. "Bayan, you mean."

"I'm his _wife_!" she yelled. "I should be the most central thing in his life and he just –just dismissed me! I wasn't even important enough to him so instead he went off and got a whore pregnant."

He sighed and scooted closer to his sister. He allowed her to continue to vent.

She huffed and gripped the wine glass and stared at the fire as if it fueled her anger. "How could he do that to me? I gave him a child like he wanted. I gave him everything! I left my home, my family, for _him_. I opened up to him. He listened to me when nobody else would. I wanted to have another baby with him and he…"

She covered her eyes and sobbed. Csaba smiled softly and wrapped an arm around her and she sobbed in his chest, knocking over the wine with her knee. She curled into his body and he ran his fingers through her hair.

Farah came in, wondering where her husband had gone and why he was taking so long. He turned around and nudged his head towards the doors. She smiled and grabbed the wine bottles and quietly exited the room. She didn't want to interrupt his moment with his sister.

Arielle wiped her cheeks and witnessed Farah leaving. "I…I didn't mean to keep you from Farah."

"It's okay. She can wait."

He brushed the hair away from her face and gave her a big smile. "You're very gorgeous, Arielle. I'm sure any man would want to marry you with _my_ approval of course. And don't run off and elope again."

She finally cracked a smile after weeks of remaining in a depressive state. "I am never going to marry anyone ever again."

"Never say never," he pecked her nose with his finger. "Ernak married Nisa and they're very happy together."

"Perhaps I will just sleep with men and never marry them," she teased.

Csaba grimaced and he folded his arms. "Absolutely not. I forbid you."

"_Forbid_ me?" she laughed.

"I will not allow men's hands to slither all over your body like the snakes that they are. No. It will not happen."

"Csaba, you are not in control of what I do with my life."

"You're my sister and I say no," he says firmly and she bit her bottom lip, smiling and then he too shared the same expression. "Seriously though. No."

She sighed and felt better being able to get that off her chest although she didn't expect her ear to be her older brother. "I suck as a commander. Grandma thinks so too."

"Nah, she doesn't. She trusts you. Just do yourself a favor and take her up on her advice and guidance. We're all here to help each other. She wants you to succeed and so do I, and mother, Gabrielle, Cera –"

"I get the point." She interrupted. "I just don't want to always run to her and mother when I need help. It makes me feel like a failure."

"You're not a failure, Arielle. Everyone needs help sometimes. Get rid of that pride of yours and life will be smooth sailing." He joked.

She hit his shoulder and he winced.

"Thanks for listening to me…you're a good brother."

"I know." He says proudly and she pinched his muscular arm. "You'll always be my squirt."

She rolled her eyes. "I'm not your squirt."

* * *

Arielle checked her daughter's room and was disappointed and disturbed to find the bed empty. She went down the hall to her grandmother's room and remembered what she said about Aurora. Quietly, she opened the door and saw Aurora sleeping in the bed beside her grandmother and Gabrielle asleep on the opposite side.

She frowned sadly and felt horrible for not paying attention to her daughter. She was so preoccupied with her own feelings that she forgot about her daughter's. She peered over the bed in the dark and knelt down, brushing her fingers against Aurora's cheek.

Holding back tears, she scooped Aurora in her arms and her daughter mumbled in her slumber. Xena awoke at the empty spot next to her and saw Arielle carrying her daughter out of the room. She smiled softly and laid her head back on the pillow.

The young commander returned to her bedroom upstairs and Ku woke up to the rustling around. She rubbed her eyes and could barely see in the dim-lit room. Sitting up in bed she smiled at Arielle, her friend, her companion, with Aurora in her arms.

Ku scooted over on the far side of the bed and Arielle placed Aurora in the center of the bed and gingerly lay beside her, pulling the blankets over her. Ku toyed with the princess' long hair and felt like her life was slowly going back on track and that Arielle was now conscious of her daughter.

She reached over and grabbed Arielle's hand. She kissed her arm and Arielle smiled softly, settling into the bed. Aurora shifted in the bed and woke up to her mother's eyes staring at her in the dark room. She turned to Ku and rubbed her eyes.

Frantically, the princess searched around the bed and lifted the sheets, searching for her special blanket. "Esen…" she whined tiredly.

"I'll get him for you," Arielle said and hopped out of bed. "You left him downstairs, right?"

Aurora nodded with a pout lip.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> During her visit to Kazakhstan, Anastasia comforts Cera and explains that building a trusting relationship with her sister-in-law is best in the long run. Trouble surfaces in China, and Xena is given a new position in the military. Arielle learns some upsetting news about her husband's mistress and irrationally bottles up her pent-up anger, lashing out at her grandmother and everyone around her.

Chapter 2

Anastasia traveled for a month across mountains, grassy plains and deserts to see her daughter in Kazakhstan. She was very anxious to see Cera after spending nine months apart. Cera was her youngest child and when she gave her daughter's hand to Mirac she felt like she made the right decision. She liked Mirac's family and thought he'd be a good husband for her. She never cared for Bayan and now she really didn't like him. She hoped that this would not be the same fate for Cera as well.

Upon arriving she was greeted by Mirac's father, sister and her husband. Inzhu kissed her cheeks and hugged her briefly. "We're so glad you're here, khatun. Cera's been talking about your arrival for over a month."

Ana nodded. "I'm glad that I could find the time to come here."

"My sister prepared a yurt for your stay. I hope it's adequate enough for you. My husband will take your belongings for you."

"Thank you. Where's Cera?"

"She's in her yurt and my sister will be here in the evening. She is in the market buying fabric. She has a plan to make Cera a new kozak and a dress."

Anastasia sensed some tension immediately and walked over to her daughter's yurt, expecting her daughter to welcome her with open arms. When she entered the home of her son in law she saw Cera sitting on the floor, painting. Even though it hadn't been that long since Cera left home, she looked different.

"Cera, _tatli_ _kiz_," she says and her daughter grinned and rushed to her arms. "I've missed you so much."

Cera pulled away with tears in her eyes and her mother cupped her cheeks. "Don't cry. I'm here. Tell me about your life as a wife," she says eagerly and sat down on the floor. Her daughter ran to get some tea and Anastasia took off her black headdress and smoothed down her hair.

It was a bit of an adjustment to see her mother dressed like Kreka Khatun and wearing a headdress all hours of the day. She was also not used to seeing her mother in dresses all the time either unless it was a special occasion like a party, festival or wedding.

She set the tray down and Ana smiled, helping herself to the sugar. "Has Mirac treated you well?"

Cera nodded and kept her gaze downward and stirred the tea repeatedly, clearly distracted. The subject of Yana was bound to come up and she didn't want her mother to throw a fit and cause a scene. She grinned at her mother and sipped the tea.

Anastasia raised her eyebrow at her daughter's odd quietness. "Is something the matter? You don't seem very excited that I am here. Everyone says hello back home."

"_I am very happy you're here_," the princess signs. "_It's just…I have problems with Mirac's sister_."

Ana set down the glass. "Inzhu?" She asked and Cera shook her head. "Yana."

She feared that might happen. Although Yana was very kind during the wedding ceremony in Pannonia she got the feeling that Yana was very headstrong and protective of her siblings being the oldest sister out of eight children.

"What kind of problems are you having?"

Cera sighed, unsure if this was the right time to discuss this. She didn't know if she could express herself in the way she wanted to. "_She makes me…feel like I am a child_," she began and added, "_And she asks why I am not pregnant yet. It makes me_," she put a hand over her chest, "_nervous_."

Ana had flashbacks of her dealings with Tuya long ago. She too felt pressured to produce an heir and it was very stressful.

"If you are not ready to have a child then you shouldn't feel obligated to. I understand that you are living in Mirac's tribe and things are a little different here but you are still a princess. Your say is more important than Yana's. Don't let her walk all over you."

She grabbed her daughter's hand and looked into those doe brown eyes. "I can talk to her if you want."

Cera felt relieved the moment her mother said this and she consented. Her mother kissed her hand and took a big swig of the hot tea. "But _when_ you do decide to have a baby I want you to come back to Pannonia."

The princess' jaw dropped. "_Mom, I can't just leave. This is my home now_." She now knew she wasn't going to win by the look on her mother's face.

"I will not repeat what happened with your sister. I want you with me. End of discussion."

Cera held up her hand to combat her mother's decision that had already been made without even talking it over first.

"_End_ of discussion, Cera."

* * *

Ernak returned from his expedition in Mongolia. He was able to gather all the tribes in the Zubu area and talked to the Beys and Chieftains of the tribes. He felt very close to these people since his mother's family reigned over the area but he was glad to be back in Pannonia for the meantime.

He organized a meeting with Gabrielle and didn't expect Xena to be there. He expected Arielle to be here but it seems that she was too busy training her men. Csaba joined the meeting and Ernak was anxious to tell everyone what happened during his trip.

"I'm happy to be back," the king said. "I have a problem. I've gotten a message from Emperor Liu."

Gabrielle wrote down the dialogue and paused. "The Chinese emperor?" she clarified and he nodded. "What does he want?"

"He requires someone to be in charge of his army and Bayan will receive a similar letter. He will have to go to China but since Arielle is the commander and his queen…she will also have to go."

Xena laughed as a reaction to that and slapped her knee. Everyone turned to her with puzzled faces. "That's hilarious, Ernak. Those two cannot be in a room together. Arielle will castrate that man!"

"Xena, please," her wife whispered.

"It's true. I know that she is still his wife and queen and she's the commander of the empire but she cannot be around him. He will die. She hasn't even sent him divorce documents! She's holding onto her old life because she doesn't want to give up her position as queen to his Mongolian mistress."

Csaba rubbed his temples and groaned. "So where do we go from here?"

Gabrielle put up her hands. "Hold on, wait a minute. Just because Bayan and Arielle have their differences doesn't mean they get to take this personally. If they have to go to China together then they will. Sometimes we have to work together with people we don't like for the sake of others' lives."

"Good point."

Xena rubbed her chin and didn't like the sound of this. She didn't want to get involved with her granddaughter's failed marriage. "I have an idea. I will go to China."

Her wife widened her eyes and her nostrils flared.

"You can't, grandma. You're not a commander anymore. There's no reason for you to go to China," said Csaba.

"Then give me another role. I'll fulfill it."

Gabrielle scoffed. "Xena, what is the point of giving away your role as commander if you just want to go back into the field again? We talked about this."

"No, we didn't, Gabrielle!" she argued. Ernak hid his face, finding this very awkward to be in the middle of. "Yes, I did resign. I've threatened that over the years several times and never gave into it. I finally did and I don't regret it but I can't spend my days as a teacher and babysitter. I need to do something with my life. I feel incomplete right now and I wish you'd understand that."

"I do understand. I really do. I feel for you, Xena. I love you and I want you to be happy. If you're not happy then we need to fix that." Gabrielle smiled and squeezed her wife's hand. She turned to Csaba who looked flustered and had a flushed face.

Csaba made small noises with his lips and he clapped his cheeks. "Okay, grandma, I have a position for you. It's not commander and this would be a demotion for you but would you…consider being a lieutenant for Arielle?"

She raised her eyebrow and shifted on the floor uncomfortably. To give herself to a role lower than her granddaughter would be difficult and she didn't want to obstruct Arielle's position and rank but to be lieutenant was something she never thought she would be. She'd been commander in chief and commander. Arielle did not have enough training to be commander in chief so that was off the table.

She relented. "Yes, I'll take it."

"You're okay with taking orders from Arielle?"

"No, but I don't have much of a choice now do I?"

He shook his head. "I will tell Arielle about the trip to China. Ernak, you will be in charge of this trip. I'll stay here. I don't know how long mother will be gone but hopefully she'll be back in a couple of months."

Ernak smiled, relieved this dreaded meeting was finished and over with. "I'll discuss the trip with you later, Xena. I must go see my wife and sons now. I haven't seen them in six months."

Gabrielle shared a sneaky expression with her wife. "You're going to be very surprised to see Nisa."

"Why do you say that? Is something wrong with her?"

Csaba slapped his forehead. "For god's sake, uncle, your wife is pregnant okay."

Ernak's face lit up and this brought joy to his life. He never thought that when he returned from Mongolia that he'd be a father to a third child. "Wow, a baby. This is the best news in my life right now."

"You say that every time you're expecting a child." Csaba rolled his eyes.

"Why the mood?" Ernak teased his nephew. "I love my children and my wife. Excuse me ladies, I must go see Nisa." He winked and quickly ran out.

Xena stared at her grandson and he glanced over, not amused by her wily eyes. "What?" he said.

"I didn't say anything."

Gabrielle gathered up her notes and stifled a snicker. "You seem stressed, Csaba."

"I am!" he growled. "There's a lot to be done here and with mother gone, I am overwhelmed. And Farah is not helping."

"Is she bothering you with her perfectionist demands?" Gabrielle put on a smug face.

He waved his hand. "I don't want to talk about it. She suddenly loves to be queen now that my mother is gone."

"Be nice to your wife, Csaba. Your sister doesn't have a good spouse and now you have to break the news to her about working with the person she hates the most."

"I'm always nice to Farah. I love her very much," he told Gabrielle. "But she's driving me insane!" he got up and marched out of the room. He muttered that he needed a drink or two, to prepare him to have this awful discussion with Arielle.

Gabrielle was left alone in the conference room with her wife. She held her journal to her chest, staring at her tall wife sitting on the floor, picking at the split ends of her hair.

"Xena, I know you're restless and bored stiff…but are you really willing to take a lower rank just so you can be on the field?"

She leaned back on her elbows, smiling at the governor. "If I can be around Arielle so she won't screw anything up, then yes."

"Now I understand what this is all about." The blonde nods her head. "When are you going to let her sink or swim? You're always looking over her shoulder."

"This is a win-win, Gabrielle. I get to do something but not be in complete control and I get to keep my eye on Arielle." Her eyes twinkled and her wife turned away, mumbling to herself. "You're coming with me."

Gabrielle spun around. "You're just going to make that decision for me." She stated.

"You know I can't do this without you."

"Uh huh."

* * *

Bayan waited for the Chinese princesses to come to Assyria for weeks. He had minimal contact with Ernak but the thought of working with Arielle on this mission in Mongolia and China was on his mind all the time. He wasn't sure what she was going to do. Sarnari was not happy that he was not divorced from Arielle yet and hated living in the same home that his wife lived in.

Now he paced the living room and Sarnai held their two month old son, who was also named Bayan. She was sick of his pacing and his distance lately wasn't helping their relationship either.

"When will you divorce your wife?"

He ran his palms over his face and gruffly groaned. "Sarnai, that is not on my mind right now. When will you stop asking me this?"

"When you divorce her! I should be your wife now. We have a child together, Bayan."

"I have a child with her too. It's not that easy."

"Seems easy enough to me," she shrugged her shoulder and tended to her son who gurgled and started to whimper. "You love me so I should be your wife."

There was a long pause.

"You do love me, right?"

Bayan rubbed the back of his head. "Yes, I do but I can't just let Arielle go. We built this tribe together and we have a daughter together. I should have handled the situation better when I told her about you."

Sarnai raised an eyebrow and set her son down on the floor on a mound of pillows. "You should have told her about us before I was pregnant, Bayan. Maybe she wouldn't have beaten you until you were black and blue. Your daughter is very sweet. She definitely doesn't get that from her mother."

He didn't tell Arielle that he'd been seeing Sarnai for two years during their marriage and Aurora was around her the entire time. While Ku was living in Harran she too kept that secret. He wondered if Ku told Arielle since they were so close but it didn't seem so because when he broke the news of Sarnai's pregnancy, Arielle had no idea. He felt guilty for keeping that secret so long and the thought that Aurora had been around Sarnai for two years would send his wife into a fit of rage.

"Sir, Song Princess Bosi is here to see you," a soldier interrupted their conversation.

Bayan nodded and the soldier left to wait outside. He turned to Sarnai who was very displeased about the lack of discussion concerning divorce. "We'll talk about this later."

"If you do not send her the documents I will leave."

* * *

He rolls his eyes and left the house. Princess Bosi stepped off her horse to greet him and he put on a façade for her. Her pale skin glowed in the bright sun and the blue silk robes she wore glistened as she walked towards him. She bowed her head and clamped her hands together. He did a simple awkward bow and welcomed her to Harran.

"I was expecting a letter. I did not think you'd come all the way to Assyria to meet with me."

Bosi smiled. "My father sent a messenger to Mongolia to tell King Ernak that he needs men. He is busy but I decided to make a face to face meeting. Is that an issue for you?"

"No, not at all. I am glad you are here."

"My sources tell me that you are married to Princess Arielle. I am very excited to work with her on this. My father wants someone to be in charge of his army due to conflict in the Song Empire."

He had reservations about working with Arielle but he didn't let that show. "I will do anything to keep my allies happy. Arielle is in Pannonia at the moment but Ernak has gone to tell her the plan."

"Excellent. I am always elated to work with Huns. You are a kind people. Might we continue this discussion in your home? It is rather cold out here."

Bayan nervously backed away. "Of course. Let me clear the area for you."

He ran inside while Princess Bosi waited patiently outside. He skids to a stop, alarming Sarnai and his slumbering son. "You need to leave."

She was insulted and slowly got up off the floor. "Why should I? This is my home too."

"You have no status as queen, Sarnai. I have invited the princess to come inside and you can't be here. She is good friends with Arielle's brother and I don't want to give her a bad impression of myself."

Her lip curled and she grabbed her son into her arms and threw the blankets over her shoulder. "This wouldn't be an issue if you had divorced your wife two years ago, Bayan."

* * *

Ku offered to spend more time with Aurora as long as Arielle was there with them. Arielle did put aside her daughter for quite some time and she organized her training with the army accordingly. She trained them early in the morning and late at night when her daughter was asleep.

Today they were supposed to spend time together and Aurora ogled her mother's tattoos on her arms and she wanted to copy her. Ku was busy inking the girl's arms with temporary ink that would stain her skin for a few weeks or a couple of months depending on how well she took care of the temporary tattoos.

Arielle folded some of her clothes and kept her room clean for the most part. She looked over at her daughter who had a big smile on her face, asking Ku millions of questions. "Can you put a snake here?" she pointed to her tiny upper arm.

Ku chuckled. "A snake? _Halu_, I will not draw a snake on your arm. What about a nice flower instead?"

"Nooo," she whined, "I don't wanna flower. Pleaaase?"

Arielle frowned and set the clean clothes in the hamper. "_Tatli kiz, bebek gibi konusuyorsun_," she says and the girl quieted down.

"I'm not a baby," Aurora stuck her tongue out at her mother.

"Then don't act like one. You will be happy with what Ku draws on you."

Aurora huffed. "Okay…" she squirmed and was tired of sitting in the same spot for a long time. She tapped her fingers on the sheets which frustrated Ku.

"_Halu, athbat makanak_," Ku said.

"Gosh, taking so long," she complained. She turned to her mother without making any subtle movement of her arm. "When can I see daddy? Is he done with his war stuff?"

Arielle paused and Ku hid her face, continuing to ink the princess' arm. "I'm not sure but you like living here with me, right?"

"Sometimes I like it."

"Sometimes?" she was hurt to hear that and she half expected it. She'd been ignoring her for a few months now.

Aurora played with her brown wavy hair while Ku had her arm locked in a steady position. "You always busy and don't have time for me."

"Well, I have time for you now. I promise I'll be here with you more and when I'm not here, Ku's here. You like spending time with Ku, don't you?"

"Mhm. But we do more fun things in Harran like…" she held up her fingers, "go to the church and –and see Sarnai too. She takes me to the market. I like the market."

Arielle grimaced and looked over at Ku who was deliberately avoiding eye contact. "What is she talking about?" she addressed her friend. "Aurora has spent time with that –that…_woman_?" she held her tongue from saying something far more foully of her husband's mistress.

"I am speaking to you!"

Ku put down the paint brush and lifted her brown eyes. "Arielle, please, not right now."

Csaba walked in unannounced and Aurora beamed. "Csaba!" she yelled and he smiled at his little niece.

"Arielle, I need to speak with you about a mission."

"Not now," she shoved him aside. "Ku, what is going on? Has that woman been around my daughter this entire time?"

"I don't want to talk about this in front of her," said Ku.

"Fine." Arielle grabbed her daughter and gave her to Csaba. "Take her away for a little bit while Ku and I have a talk."

He sighed and Aurora toyed with his beard as he held her up with one arm. "This is really important, Arielle!"

"I don't give a shit about your dumb mission right now. Get out!"

"But mommy, my arm!" Aurora pointed to her unfinished tattoo.

Arielle exhaled heavily and rubbed her eyes and looked at her disappointed daughter. "We'll finish it later, okay? Go with Csaba."

* * *

He hurried down the hallway to his room and Farah was inside, waiting for him to sign some papers about the Chinese/Mongolian mission with Ernak. She was surprised when he came in with Aurora glued to his hip. He set her down and Aurora ran over to hug Farah.

"Csaba, what's going on? Why do you have Aurora?"

"I need to talk to my sister. Just keep her here until I come back for her. Can you do that?"

Before she could answer he ran off. "Well, okay," she smiled at the princess."What's this on your arm?"

"Tattoos!" she cheered. "Not real ones…"

"Of course not. They look very nice." Farah grabbed the girl into her lap and smoothed out her hair. "Do you want to help me organize these papers?"

Aurora shook her head. "No."

"Aweh, come on. I would really like it if you helped." She tried to coax her.

The princess wiggled out of her aunt's arms and ran over to the wrack of dresses Farah had on display. "Oooo," she grabbed a silk mustard colored dress. "Can I have a dress like this?"

* * *

Xena visited her wife in her office earlier and now she was heading to the school to set up her classroom for tomorrow. She was in good spirits now that her grandson granted her a role albeit a lower rank than she wanted, she was still overjoyed at the decision. To be lieutenant was something to look forward to and she was excited to go on a new adventure.

She'd never been to China before except the outskirts. She didn't know how long this was going to last but she hoped that Arielle and Bayan would be able to behave in front of everyone. She had hopes that everything would work out but she had doubts.

Csaba ran down the staircase and saw his grandmother heading out. "Grandma!" he yelled.

She paused and he was coming towards her with intent on discussing a sensitive subject. "Oh, no, no, no." she shook her head and went outside, hurrying down the stairs into the brisk cold weather.

"Grandma, wait! This is important. I need to talk to you!" he says as he followed her. "Can you stop? Please?"

She stopped walking and turned around with crossed arms. "What do you want, Csaba? I have to prepare my classroom."

"I was trying to tell Arielle about the mission but she kicked me out of her room. She's arguing with Ku over Bayan and his stupid mistress. I need you to…mediate."

"No!" she continued on her way to the school.

He grunted and ran in front of her, blocking the path to the schoolhouse. She side stepped him and he followed her footwork. Xena raised her eyebrow and was ready to push him aside but there was no way he was going to lay a hand on her.

He puts up his hands, not looking for a fight. "Grandma, I can't reason with her. She's really upset at Bayan and Ku apparently. I really need you right now. Mother would do it and she's not here so you're the next best person. We need to get this mission situated and if she's going to be irrational this does not bode well for any of us."

"Csaba, I don't want to get in the middle of Arielle's business. If she's upset and angry I am not going near her. I might get whacked in the face or something. I wouldn't be surprised if she got into a fist fight with Ku."

"So you want _me_ to get hit in the face instead?"

"I've had my nose broken too many times. You can take a hit or two from your sister. Good luck." She paddled his cheek and walked onward.

"Thanks for your _help_!" he yelled and she waved her hand. "Great," he muttered. "Have to deal with this myself…" he rubbed his chin. "_Gabrielle_…" a devious smile crossed his face and he ran back to the Adame.

* * *

In the privacy of her bedroom, Arielle went off on Ku, yelling at her without letting her friend get a word in. Ku sat on the bed, sobbing and continuously wiping her nose, avoiding eye contact with her infuriated friend.

"Why did you lie to me? You knew about this woman for two years and you said nothing to me!"

Ku's unsteady breaths heightened and she wiped her eyes. "I'm sorry."

"Your apology means nothing to me!" she screamed and Ku flinched. "I trusted you, Ku. You were supposed to keep Aurora safe and now I come to find out that she's been around Bayan's whore. How could you do this to me?"

"Arielle!" Ku stood up, tears streaming down her cheeks. "I am only your handmaid! I am here to serve you and Bayan, nothing more! It is not my business to spread around what your husband does behind closed doors. I –I clean for you, cook, wash your hair and take care of your daughter. My status –it…it means nothing! I am beneath you! How could I have the right to spill your husband's secrets when I serve both of you!"

The commander's face changed from hard to soft in a matter of seconds. She looked into Ku's light brown eyes and saw a sadness she'd never seen before. She didn't realize that Ku felt that way and it was true, she was technically a handmaid but Arielle always treated her more like a friend than a maid. Perhaps she didn't make that clear before.

"Ku…I…I don't want you to feel like I don't appreciate what you do for me. You're my friend and I care about you. I'm just angry at Bayan and I'm taking it out on you."

After a lot of convincing and coaxing, Csaba pushed Gabrielle all the way to Arielle's bedroom. Gabrielle protested the entire time and her heels slid against the hard wood floors until they entered the room and all fighting had stopped between the two women.

The governor ruffled her hair and fixed her coat, glaring at the king. "I thought you said Ku's life was in danger?"

Arielle raised her eyebrow. "Oh, is that right?" she asked her brother.

"Well…" he nervously says, "you looked like you were going to clock her at any moment!"

"I would never lay a hand on Ku."

Gabrielle rolls her eyes. "This has been a waste of my time. Thank you for dragging me all the way up here, Csaba." She turned to leave and he grabbed her shoulders and spun her around. "Take your hands off me!"

"I'm going to need you here," he whispered then smiled at his sister. "On to business since you kicked me out so rudely earlier. You, Gabrielle, grandma and Ernak are going on a mission to Mongolia and China. But there is something else…"

Here it comes, he thought.

"What else?" she asks impatiently.

"Bayan will be accompanying you all."

Arielle's eyes widened and she grabbed one of the wine bottles and hurled it at the wall. Gabrielle and Csaba ducked and the bottle smashed into the wall behind them. Ku gasped and covered her ears, staring at the red stained walls.

Gabrielle looked over her shoulder at some wine droplets staining her coat. "Alright well…glad I was almost decapitated. This has been enough excitement for me today."

She turned and left as quickly as she could. Ku stood was ready to make a break for it as well until Arielle pulled her back. "We are not done with this conversation."

"I don't want to talk about this anymore," says the Assyrian. "It looks you have bigger things to worry about with your future mission." She yanked her arm away from Arielle and walked away, gently brushing by Csaba and wiping her wet cheeks.

Csaba smiled brightly at his little sister, eager to avoid talking about Bayan as long as possible. "So, China and Mongolia..."

"Fuck off, Csaba." She kicked over the clean hamper and folded her arms. Giving her a few moments to calm down she breathed in deeply. "Where did you take my daughter?"

"She's with Farah. Are we going to talk about this or not?"

* * *

The exchange between her mother and Yana was everything that Cera expected. Yana was very defensive and acted as if Mirac was her son instead of her brother. She did address Anastasia respectfully and did not raise her voice, which was good, but she remained adamant on her views. Yana did not see Cera as a good fit for her brother despite being a princess of the empire.

After that conversation, a week later everything was tense. Cera decided to take her mother to the market on the west side of the tribe. It was a lot different than the markets in Pannonia and there were several buildings everywhere instead of tents and yurts scattered about.

Anastasia walking through the market caused a lot of stir and eyes directed towards her. She paid no attention to it although she could tell that the amount of attention received was bothering her daughter. She stopped at a jeweler and smiled at the nervous young man.

She pointed to black onyx earrings and he immediately pulled them out of the box to showcase them on his palm. She lifted the earrings into the sunlight and turned to her daughter. "Cera, what do you think about these?"

Cera eyed the jewelry and shrugged her shoulder. She looked behind her at the soldiers who stuck very close by them and sighed. "_Mother, why did you bring grandma's thugs with us_?"

"They belong to your sister now and I have to bring them wherever I go. Does Yana like onyx or emerald?"

"_Why would you buy her anything? She doesn't like me and you want to give her jewelry_?"

Ana smiled and looked through the emerald sets. "She likes you, Cera. She is the matriarch of the family and she wants you to respect her. I spoke with Inzhu and she told me that Yana is the chieftess of her tribe in the north. Her husband died a few years ago."

Cera rolled her eyes, already knowing all of this information. She couldn't understand why her mother was so obsessed over this jewelry and getting a gift for Yana.

"Inzhu told me that Yana does not have any children of her own."

Cera raised her eyebrow. "_But she has a daughter_."

"Nadia is her stepdaughter from her husband's second marriage. It is important to know the motives behind your family members. She isn't out to get you like you think she is, Cera. Now, emerald or onyx?"

She pointed to the onyx and her mother nodded. The young jeweler wrapped the earrings in silk cloth and Anastasia paid him generously even though he tried to refuse payment. She handed the gift to Cera and made her hold onto it. They hooked arms and went on about their way through the rest of the market to explore.

"I was able to talk to Inzhu while you were out with Yana the other day," she began and Cera lifted her brows. "Yana's had a hard life. I just want to make sure you understand where she's coming from before you judge her. She was married off when she was fourteen to a man fifteen years older than her."

Cera's eyes widened.

"A few years into the marriage, her husband took a second wife because she couldn't have any children," she looked at her daughter's guilty face. "She's not out to get you, Cera. Although I have my own thoughts of what happened to her husband," she implied.

"_You…think she killed her husband_?" asks Cera.

Ana looked at the fabrics and pottery as they passed by the merchants. "I'm not saying that she did but Inzhu was reluctant to talk about it." She winked and Cera's face paled. "So, anyway, when is Mirac coming back? I haven't seen him since the wedding."

The princess looked at her mother with questionable eyes and rubbed her neck. "_He will come home soon. He's with his brothers. Do I really have to give this to Yana_?" she gestured to the earrings.

"She will love them if they came from _you_." she tapped her finger on her daughter's chest.

* * *

"I am not working with _him_!" Arielle made her statement loud and clear for the fourth time in a row.

Xena sank in the chair and buried her face in hands. "Arielle…" she mumbled, "we have to do this. Nobody gives a shit if you're upset about Bayan! Do you know how many times I've had to work with people I hate in my life?"

"We're not talking about _you_, grandma. Besides, your husband didn't cheat on you for two years!" she growls and crosses her arms, glaring at everyone in the room. "He doesn't even care about me!"

Gabrielle sighed and was incredibly fidgety throughout this entire meeting. "Can we just get to the plan already? We all understand how you feel, Arielle. You're upset and angry and you have every right to be but there's a time and place for everything. Now is not the time. When you complete this task then you can go kill him for all I care."

"Gabrielle!" her wife hissed and pinched her arm.

"What? I _don't_ care. Anyway, when are we leaving?" she asks Ernak while Arielle was fuming in her secluded corner of the circle.

He cleared his throat, staring at the three women. "I think we should leave in a couple of weeks. We'll meet up with Bayan in the Mongolian Steppes and then head to China from there. Everyone agrees?" he announces and they all nod except Arielle.

"Arielle? Are you not in agreement with everyone else?"

"I don't see why I have to work with him."

Xena slapped her cheek and moaned dramatically. "Arielle, stop acting like a child. You are commander now, not me. I am taking a lower rank to go on this mission."

"You're only doing that to spy on me."

"And rightfully so with the way you're acting. When I was your age I accomplished far more than you and you're upset about your husband's infidelities instead of thinking of the bigger picture. Get over yourself, child." She waved her hand, tossing the matter aside.

The young commander rose from her chair staring down at her grandmother. Xena didn't seem the least bit challenged and stared right back at her.

"What are you going to do? Stab with me your penetrating eyes?" Xena said in a mocking tone.

Arielle's nostrils flared and she looked at everyone who had their eyes averted elsewhere. She stormed off and pushed the doors open, stomping down the stairs.

Gabrielle gathered her notes and spoke for everyone in the room. "Two weeks it is," she says, adjourning the meeting. The two kings were eager to high-tail it out of the room far from the estrogen swarming around them.

"She is making me think twice about going on this mission," she adds.

"She needs to get herself together. I am not putting up with that behavior and taking orders from her if she's going to be like this the entire time." Xena stood and straightened her headdress. "I'll be back."

Gabrielle spun around in the chair. "Where are you going?"

"I'm going to tame a wildfire."

* * *

Arielle, filled with rage and hatred, pulled her sword and chopped through tree branches on her way to open field where she was getting ready to train her men. The entire field was pitch-black except for a few torches lit at the hillside. Her men were waiting for her lined up in several rows. The women were in the back, talking among themselves quietly waiting for their commander to make an appearance.

Xena followed her granddaughter and she too drew her sword. "Arielle!"

She turns around, almost to the top of the hill and the female soldiers fell silent. "_What_?" she spat.

Xena tapped her sword on the grass. "Why don't you put your anger to use right here –right now?"

She laughs, "you want to challenge me?" she snorts and Xena nodded. "I've already bested you to win your position last year, grandma. I don't need a challenge to prove my worth."

"Are you scared?"

Arielle lifted her chin. "I'm not afraid of you."

"Then why don't you take me up on my offer?" she smiles and twirls the sword with ease.

The young commander stepped down off the hillside, briefly looking at her army waiting for her. She eyed her grandmother and lifted the blade close to her, holding it with both hands. The first time she did this she was incredibly nervous that she would lose but to her surprise she did win after several attempts and several times landing on her back. It was a close call but Gabrielle deemed that she was the victor and was able to take her grandmother's position. Now, she wasn't so sure she'd win. She tried to put her anger aside and focus but it was going to be difficult. That was probably her plan all along, Arielle thought.

They circled around each other, eyes fixated and hands clasped to their swords. Arielle slowly watched her grandmother's footwork and tried to keep a straight face. It was unlike her to circle at such a slow pace and her stance was nothing like she'd seen before.

Xena thrust forward and Arielle barely blocked the blade coming straight for her midsection. Arielle ran forward and swung her sword upward to strike her opponent but Xena didn't use her sword but elbowed the commander's face and then kneed her in the groin and stomped on her left boot.

Arielle gasped breathlessly and took a couple of steps backward. She rounded out her jaw with large mouth movements and ignored the throbbing in her foot. Her eyes immediately went to her grandmother's boots, covered in bells and chains. The beads and coins on her headdress jingled slightly as she circled around. The atmosphere was so silent around them except Arielle's heartbeat was loud and clear in her ears, making it hard to focus.

Gabrielle stepped outside and witnessed the duel happening from afar. She could barely see the two shadows attacking each other. The more she watched her wife pommel Arielle repeatedly with swift movements of her arms, legs and elbows, the more familiar it seemed.

Xena was not using a regular technique to fight. Everything was taught to Arielle except for this one. What an unfair fight, the governor thought. Her wife was using classic techniques that were used when she once sparred with Kreka. Arielle had no previous knowledge of this particular fighting style.

Farah walked out of the Adame and stood beside Gabrielle. "What's going on?"

"Xena is fighting with Arielle." She pointed to the pitch-black field.

"Did Arielle lose her temper again? I have not seen Xena participate in a duel in a long time. Not since…" she trailed off as Gabrielle glared at her. "It's been awhile."

In the field Arielle was crawling on her knees and spat out a glob of blood. She did not let go of her sword as it was taught to her at a young age to never leave your sword behind. Xena grabbed her leg and dragged her across the grass and flipped her over onto her back.

Arielle breathed heavily, staring up at the sword that was pointed directly at her face, merely inches away.

Xena looked at the fear in her granddaughter's eyes and pushed the sword forward, an inch away from Arielle's nose. "You'd be dead right now."

"Are you going to take away my position?"

She retracted her sword and took her boot off of Arielle's chest. "No."

She lends a hand and pulled up Arielle off the ground. The young commander stared at her confusedly, blood dripping from her nose. "But I failed."

"I'm teaching you a lesson: don't let anger get in the way. I don't want to bring you back in a coffin, Arielle. Pull yourself together." She sheathed the blade. "Go train your army."

**Halu = sweet one**


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chaos ensues when an unknown group of horsemen attack and raid the Nezak tribe in Kazakhstan. Anastasia is suddenly forced to fight off the invaders, protecting her people and daughter. Xena, Gabrielle, and Arielle embark on their journey to China to help the Emperor. Arielle has a heartfelt conversation with her husband after months spent apart.

**We'll be seeing more action in chapter 4 and onward.**

Chapter 3 –_Hear Your People Cry_

The last two weeks were stressful and relationships inside the clan household were strained and tense. Arielle and Ku had barely spoken to each other and Ku wouldn't even sleep in the same bed with her queen. They only put on somewhat happy faces when Aurora was around but even then, that was difficult. Ku knew that the princess wasn't stupid. Aurora could sense the tension between her mother and caregiver.

While Gabrielle was helping Ernak pack the caravans for the trip tomorrow, Xena helped her granddaughter sort out clothing and armor in the bedroom. Arielle stood over the bed and stuffed several blouses into a large chest to be put on one of the wagons.

Aurora jumped up and down on the bed while her mother was packing. She was extremely hyper since Farah gave her some sweets in the morning which Arielle hated when her brother's wife gave whatever she pleased to her daughter without permission.

Xena sat in a chair, instructing her on what to pack and what not to pack. Arielle remained quiet during the packing and had to put back several pairs of pants that wouldn't fit in the chest. She hadn't even gotten to her armor pieces yet and she was running out of space.

The sugar-induced princess plopped down onto the bed, breathing heavily. "How long is this trip?" she asks.

Arielle frowned softly. "I'm not sure."

"Hopefully not long!"

Xena smiled warmly at the girl's optimism. It reminded her of the many questions Anastasia asked as a child when she went away on long missions. She tried not to stay away for more than two months at a time up until Ana was ten and then her excursions lasted far longer than that.

"When's grandma Ana coming back? I miss her."

Arielle inhaled deeply. "I don't know, Aurora. You've asked me that three times this week."

"I just wanna know…"

Xena reached over and placed a hand on the princess' knee. "She'll come back soon. She's visiting Cera."

Her eyes lit up. "Cera!" she grinned, missing her aunt and sitting in the art classes in school. "Is she coming back?"

"She got married, remember? She has to live with her husband in her new tribe."

Aurora nodded. "Oh yeah. Mommy, will you see Cera?"

Her mother groaned. "No. I told you I'm going to China. Ku will be in charge of watching you. I want you to be on your best behavior for her. If you need anything just ask Teyze Farah, Ursula or Nisa. They will be here for you."

"But I'm always good!"

Arielle cupped her daughter's cheek. "I know, I'm just reminding you." she closed the chest of clothes and latched the locks. "Alright, we can carry this to the caravan now." She lifted one side and Xena grabbed the other handle.

* * *

Gabrielle checked off everything on the list and inspected the wagons for tomorrow's departure. Xena and Arielle threw the chest of clothes onto a wagon and Gabrielle frowned at them. "That should go on the other wagon. This one is just for grain and supply."

"I'm not picking that thing up again but you go right ahead," Xena smiled at her wife.

Sighing, she crossed the last thing on her list. "Arielle's clothing: check." She stepped over to the chest and tried to move it with all her strength and she struggled, pushing with her back and dug her boots into the ground. She spun around to the young commander.

"Arielle, what in god's name do you have in there?"

"My armor and clothes. I packed the lightest armor I have."

The governor whistled to a couple of soldiers to transport the chest to the proper wagon otherwise it was going to bother her throughout the entire journey. She looked to Arielle and sensed that there something going on in that head of hers and she had a feeling it was due to seeing Bayan after being a part for nine months now.

"I know you're still married to Bayan and you're supposed to share a tent together when we meet up," she mentioned and the commander's eyes narrowed. "But you can share a tent with me and your grandmother if you'd like?"

Arielle was still young and had much to learn about the world but she wasn't a naïve teenager anymore. She didn't appreciate the way Bayan completely left her for someone else especially without telling her. Perhaps she would've been more receptive if he'd been honest with her in the beginning and maybe she could be at least cordial with the woman, but that now that was impossible. She didn't want their relationship to ruin this mission and most of all she didn't want to disappoint her family.

"You two shouldn't have to sacrifice your space just for me. I will share a tent with Bayan during the trip."

Gabrielle nodded and stuffed her journal into a satchel slung over her shoulder. "We just don't want you to be uncomfortable. If you change your mind, we'll be there for you."

Arielle folded her arms, watching all of the soldiers gather their bags and weaponry. They were supposed to head out with Ernak earlier than everyone else since they were going to travel on foot majority of the way towards Mongolia and it was a long journey from Pannonia.

"Grandma is only coming along so she can keep an eye on me."

"She cares about you."

Arielle brushed her fingers through her hair and sighed. "Is she ever going to trust me with the army? I know that she misses being commander. I feel like she's going to override my commands during the mission."

Gabrielle had the same thoughts but her wife reassured her that she had no intention of thwarting Arielle's orders and position. "You must understand that this is only thing she's known her entire life. She had to drastically change her life and put her trust completely in you, Arielle. She took a rank much lower than she deserves so she could be with you. She wants you to succeed as commander so when she's gone…" she hated to even put that in her mind, "that you will lead the empire to victory."

"But she has a lot more experience than I do. I don't know if I could ever be as good as her!"

"Arielle, you're being too hard on yourself. Your grandmother is three times your age. That's how she got the experience, and trust me, she's lost several times. You won't win all the time. If that's what you're worried about then you are leading yourself down a path of disappointment."

She added, "and what is the most important lesson we taught you?"

Arielle raised her eyebrow. "Always keep your fists close to your face and never drop your sword?"

The governor chuckled. "Yes, but, if you can avoid a conflict or war, do it. War is costly –not just with coin but with lives as well. Remember that."

"Got it," Arielle nodded. "Thanks, Gabrielle. You're so much easier to talk to than my mother and grandma sometimes. They're always yelling at me or something."

"You are a difficult girl, Arielle. You've always been difficult but that's not always a bad thing!" she assured her and the commander looked at her doubtfully. "It's the perfect attitude to have as a commander but don't forget to switch gears when you're around family. Your grandmother had a hard time doing that her entire life. She's a lot better now."

"Yeah right."

Gabrielle gripped the queen's shoulder. "I swear to you, she's a different person now. You never saw her when she was in her prime. You have a good head on your shoulders just as she said."

"She said that?"

"Gabrielle!" Xena yelled across the field.

The blonde groaned. "But she is _still_ bossy," she whispered. "What the hell do you want? Can't you see that I am having a conversation?" she walked towards her wife.

Xena scoffed. "You organized these caravans in the wrong order."

"I did not."

"Yes you did."

Arielle rolled her eyes at the two women bickering over something that really had no relevance. Those two really acted like an old married couple and it showed.

* * *

Mirac returned to the camp later than expected. He didn't know that his brothers were going to be so picky when it came to buying weapons and other supplies needed for the tribe. He crept into his yurt and took off his fur coat and gently placed it on the couch. He tried not to make a lot of noise coming in as it was late at night and everyone in the camp was asleep.

When he arrived he saw Hun guards posted outside of a large yurt and he knew that Cera's mother was here. He felt that he needed to greet her first thing in the morning and apologize for his tardiness.

As he was undressing from his layers upon layers of warm clothes, he looked to his slumbering wife on their bed. He crawled on his side of the bed gently and stared at the black lace dress she was wearing and her auburn hair glistening in the candlelight.

Cera exhaled heavily, awakening from the movement beside her. She rolled over and smiled seeing Mirac after being a part for awhile, she was glad to see another familiar face around here.

He smoothed out his short raven hair and settled into bed. "I was trying not to wake you," he whispered.

She lifted her arm from beneath the blankets and signed tiredly, "_I missed you_."

"It's nice to be missed," he says softly and she responded with a deep yawn. "I brought gifts for you and your mother. Does she like necklaces?" he asked unsurely.

Cera waved her hand back and forth, uncertain of whether her mother cared for jewelry or not. "_I am sure she will love them_," she signed and placed her hand over her heart.

He nestled close to her and grazed his fingers through her long red hair. He leaned downward to kiss her and then heard what sounded like people running with heavy boots on. Cera sat up and brought the blankets close to her chest. He slowly rose from the bed and grabbed his sword beside him and cautiously made his way to the doorway.

"Stay here," he told her.

He walked out of the yurt and Cera frowned, waiting patiently for a few moments until a flaming arrow pierced through the top of the yurt. The fire spread across the ornate rug and she quickly climbed her way out of the bed and grabbed her coat.

She ran outside, barefoot in the snow and saw men attacking everyone in sight. They were pulling women out of their yurts and dragging them across the snow. She darted to a secluded area and watched as these men invaded the homes of the Nezak Huns, slitting throats and stabbing everyone profusely.

Her eyes went to her mother's yurt and she opened her mouth, briefly forgetting that she had no voice to emit. She almost ran out from behind the yurt until she saw her mother on her horse, riding out to the mountains with the Pannonian guards. She squinted her eyes to look to the mountains and saw torches lit along the wall and flaming arrows raining down on the tribe.

The sounds of children and infants crying caught her attention and she ran out from behind the yurt. The invaders had a horde of children with them and one of the men held a baby up by its leg upside down. She grit her teeth and ripped the spear off the yurt's mantle and ran towards the chaos.

She plowed the spear through the soldier holding the infant and he fell over, dropping the child. She reached out and grabbed the wailing baby in her arm before it hit the cold snow. She was so distracted by the baby that she didn't even realize there were several other soldiers around her.

They looked over to her and she eyed the children being held hostage by the men. She scooped up the infant in her arms and wasn't sure what to do. She wanted to save the others but she was outnumbered and had nothing to defend herself with.

Cera took off running into the flaming camp and once the men slaughtered the remaining children they set their eyes on the fleeing princess. She looked over her shoulder and four of the men followed her. She ran through the snow and stepped over burning debris, burning the soles of her feet.

She gasped upon meeting more men who now surrounded her. Backing away slowly, two of them grabbed her arms and she clung to the crying infant, refusing to let go. One of the men whacked her midsection and she hissed, doubling over.

He snatched the child from her arms and she reached outward but was held in another man's arms, squeezing her tightly. The man held the children in one arm and smiled at the princess. His black eyes glistened in the fires around him. Cera's eyes widened and welled with tears.

He wrapped his large hand around the infant's small neck and Cera struggled to get free. With a quick snap he broke the child's neck and Cera watched the horror before her eyes as the baby was thrown into a fiery pile of debris.

"Put her in the wagon with the others," he demanded.

* * *

Anastasia slowed with a yank of her steed's reins and stared at the men in the mountains. Badr rode up beside her. "Your highness, there are too many men here. It will take too long to ride to the top of the mountains."

She snarled at the shadows slowly disappearing into the mountains and the torches were blown out. "It is too dark to see anyone. Spread out!" she ordered. "Man the perimeters of the entire camp!"

Badr waved his hand to the ten men and they rode in separate directions while he was stationed near his queen. He looked to the mountains and couldn't see a thing, although he knew men were hiding, he just didn't know who.

"What do you want to do now?"

She circled around and observed that the invaders had fled from the encampment and there were hundreds dead, all women and children, the men had survived. She raised her eyebrow and icy breath escaped her mouth from a deep exhale.

"I will alert Bey Malka about this. Gather all the men in the tribe and tell them to put the fires out."

Badr nodded. "What do you wish me to do with the corpses, khatun?"

Ana hated to see so many dead women but the children especially tugged at her heart. "Burn them."

* * *

Mirac ran through the camp, barefoot, clothes tattered, body covered in blood, searching for his wife. The first place he looked was their yurt and he saw it was burned down to the ground. He ran over and slashed through the thick felt fabric with his sword.

Angrily he ripped open the fabric and walked on top of hot lattice frame and burned his hand lifting up the wooden frame only to find it was completely empty. He looked around and ran through the camp, calling out for her.

"Cera!" he frantically searched and entered a couple of yurts that were somehow saved from the massacre. "Cera!"

He kept searching and saw his older sisters kneeling on the ground, sobbing loudly. He approached them and peered over their shoulders and wrapped a hand over his mouth. He ran to the side and vomited violently, coughing and hacking. He was never going to get the image of his nephews and nieces mutilated out of his mind.

Badr galloped into the camp and halted in front of Mirac. "Son of Kerem," he addressed curtly.

Mirac lifted his teary blue eyes, staring at the Pannonian Hun soldier, still horrified at what he just witnessed.

"The queen commands that all men should put out the fires and burn the bodies. Relay the message." He turned to leave.

Mirac got to his feet and grabbed Badr's arm. "Wait…" he says breathlessly, "Cera is missing."

* * *

The Hun army traveled across Pannonia and north of the Black Sea so they wouldn't be seen by Justinian's men in the south. The further north they went the colder it was and blizzards were bound to occur soon if they didn't find shelter. Ernak lead the army in the front with Arielle.

Gabrielle trotted slowly with Xena in the back of the army, looking at a large map laid out on her saddle. She hated the winter months and preferred to live in southern Pannonia but that just wasn't an option anymore. She also hated traveling at this time of year. Her skin was flushed from the cold breeze rushing against her face.

Gazing at the map she shivered and cuddled inside her fur coat. Her eyes glanced over at her wife who didn't seem to be disturbed by the cold at all, although she had a fur hat to keep her warm and Gabrielle had nothing but the cloak's hood to keep her warm.

It was going to take them a long time, probably a month to reach Mongolia and they weren't even to the Caspian Sea yet. She traced her gloved finger along the map and there were a couple of roadblocks along the way. She sought to avoid all conflict during this journey.

"Should we stop in Balaam along the way or go around the Caspian Sea? Either way we're going to walk through Persian territories," she asks her wife.

Xena raised her eyebrows and leaned over to take a look at the map. "What do you suggest?"

"But I asked you."

"You're the governor," she smiled.

Gabrielle grunted and saw that Kazakhstan bordered China and Mongolia and parts of the Persian lands. "We should go around the Caspian Sea. It's probably safer that way."

"Alright, mountains it is." She winked at her wife then rode to the front of the army to alert Arielle and Ernak of the plan.

She came to a slow trot and Arielle unraveled the scarf away from her face. Xena smiled and pointed north. "Gabrielle suggested we go through lower Kazakhstan to get to Mongolia instead of going to Balaam and Persian territories."

Arielle looked back at the cold governor sitting on her horse, waiting patiently. "I hope she likes blizzards," she teased. She raised her arm in the air and directed them to steer their path further north for the remainder of the journey.

"How does it feel to be beneath your wife and granddaughter in rank?"

Xena frowned at Arielle's smug face. "I've already done your job a thousand times over. Don't get cocky, Arielle."

"You only came along because you don't trust me."

"No, I came along so I could help you plus I've never been to China. It will be fun," Xena gave a big smile and the commander grumbled. "You need all the help you can get. Ideally, there should be two commanders for an army this size, but you'll just have to deal with me instead. Take the help when it is offered to you."

She turned and galloped back to her station with her wife in the back. Arielle sighed and wrapped the scarf around her face, dreading the rest of this journey. She also didn't want to see Bayan's face when they met up in Mongolia but she had a long while to calm herself before their reunion.

* * *

Navaz received an urgent message from the Nezak Huns and he immediately went to his wife's room. Safiya sat in front of the mirror, braiding her long thick hair until he rushed in. She turned in the chair and widened her eyes, staring at his flushed face.

"What's with you?"

"Anastasia sent this to me. She is in Kazakhstan and she said that someone invaded Kerem's tribe," he told her and he saw his wife's eyes narrow, obviously still sour of that one night years ago. "She said that Cera is missing. She believes someone took her during the attack."

Safiya wrapped a ribbon around the tail end of her plait and grabbed a red headdress with a very long veil attached to it. She gently set it atop her hair and smoothed the veil around her face. Navaz grew impatient as she was taking her sweet time to get ready when she had hours to do so.

"What do you want me to do? Go to Kazakhstan to aid them?" she asks and stood up slowly.

"That would be nice and take Soran with you. I don't know what he's been doing lately but he needs to stop leaving the Adame for days at a time. I have no idea where he runs off to."

Safiya briefly smiles and took the letter right out of his hands. "Neither of your children listens to you and here I thought they were taking after their mothers but perhaps they get that from _you_." She underhandedly insulted both of his ex-wives.

Navaz frowned and watched her leave the bedroom and circle around the hall to Soran's room.

* * *

She knocked on her stepson's door and waited patiently then knocked again. "Soran, I need to talk to you." she calls out. While she was waiting she looked at the letter handwritten by Anastasia and folded it up and tucked it into her belt.

He opened the door and was finishing dressing himself. "Come in," he stepped aside and his stepmother entered the messy room and raised an eyebrow.

"Soran, why is your room so dirty?" she inquired and picked up a pair of pants that she hadn't seen before. She also saw a pair of female boots beside the bed. "And whose shoes are those?" she pointed the boots out.

The eighteen year old blushed and picked up the feminine boots and tossed them into a hamper. "Nobody's."

She felt a bit nosy looking around his room but she saw a tunic that didn't belong to him. He was a rather slender teenager and didn't have the large build that his father had and this tunic would swallow him. She definitely knew people had been in his room.

"Soran, what have you been doing in here? Having wild orgies with strangers?"

He laughed nervously. "No, Safiya!" he grabbed the tunic and stuffed it into the hamper. "A few of my friends spent the night here for a few days."

"A few _days_!"

"Safiya," he cleared his throat, "why did you need to speak with me?"

She was not to forget what he told her but for now they had bigger things to worry about. She says to him, "your father wants both of us to go to Kazakhstan. Princess Cera has been kidnapped or something of the rather."

He widens his light eyes. "What?!" he scrambled to put on his boots. "When did this happen?"

"I am not sure but given the time it takes for a message to be sent, probably a couple of weeks ago."

She knew that Soran was very fond of Cera since they were only a few months a part in age, but she never thought he'd react so strongly to this news. She wasn't exactly sure if he would react the same way if something happened to Arielle; his actual _blood_ relative.

He didn't bother to comb his short raven hair and ran to the doors. "What are we waiting for? Let's go!"

"Soran!" she yelled and he ran back into the room and leaned on the doorway. "We need to gather a group of men. We can't leave unattended."

He nods. "Alright let's do that then. I'll gather the soldiers and we can leave tonight." He remained adamant while she was reluctant about going entirely.

* * *

Gabrielle huddled around the campfire in the Mongolian desert while Xena was busy scoping out the place with her silent eyes. She shifted and moved closer to her wife for warmth but even that wasn't helping and she just had to embrace the cold.

They arrived in Mongolia a few hours ago and arrived a lot earlier than anticipated due to Arielle's diligence and unwillingness to stop. The meeting between Bayan and everyone was awkward to say the least but he hadn't spoken to his wife since they arrived. Everyone suspected that there was to be yelling shortly but hours had passed and the camp was silent.

They camped out in the Zubu region and it was a flat desert, a flat cold desert, Gabrielle repeated several times. She despised winter and the further north they traveled the worse the weather was. Luckily for them there were no blizzards during the journey up here and the chieftain said that there were hardly any snowstorms in the area.

"So, this was Kreka's tribe," Gabrielle's teeth chattered.

Xena chuckled and wrapped an arm around her shivering wife. "Yes. It looks a lot different since I was last here."

"Well Xena, that was over thirty years ago!"

She slowly nods and took a good look at the hundreds of yurts scattered across the desert. She felt a sense of nostalgia being in this place. She didn't stay long but it was the first time she ever laid eyes on the khatun and her family. She remembered every detail and also remembered how Attila was so smitten with Kreka from the moment they exchanged words.

"I miss her."

Gabrielle leaned her head on her wife's shoulder. "I know you do. I never thought I'd hear you say those words considering how you two behaved around each other."

"She acted tough but in reality, she was just a big softie," Xena joked. "Except when she's angry."

Ernak took a seat on a bench across from them and he already had his wine handy. "Evening ladies," he greeted and Xena rolled her eyes. "Isn't this a great tribe? I can't believe my mother lived here. I'm glad she gave this area to me. I was thinking I should move Nisa and my sons here."

The governor wrapped her arms around her knees and leaned closer to the fire. "Really? You would leave Pannonia indefinitely?"

"Why not? This is my tribe now too plus I really hate being away from my family for months at a time. It's bad enough that Nisa will give birth without me there," he sighed. "But I know Ursula will take good care of her. Csaba already has precedence over Pannonia anyway. It's the perfect arrangement for everyone."

"If that's what you think is best. You must feel happy to be in your mother's old region."

He smiled, looking around while sipping the wine. "Yes, it's nice. It's like she's always with me when I am here."

Xena half smiled and laced her gloved fingers together. "You have a heart of gold, Ernak. I suppose you get that from her except…you show it better," she teased.

He looked over at the couple who were entering their tent together. "Ooo, look over there. Arielle is going in with Bayan. Prepare your swords, ladies! Get ready to hear yelling and foul words from the commander's mouth!" he laughed.

Gabrielle grumbled. "Ernak that is not funny. She doesn't deserve anything that's happened to her."

"She also hasn't moved on from it," muttered Xena.

"He's been having an affair for two years!" she slapped her wife's knee. "Have a heart, would you?"

"I'm not heartless, Gabrielle!"

Ernak coughed, interrupting the fight that was smoldering between them. "In all seriousness, I love Arielle and would gladly beat Bayan's ass if I had to. Hopefully I won't have to do that on this mission. Excuse me, but I must go mingle with my friends."

Gabrielle exhaled and bit her bottom lip, gazing up at her irritated wife. "Do you want to go in the tent now? I can't stay outside anymore unless I want to get frostbite later."

"It's not _that_ cold."

"Please!"

"Alright, I don't want to hear any more whining from you about the snow or cold weather," she mocked her wife.

Gabrielle gasped and stumbled in the snow and grabbed onto her wife's fur collar. "Listen here, Xena, you know I hate the cold. I should have never agreed to come with you. All you do is make fun of my suffering."

"And you make it so easy."

* * *

Arielle and Bayan stood on opposite sides of bed roll on the floor, staring at each other. He could see that she was furious and holding it inside by the grace of the gods. He hoped he wasn't going to be mauled in his sleep and in fact he wanted to offer to sleep outside because of the tension inside the tent.

He broke the ice, "You can take the bed. I will sleep in the corner." He took his blanket and coat then moved by her, careful not to touch her, and began his own bed on the far side of the tent. The space was small but large enough to fit three people if need be.

Her fists loosened and she relaxed her hands by her sides. She had plenty of time to get over being angry at her husband but seeing him for the first time in almost a year was difficult for her and he probably wouldn't understand, she thought.

"It's too cold outside. We can share the bed," she offered.

Bayan raised his eyebrows and smoothed out the wool blanket, staring at her backside. "It's okay. I don't mind sleeping over here."

She turned around and now the two locked eyes once again. "Don't be ridiculous, Bayan. Get in the bed."

He licked his dry upper lip and awkwardly stood up, grabbing his things, and hesitantly walked back over to where he stood. He dropped the blanket and coat on the floor and they were back to square one again. He didn't feel like arguing with her so he just complied with whatever she said.

Lowering her eyes, she sat down on the makeshift bed and began taking off her boots. That was his cue to sit down as well and they had their backs turned from each other. Arielle peered over her shoulder for a brief moment and eyed the tattoos on his wrists which she hadn't seen before.

"Aurora asks about you. She misses you."

He smiled. "I miss her too."

Arielle placed her boots neatly beside her sword and coat then released a heavy sigh. "Why her?"

"What?"

"Why did you pick her? You've been seeing her for two years while also being married to me."

He knew this conversation was going to come up and he didn't want to deal with it at all. He was getting enough of it at home in Harran.

"An apology isn't going to fix things."

She turned and folded her legs. "But it would be nice to hear it. You haven't apologized to me at all, Bayan. You lied to me for two years and you also…you brought her around our daughter! How could you betray me like that? I feel so embarrassed and you bring shame to my entire family. They don't want to be associated with you."

He allowed her to speak and while she did, he didn't know what to say back to her. "I'm sorry."

"Is she better looking than me? What does she have that I don't?"

Bayan pinched the bridge of his nose and put up his hand. "Arielle, I'm not going to compare Sarnai with you."

"You didn't answer my questions."

"No….she's not more attractive than you."

"Then what is it! I would love to know!" she stood up and he sighed heavily.

"Sit down. Please?"

Arielle folded her arms and sat back down, glaring at him, waiting for some answers.

"The truth is; I was upset that you took your grandmother's offer to be commander. I didn't get to spend any time with you and taking care of Aurora was difficult without you. I didn't even realize what I was doing until she told me that she…was pregnant," he said quietly. "And then I knew that I made a horrible mistake."

"So instead of talking to me about your feelings, you went and had sex with another woman? Do you know how stupid you sound right now?"

"Yes!" he raised his voice and then calmed down. "Yes, I know. It was very foolish of me and I'm sorry. I don't know what else to say because now I have to either marry her or she'll leave."

Arielle had some sympathy for him and she didn't think that she would especially a few months ago when she was seething with fury. She saw how stressed he was and he was probably just as unhappy as she was but she really couldn't forgive him, at least not right now.

"Did she have a boy or a girl?"

Her question caught him off guard and he tilted his head. "A boy. He's named after me."

She nodded and then lay down on her side, facing away from him. She blew out the candle and stared into the darkness. Sleep would not come to her tonight, she thought. She felt him behind her, shifting underneath the blankets and he was so far away that she couldn't feel his warmth at all.

"Bayan."

"Yes?"

"I…will sign a divorce decree so you can marry her if you want."

She heard him exhale softly.

"We will talk about it later," he answered tiredly.

* * *

Bey Malka came to Chieftain Kerem's tribe later than expected after he received Anastasia's letter weeks ago. He sent his soldiers out to scout the entirety of Kazakhstan to look for the missing princess and the invaders. He hated to report that he found nothing that lead to either one.

"Your highness, I am sorry to meet under these circumstances," he addressed her properly. He also bowed to the chieftain and his eldest daughter, chieftess Yana.

"Your men haven't found anything leading to Cera or the attackers?" she dives in with immediate questioning.

Malka shook his head. "We have searched everywhere. It is why I am so late to meet with you."

She grunted. "It is pointless to stay in Kazakhstan at this point. Cera is long gone and far from here. She may not be alive for all I know."

"Don't say that, your highness," the Bey tried to reassure her doubts. "There are four possible groups that could have attacked this area," he began and Ana frowned, awaiting for more, he adds, "Persians, Mongols, Chinese or the Yakuts. We are on good terms with China thanks to your son and we have no quarrels with the Mongols. That leaves us with Persians and Yakuts."

She folded her arms and instantly thought of Madhiya. "Kerem has told me that the Yakuts relocated. Do you know their new location now?"

Malka looked to the chieftain. "I was not aware of the Yakut's relocation."

"Madhiya took her tribe elsewhere because she did not want to remain in the same place. She stopped communicating with the northern tribes as soon as we cut off her grain supply," said Kerem.

Anastasia eyed both men and could see there was a bit of a miscommunication in the Nezak tribes. Kazakhstan was such a large state that it would be somewhat hard to get the message across to every single tribe there is. The area was five times that of Pannonia and had three times as many tribes. Kerem's family just happened to have the second largest tribe in the state next to Malka.

"Find out where Madhiya's new location is," she ordered Bey Malka. "Find out who she does trade with now. She is not included in the empire so she could be trading with Persians for all we know or even Justinian."

"Ömm Anastasia!" Soran yelled as he trotted towards the encampment.

She turned and what a surprise it was to see Soran and Safiya riding with a legion of White Hun soldiers. She was pleased to see that Navaz agreed to help her, although clearly, Safiya was not eager or willing to help by the disdain upon her soft features.

The prince dismounted and greeted everyone in the tribe. He shook hands with Mirac and smiled. "Pleased to meet you. Prince Soran of Balaam, Armenia."

Mirac nodded, unsure of whom this teenager was but smiled anyway. "Mirac, Son of Kerem."

"Ah, you are Cera's husband! I've heard good things about you. I hope you have treated her well."

"Y-yes…of course," Mirac looked at Safiya confusedly. "Are you a relative of Cera's?" he didn't want to sound rude.

Soran grinned. "I am her stepbrother, sort of. It's complicated. She is like my sister. I heard she was kidnapped and I brought my stepmother to help. We will find Cera, don't worry."

He didn't know this prince at all but he could tell he cared a great deal for Cera and if the queen trusted Soran then he felt the need to return the trust.

Anastasia greeted Safiya after being several years apart from one another. "Thank you for coming to help."

"You are the empire's queen. I am obligated to come to your aid," says Safiya coldly. "Navaz asked me to assist you and so here I am."

* * *

Weeks of traveling weighed heavily on Cera. She felt like she was losing her mind and she had no idea where she was whenever she opened her eyes. She was always in a new place and the scenery looked drastically different than any place she'd ever been. She knew she was being drugged ever since she woke up after days being asleep.

She refused food from then on out but kept drinking water that the men gave her which apparently also had some kind of herb that knocked her out. At least she wasn't dead, she kept reminding herself. Now she was waking up to a new location once again. In a cage with a few other young women, she felt like a caged animal.

Her vision cleared after a few moments and she looked at the dark gloomy morning sky and she could smell water nearby. The other four young women in the wagon with her kept gawking at her. Cera rubbed her eyes and looked down at her shackled ankles and wrists chained together. These people weren't going to let anyone escape.

All four women in the wagon were from Mirac's tribe and they were among the most beautiful in the tribe. They weren't the plain or ordinary women. No, they were probably dead, Cera imagined. She didn't want to think of all those dead children, babies and women back at the camp.

"Princess, will the queen come for us? Will she find us?" the light haired brunette whispered.

Cera gaped at the young woman and shrugged her shoulder. At this point she didn't know where she was and if she didn't know then her mother definitely wouldn't know of her whereabouts.

She turned and looked through the iron bars at the people staring curiously at them. Everyone here looked different. The more she studied these people's faces she had an idea where she and the others might be. _China_…

The caravan abruptly halted and the driver came round and opened the cage. He grabbed the women one by one, pushing them out. He grabbed Cera's arm and she climbed out with her aching legs and nearly collapsed onto the ground. He gathered them up and pushed them forward to a dock filled with several ships.

Cera raised an eyebrow and squinted her eyes at the ships as she kept walking in step with the other girls.

The driver told them to wait and he approached a merchant located at the docks. "Which ship sails to Kusuba?"

"My ship is sailing to Kusuba at the moment, sir," the merchant told him.

"Excellent. I have some women that need to be delivered to the Imperial Palace." He pulled out a purse filled with coin and shoved it in the merchant's palm. "I trust you can get them there."

"Of course sir," the short merchant bowed his head respectfully and eyed the five women waiting in chains.

_Kusuba? Where is that?_ Cera overheard the men chatting and suddenly she was being forced onto the ship. She descended onto the deck and a lot of men looked her way and she grimaced. She was pushed forward by the ship merchant and she stumbled forward awkwardly with the weight of the shackles on her ankles. She clung to the main mast.

The ship rocked gently and Cera's eyes widened as they drifted further and further away from the docks. The other girls huddled together around her and she heard the ship merchant yelling in his native tongue to the sailors.

"_Nihon e no fune ni notte_!" he yelled. "_Nihon e no fune ni notte! Kusuba_!"

She recognized that word from somewhere. Cera desperately tried to remember all of the lessons she had back home with Gabrielle, Farah and Nisa. There were so many places on the map she hadn't been to but she memorized many. _Nihon_, she repeated over and over in her head. Mouthing the word she closed her eyes, thinking back all of her geography lessons.

She recalled a lesson her grandmother taught in her classroom one day. She stopped in occasionally to listen in when her art classes had yet to begin for the day.

"_The Katana is a very sharp sword. It is one of the sharpest swords in the world. Some may say the sharpest. Japonya'nin Katana_," _Xena told her students_. "_Or formally known as the Nihonto_."

Cera's eyes shot wide open and she looked to the open waters and frightened women. _Japonya_. _I am far from home –very far from home._

**Ömm= respected mother**


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Farah expresses her desire to have another child with Csaba. Meanwhile, a pox spreads like wildfire throughout the tribe. Arielle consistently feels like she is living in her grandmother's shadow as commander, and feels like she has nobody to rely on for help. Back in Pannonia, Farah's chambermaids concoct a plan to thwart their queen's potential pregnancy.

**And so it begins…**

Chapter 4 –_Oleander and Geese_

Farah and Rabia stayed in the women's quarters together playing a traditional card game from Banat. The two were able to spend time together alone without interruptions. For once the room was not occupied by a bunch of children, servants and mothers. The two former Czarinas hardly had one on one time to bond anymore as their lives were incredibly busy.

Rabia studied her cards and placed one in the center of the rug. She cast a smile at her little sister, knowing that it'd be very hard to find a card to trump hers. She had her mind set on winning this card game and they were only on their first round.

"Don't be a spoiled sport if you lose," she tells her little sister.

"I am not going to lose! Just let me think for a minute." Farah quirked her mouth and looked at her sister's cards on the floor and back at the ones in her hand.

While she was waiting for the chosen card Rabia curiously asked her sister, "how are things between you and Csaba?"

Farah lifted her eyes from the cards and stared into her sister's brown eyes. "Okay, I guess."

"Just okay?"

"Rabia, why are you asking me about my marriage? You don't even like Csaba."

The elder sister smiled. "He's alright I suppose. He just annoys me. I just noticed that you two hardly speak when in passing and at dinner sometimes."

Farah sighed and placed a card to match her sister's on the floor. "It's my fault we're at odds. I've been pressuring him to have another baby."

Rabia gasped. "Another one? Farah, _tu fata nebuna_," she muttered and slapped another card on the floor.

"I want a girl!" the queen clenched her fist and slammed her palm on the floor. Her sister raised an eyebrow and gently pushed the cards aside to place another winning pick next to the other four.

"If…you do decide to have another child will you be disappointed if it's a boy?"

Farah set the cards down, no longer wanting to play this game now that her mind was focused on her husband's past arguments with her.

"I will still love the child if it's a boy but I really want a daughter. I got more than I bargained for last time. I don't see what the big deal is! We have plenty of space here. Csaba is just being ridiculous. It's not like he's going to be doing all of the hard work. His part is easy."

"Alright, I don't need to hear anymore," Rabia cut her sister off with a raise of her hand.

She smiled and gently slapped her sister's knee. "Why don't _you_ get married? I'd love for you to have children of your own."

Rabia half smiled. "No thank you. I've been married once and I am not doing that again. As for children, I enjoy being an aunt to your children. They are like my own."

"Mom!" Aman screamed and ran into the room with his brother. Both of them were covered in mud from head to toe.

"_That_ is why I will never have children."

Farah shot a glare to her sister and turned to her filthy sons. "What happened to you two?"

Ku walked in with Aurora and she too was covered in mud, except the princess was smiling and her cousins weren't exactly happy that their fresh clean clothes were now ruined. Ku sighed and Farah's mouth gaped at the three children.

"Oran thought it'd be a good idea to take the children to the marshes," Ku informed the queen.

"_Oran_," Farah rolled her eyes. She grabbed a cloth from one of the tables filled with linen and wiped her sons' faces. She gasped when she saw red spots all over their cheeks. "What is this?!" she inspected their faces and pinched their cheeks.

Ku frowned and wiped the mud off Aurora's face and saw red splotches all over her face as well. "I don't understand. They didn't have these spots on them this morning."

"I'm going to kill Oran." She picked up Aladar in one arm and grabbed Aman's hand and led them out of the women's quarters. Ku hurried along with Aurora right behind them.

* * *

Yeter stormed into the Adame and Farah quickly tried to avoid conversation with the infuriated Gokturk queen. "Farah!" she screeched. "Your sons are to blame for this!" she pushed Muqan and Issik forward and their faces and necks were covered in red bumps as well.

Ku covered her mouth and then Yeter looked at the other children who also were infected with the same skin condition. Ku didn't recall Yeter's sons being in the same area as the others were when Oran was present.

"They didn't go into the marshes, did they?"

The Gokturk folded her arms. "_Why_ would I allow my sons to go to that place in the dead of winter?" she snapped back at the handmaid.

Ursula held Nisa's boys by their hands walking into the foyer and Farah exhaled deeply when she saw Kurt and Utigur also with red spots all over their skin. The shamaness looked at all of the children and there was something amiss here. She also spotted a few other children in the tribe who contracted this illness as well. She figured it was just a small fixable thing but apparently it wasn't as every single royal child was affected too.

"This is a problem," said Ursula.

Yeter crossed her arms and glared at her mother in law. "_Obviously_."

"No, I mean that children everywhere in the camp are infected. This must have come from an outside source."

Edemen ran downstairs and flung his coat over his shoulders, eager to go outside and spend some time with his father. He saw all of his cousins and two brothers standing in the foyer with the red spots all over their skin.

"Whoa, what happened to you guys?" he addressed everyone.

Aladar frowned and wiped the mud off his eyebrows. "He's got no spots!" he points at his brother.

Farah stretched her arm out. "Stand back, Ede. Don't come near any of them. I'm going to take these three to the bathhouse upstairs. I think it's best if all the children are quarantined to a room. They can stay in the guest suite downstairs."

Issik groaned and folded his arms, glaring at his little brother. "I don't want to share a room with everyone else."

Kurt shoved him forward. "Too bad."

"Don't touch me!"

"Stop it!" Farah yelled. "You will do as I say." She set her son down and gently pushed them to go upstairs and grabbed Aurora to follow them. "Go upstairs. Go, go." She waved her hands and the three ran up the stairs, leaving muddy footprints all over the carpeting.

* * *

Crossing the borders into China only took a few days and they were greeted by Emperor Liu's men guarding the Great Wall which took some convincing to get into. After they passed the Wall they continued their journey on foot towards the imperial city which was also blocked by another wall, but it was not quite as large as the other one.

Much to everyone's surprise, Arielle had been on her best behavior around Bayan. Gabrielle couldn't say the same for her wife as she saw a different side of her during their journey to the imperial city. Xena was fascinated by China and she wanted to explore. The governor sensed that her wife was not going to abide by Arielle's rules given that she was very anxious to get into the palace to meet the emperor and his family.

They made it inside the imperial palace and Ernak lead the way with Arielle by his side. Bayan stood behind them and he felt Arielle's grandmother's eyes burning into the back of his head. He was surprised that he hadn't been scolded by her yet. Her quietness was unnerving.

"Remember to let me do all of the talking," whispered Ernak.

Arielle nodded.

They halted by the guards' spears blocking further entry into the emperor's chambers. Liu walked out and everyone dropped to their knees, prostrating themselves. Ernak knelt down on both knees and he looked behind him to see the others on their knees but Arielle was still standing, staring down the emperor.

A man standing beside the emperor's throne by the name of Tan Daoji, frowned at the Hun woman standing before the emperor. He walked over to her and the guards stepped aside.

"Kneel," he hissed.

Gabrielle lifted her eyes briefly and sighed, staring at Arielle's backside, refusing orders was a habit for the young commander.

"I said _kneel_, Huna!"

Arielle looked at him in the eye and slowly knelt down to both knees and rested on her heels then bowed her head. Ernak muttered to himself and grimaced at Arielle. He cursed her stubborn and outlandish behavior. It wasn't the first time she had rejected Chinese royalty.

Emperor Liu waved his hand to Tan Daoij and smiled at the Hun entourage. "I recognize the face of the young woman. Tell me your name."

Arielle looked to the emperor and rose off the floor. "Princess Arielle of Pannonia, Queen of Harran, Commander of the Hun Empire, House of Khushnavaz of Armenia," she introduced herself.

He nodded. "Princess Arielle. I remember you. You were quite mouthy to my mother, Empress Dowager Shen."

She lowered her gaze. "Yes…" she admitted. "I send my sincerest apologies to the Dowager."

"Perhaps she will hear them from the heavens," he raised his hand to the ceiling.

Her eyes widened and eyed Ernak who kept wagging his head to keep her silent but she spoke anyway, "My condolences."

Xena raised her eyebrow. "She is being very polite," she whispered.

"She is trying to look her best in front of the emperor," Gabrielle told her wife.

"She didn't get off on a good start by not bowing along with everyone else."

Emperor Liu smiled and waved his hand and Arielle knelt back down to the floor. "King Ernak, I was not aware that you were bringing so many members of your family. Princess Arielle is now the commander yet I see Xena behind her."

Ernak stood and bowed his head. "Yes. Arielle has taken up the mantle of commander but is guided by Xena throughout this journey, emperor. Thank you for inviting us into your home. I have brought over half of the army with us to aid in your conflict."

"Yes, the conflict. My son, Prince Houfei, rules over the southern territories of China. He has become a problem to my empire. He has risen against me and caused a rift in my family. I rely on you and your army to help get rid of his growing empire. There is a rumor spreading that he is working with Shah Balash. I know your people are familiar with the Persians."

"We are very familiar with the Sassan family, emperor. What will you have us do first? We are here to serve you as allies."

Liu smiled at the Hun king. "The closest territory to the imperial city is in the Himalayan Mountains. It is a long ways from here. I will send General Tan Daoij with you so you will not get lost along the way."

"Excellent. We will leave by the end of the week."

Arielle's eyes grew and she looked back at her grandmother and Gabrielle who glared at her. She clenched her jaw and stood up along with everyone else in the room and backed away with her head hung until they were escorted out by the guards.

* * *

The women split off into their own rooms while the men had theirs. Arielle sat on the floor with Gabrielle and her grandmother. Both of them were staring at her instead of eating the food that the emperor's servants brought to them.

Arielle held the chopsticks in her hands, unsure how to use them. She poked the unfamiliar food and grabbed the saucer of rice and scooped some onto her plate. Xena kept eyes on her and the commander half smiled.

"What? Are you two not going to eat anything?" she asks.

Trying to get a hang of the chopsticks was not going in her favor and she set them aside then used her fingers as an eating utensil. She ripped the meat apart and used three fingers to scoop the rice into her mouth.

Gabrielle sat back and observed the strange behavior of the young commander. "You heard what the emperor said, right?"

She nodded. "Yes," she took a minute to swallow her food and wipe her mouth. "We are going to the Himalayas to fight against Prince Houfei. I was listening."

"The Himalayan Mountains is a vast area, Arielle. We will have to scout and make sure there aren't any traps in the mountains and snow."

Arielle frowned and no longer liked sharing a room with these two. "Are you both going to pester me the entire mission? I know what to do!"

"I don't want to walk into a death trap," said Xena. "I hope you remember everything that I've taught you. I'd hate for the army to lose during the first excursion."

The commander slammed her palms on the low table, startling the two women. "Stop undermining my authority! You can't stop, can you? I was given this position because I earned it and now you want to thwart my commands and belittle me in front of everyone. You should've never come here."

Xena lowered her eyes and Gabrielle turned the other way.

"You're here to take orders from me, not the other way around. You are not commander anymore, grandma. You can't tell me what to do and how to do it. I will do things my own way whether you like it or not."

Arielle pushed herself up off the floor and walked over to the doors and knocked loudly. Two female maids opened the doors and she looked back at them then stormed down the hallway.

Gabrielle looked at her annoyed wife. "What happened to you having faith in her?"

"I didn't say anything."

"Yes, you did. This is what I was afraid of. You can't keep your mouth shut for one minute, Xena. You always have something to say. Just let her do what she wants even if she fails. You've taught her well. She already feels like a disappointment to you. Don't make it worse."

"Why?" Xena curiously wondered. "Because she lost in Balaam to the Persians? I was there. She did a good job. You can't win all the time."

The governor grabbed her empty bowl and poured rice onto it, listening to her wife. "You were there, yes. I was there too. She was nervous while you watched her from afar. She didn't want to make any mistakes and now she feels the same way. She feels like she is in your shadow, Xena. You keep hovering over her like a dark cloud. You need to stop."

Xena sighed heavily. "I don't mean to overshadow her. I just want her to do well."

"She will if you stop breathing down her neck all the time. Don't push her away. And don't forget your place," she quickly reminded her. "You are beneath her now and you must follow her rules even if you don't agree with them."

"I've never fought against the Chinese before. I am unfamiliar with their tactics. I only know a few commands –the ones Csaba told us years ago but that's it."

Now Gabrielle understood it all. "You are worried Arielle will not know what to do and you are worried because _you_ don't know what to do." she raised her eyebrows with a smile and Xena knitted her brows. "And now you've gone and pissed her off. Way to go."

"That child has a short temper."

Gabrielle set down the plate louder than she expected. "She is not a child, Xena. She may be a lot younger than you but she's not a child. This is why she is so frustrated with you. Stop treating her like a little girl. I've had this conversation with you several times about Anastasia. When you stopped treating Ana like a child and started treating like an adult things went a lot smoother. Try it. It works in your favor."

"I forget that I am not in that position anymore."

"I know. It will take awhile for you to get used to the change but look at it like this, we're in a new land and you have to take orders from your granddaughter. That means if she asks you to kill a bunch of men, you have to do it."

Xena's lips curled into a smile. "Ah, yes. Am I permitted to go into the battlefield?" she teased her wife.

"Only if you behave yourself."

"Ha. Well played, Gabrielle." she looked around at the empty room. "Should I go talk to her?"

The governor shook her head. "Best if you let her be alone for now. She needs to focus and not be around you."

"Oh _thanks_. Am I really that bad?"

"I know it's because you care so much. It's not a bad thing but just learn to be patient. She's not going to become a great commander overnight. You weren't great at her age, were you? You made mistakes, right?"

Xena nodded. "A lot of mistakes."

"Just keep that in mind next time and wait until she asks for help. She looks up to you, Xena. She's your biggest fan," Gabrielle reminded her wife and that brought a smile on Xena's face.

* * *

Csaba turned down one of the hallways and saw his wife coming out the guest quarters and ran to her. "Farah!"

She made eye contact with him and head down the hall carrying a basket of soiled sheets. He frowned and followed her until he grabbed her arm and pulled her back.

"Why do you ignore me? I've been looking for you everywhere."

"You've finally decided to talk to me? You've been gone for days, Csaba! I have a lot of work to do. I don't have time to talk to you." she handed the basket of linen to one of her chambermaids.

"Wait," he held her hand and emits a soft smile. "I was thinking about what you said and I've come to a decision," he began and she stared at him skeptically. "We can have another child. I have decided."

She laughed. "_You_ decided this? Since when is it all up to you?"

"Well…I mean I am giving you what you want. That is what you want, isn't it?"

"Csaba, you didn't want to listen to me when I brought up the subject and you ignored me instead."

"I'm confused. Do you not want a child anymore?"

Farah groaned and shoved him away. "I have a lot on my plate right now. All of the children are sick and while you were off doing who knows what I've been dealing with that and all of the documents Gabrielle left behind. I don't want to talk about this anymore. Leave me be." She waved her hand and yelled at the chambermaids from across the way.

He folded his arms and huffed. He was baffled as to what just happened. He was trying to cheer up his wife and instead he got yelled at and upset her further which wasn't what he anticipated at all. What a backfire, he thought.

Ursula came out of the room filled with infected children and Csaba walked over to her. She turned and jumped at the sight of him. She bowed her head. "You frightened me, your highness."

"My apologies," he smiled, eager to talk to someone. He missed talking to his mother and Ursula was the only other mother figure here to talk to. Being only a couple years older than his mother, he knew that he could come to her with anything that was on his mind.

"Ursula, may I speak with you? It's about Farah."

She eyed the long hallway ahead of her. "Of course but it must be quick. I am to check on Nisa."

"Oh," his cheeks flushed. "Well, she asked me if we could have another child and I said no but I just told her I am okay with the idea and now she is upset with me."

Ursula's eyes lit up. "_Bu harika bir haber_," she rejoiced at the idea and he shyly grinned. "She is overwhelmed, your majesty. Give her time to adjust. This is her first time ruling the empire without your mother. I look forward to hearing the expecting news. Excuse me, Nisa is waiting for me." She bowed curtly and hurried away.

* * *

Aurora scratched her arms with her wool mitten covered hands and grunted loudly. "Ku-Ilm! Ku-Ilm!"

"Yes, _halu_?" she answered and rushed to the bedside and began rubbing cream on the princess' arms to soothe her skin.

"I'm so itchy!"

Ku chuckled. "It will pass. The others are in the same boat as you."

The princess sighed and sat up, looking at her boy cousins playing games in the center of the room on the floor. "Why can't I be with them?"

"Because you're a princess. You get your own room. Special treatment for you, _halu_." She poked Aurora's nose.

She looked at her cousins and frowned sadly, unsure of what to think. All of her cousins had siblings and she was the only girl in the family. With seven cousins and all of them being boys she felt further and further alienated from them as they grew older.

Ku finished dressing the girl's arms with the cream. Her skin was now drenched. "This should stop the itchiness but you must stop scratching. Lie down and relax. Do you want me to tell you a story?"

Aurora settled in the bed and her eyes were focused on her cousins laughing and playing. "I wanna go play with the boys."

"You can't right now."

She looked up at her caretaker. "How come?"

"Because Queen Farah said so."

Aurora scratched her arm and puckered her lips, irritated that she was stuck in a room by herself while her cousins could do as they pleased. "Can you tell Teyze Farah to let me play with them?"

Ku nervously glanced back at the princes. "Um, I'm not sure she will allow it."

She was too apprehensive to speak to the young queen and frankly, she was mildly fearful of her. Farah had the beauty of a thousand suns and a mind sharper than anyone in the camp but her words could cut ice sometimes. Anastasia Khatun was nicer, softer and more understanding. Farah was the true definition of a privileged queen.

"Please, Ku?"

"I'll see what I can do. _Halu_, you must stop scratching! I will tie you to the bed if I must!"

* * *

Csaba was shown a fair amount of jewelry by one of the merchants of West Pannonia. He requested to see jewelry specifically made in the empire and others that were imported from Egypt and other North African territories.

The merchant held up a ruby necklace carefully in his palms. "This is from the lower Nile, your majesty. Do you believe the queen will like it?"

Csaba rubbed his chin. "It is hard to please her. She has so much that I need a separate room just for her jewels and gowns," he joked. The merchant chuckled softly.

He wasn't on the best terms with Farah given the argument they had earlier and their lack of communication for the last month. He knew that she enjoyed lavish gifts and hoped that a set of jewelry would coax her into forgiving him.

The falconer rushed into the king's quarters and bowed from the waist. Csaba frowned at the falconer and waved his hand at the jeweler. "My king, I have news from the Khatun," he said breathlessly and held out his hand holding the small message.

"What does she have to say?"

"She…she says that Princess Cera has been taken from the Nezak tribe of Chieftain Kerem. They have searched all of Kazakhstan but did not find her." he did not make eye contact and kept his arm extended.

Csaba slowly walked over and snatched the letter to read it for himself. The jeweler gently placed the necklace back into the silver box and bowed his head in silence. Csaba crumbled up the message and threw it in the fireplace.

"I will tell Farah about this. Excuse me," he nods to the jeweler and brushed passed the falconer.

* * *

Madhiya's servant girl set down a silver platter of rice, peppers and goat in a thick sauce on the floor of the yurt. The girl bowed her head and backed away from the platter and Madhiya inspected the food and looked at the servant with her hung head.

"Is there anything else I can get for you, governor?"

"No, that is all for now, Viktoria." Madhiya waved her hand and ripped the large flat bread in half and dipped it into the tomato sauce. The young servant girl slowly backed away and stood by the entrance of the yurt, waiting for further instruction.

"_Destur!"_ a loud orator outside announced and Madhiya froze in the middle of enjoying her meal. "_Anastasia Khatun senin huzurunda!"_

The governor frantically looked around for her kozak and Viktoria found it lying on a chair and hurried over to Madhiya. She ripped it out of the girl's hands and settled the headdress upon her head and grabbed her sword, exiting her yurt.

Anastasia dismounted her horse and approached the Yakut governor's yurt with Badr and two other soldiers standing behind her. Madhiya emerged and smiled at the prim and proper queen dressed in black robes and an elaborate beaded black headdress with a veil that dipped to her knees.

"Khatun, what brings you to Siberia?" she bowed curtly.

"I've never had the pleasure of meeting you before, Madhiya. It has been long overdue," Ana politely said and the governor kept a smug smile. "Bey Malka was not informed of your sudden departure from the Altai Mountains. Are you running from something?"

Madhiya looked at the soldiers standing by with their hands on their swords. "I have no reason to hide, khatun. I am not part of your empire after all. My late husband's brother exiled me if you have forgotten."

Anastasia clicked her tongue against her cheek. "Oh, I didn't forget, governor."

She took a short pause.

"Is there any particular reason you've fled to the old Sabir territories? It is very cold here and desolate in Siberia."

Madhiya pursed her mouth. "We are close to the Amur River. It is not so desolate here, khatun. What is the meaning of your arrival? If I had known you were coming I would've set up arrangements for you."

"I bet you would have," the khatun smirked. "I would like to make an offer."

"Yes?"

"I would like you to rejoin the Hun Empire."

Safiya's jaw dropped as she stood a few paces away. "Anastasia Khatun…"

Ana held up her hand and the Sabir woman frowned. She turned her attention back to the shocked Yakut governor. "What will it be? Join us or remain in poverty?"

"Four decades too late, khatun. I will have to consider your offer. It will take me a few days to come up with a decision."

"Understandable. I will set up camp in your tribe." Ana smiled and turned to leave and Madhiya bowed her head, her eyes never leaving the tall khatun.

Ana approached Safiya and whispered, "Have Soran and Badr search the tribe and if you find anything come get me. I will set up a tent on the outskirts."

Safiya held her tongue and bowed her head. "Yes, khatun."

* * *

Arielle led the army to the Himalayas just as instructed by Emperor Liu and she was overwhelmed by the amount of area her men and women needed to cover. She eyed the huge mountains ahead and the thick snow in the crevices of the valley below.

During the journey Xena kept her mouth shut per her wife's request and allowed Arielle to command the army. She didn't realize how hard it was to keep her opinions to herself until now. She'd never been in the backseat before. She was always up front and had a plan but this time, her body and mind were in the hands of Arielle.

Ernak pulled the scarf down from his mouth and icy breath escaped his mouth as he exhaled deeply. "What is the first step, commander?" he asked.

Arielle turned to him nervously and looked behind at her grandmother who sat patiently and silently on her horse. She gazed at the mountains and miles and miles of snow ahead. She knew Balaam like the back of her hand and still lost to Shah Balash. Now she was in an unfamiliar territory and felt like she knew nothing even after years of intensive training.

"Um…" she tapped her gloved fingers on her thigh. "Squads two and four spread out –left and right –search for traps," she said.

Ernak smiled and waved his hand to the two groups of men and women. They separated and began treading through the thick snow. He looked over at Xena who was just itching to say something but he was proud of her for not saying anything.

"Bayan and I will scout the woods," she said. "And the governor and…_lieutenant_," she eyed her grandmother, "will scout the flat plains. Ernak you stay here and make sure nobody is spying on us. If you see anything, sound the horn."

She kicked her horse and rode off with Bayan into the forests. Xena frowned at the Harran king and left with Gabrielle to the flat plains which just happened to be in the valley of the mountains. Ernak pulled the scarf over his face and waited patiently for the squads to return.

Gabrielle steered her horse through the snow and looked at the valley. Everything was quiet here which made her uneasy.

"We shouldn't be doing this. We should be in the woods with them. She shouldn't be alone," said Xena.

"These are her orders. You're doing a good job so far, Xena. Don't ruin it now."

A loud explosion erupted not far from their base location and Xena whipped her head around. Black smoke filled the sky and she saw Arielle gawking at the smoke just outside of the woods. "God dammit," she muttered. She turned back around and galloped towards Ernak.

"_What_ just happened?"

He sighed. "There are land mines in the snow. One of the soldiers stepped on one."

Xena furrowed her eyebrows and locked eyes with Arielle who looked incredibly embarrassed. Everyone's attention diverted to the valley and torches were lit along the mountain walls. Xena's eyes widened in horror as hundreds of torches lit up at the sound of the explosion and there were loud horns from the mountains yet she couldn't see any people.

She backed away on her horse, yanking the reins tightly. Gabrielle rode up beside her and then soldiers dressed in white and black armor appeared from hidden spots in the mountains and valley.

"My goodness," she whispered. "Xena…"

"I see them…"

This was the first time Gabrielle saw fear in her wife's eyes. Arielle sat on her horse, frozen and all of her soldiers stood in place, waiting for a command. Xena looked over to her and grabbed Ernak's horn on the saddle and sounded it loudly.

He turned and growled, "Xena what are you doing?!"

She tossed the horn back to him and yelled, "Arielle!"

The commander turned with big frightened blue eyes, breathing heavily.

"Give the command!"

Arielle turned to see hundreds of Chinese soldiers running towards them and her heart stopped. Bayan nudged her arm and she nodded, swallowing deeply. She raised her hand and inhaled heavily. "_Yürüyüs yaptirmak_!"

The army marched forward towards the Chinese, although they were at a slow pace so far.

"_Kalkanlar_!" Arielle yelled and all the soldiers lifted their shields and weapons.

Gabrielle nervously bit on her leather glove. "Xena, what are we supposed to do? Stand here?"

"Just wait until she gives the attack command." She kept looking at the young commander, waiting and waiting. "Come on Arielle," she mumbled.

Arielle watched as the Chinese were only yards away and waited until the last second. She waved her arm downward. "_Saldirmak_!" she screamed and drew her sword and rode down with the army to attack the enemy.

Xena's jaw dropped. "What is she doing!"

"She's living life dangerously," Ernak said.

The three watched the army clash into the Chinese and Arielle make rounds around the army, avoiding the land mines carefully. Gabrielle raised her eyebrow and saw Arielle gathering a legion on horseback into a diamond-shaped formation, enclosing the opponent's, Prince Houfei's soldiers.

"Did you teach her that strategy?" she leaned over, asking her wife.

Xena's eyes traced Arielle leading the army with her sword high into the air. "No, I didn't."

"Dear god in heaven," Ernak gasped. "She's heading towards the mountain."

"I swear, that girl," Xena kicked her horse and went around to the flat plains, empty of soldiers, and followed Arielle. Her wife groaned and reluctantly followed her and kept her eye on the army circling around.

Arielle pulled out her bow after slashing through a few Chinese soldiers. Her thighs steered the horse as she loaded her bow and she aimed the arrow at one of the low points of the mountain. She spotted a Chinese tent filled with barrels of explosive black powder. Her target was there and she knew she only had one shot.

Closing one eye she galloped by a lit torch and pulled back the flaming arrow and aimed for the black powder barrels. She blocked out everything around her and released the arrow.

Xena halted her horse at the sight of the Chinese tent of explosives went off several times and black thick smoke scattered about the field. Her head lifted upward and saw the side of the mountain begin to fall.

Arielle smiled and her one shot caused an avalanche. She slung her bow over her shoulder and hurried to turn her soldiers around back up the valley hills. She rode with great speed and met up with Gabrielle and her grandmother all with a big grin on her face.

"Are you crazy?!" Xena yelled.

"I didn't tell you to leave your post!" Arielle teased and rode ahead of her back to where Ernak stood watching the avalanche obliterate all of the Chinese in the valley while the Hun army retreated at the sight of the monstrous snow rushing towards them.

* * *

That evening after setting up camp, the Chinese were quiet and didn't retaliate. Xena sat by the fire with her wife and kept sharpening a dagger to death. Gabrielle grabbed her wrist.

"If you keep sharpening that you'll have no blade left."

Xena sighed and stabbed the dagger into the snowy soil and laced her hands together, eyes fixated on the fire. Arielle approached them with a cup of wine and smiled. She took a seat opposite from them and Gabrielle nervously smiled.

"I did good, right?"

Xena blinked slowly at her granddaughter and pursed her lips.

The commander's smile disappeared. "What did I do? I got rid of the first wave of Houfei's men."

"You did well, Arielle," complimented the governor.

Arielle nods and stared at her grandmother who was not convinced. "Grandma, you have something to say. What did I do wrong this time?"

"I'm not going to say anything."

"Good because I have a job for you," she says seriously and Xena knitted her eyebrows together. "I want you to gather fifty pounds of goose feathers, six bellows and six large pots suitable for burning at high temperatures."

Xena cocked her head. "And why do you need these items? And how am I going to get fifty pounds of goose feathers?"

Arielle smiled deviously and stood up, drinking the wine. "You'll see. I know I can count on you. Ernak will give you the necessary coin that he received from Emperor Liu to buy the items."

She walked off and yelled at some of her soldiers for drinking too heavily. Gabrielle rubbed her chin and stared at her wife who was equally as confused.

"Why does she need goose feathers?"

"I haven't the slightest idea," Xena muttered. "We're going to need to buy a lot of geese. I don't know where she is learning these tactics from. I've never used that diamond strategy in my life and she almost killed half her army with that avalanche stunt!"

The governor looked at the happy young commander, joking along with her female soldiers. "Maybe she did some research before coming here."

"She doesn't like to read anything."

"Or…maybe she is very tactful and thought of that strategy by herself," suggested the governor and saw her wife holding her tongue. She quickly changed the subject so she wouldn't further irritate her wife. "Looks like we'll be going to the nearest market soon."

Xena kept eyeing her granddaughter laughing and talking with the female soldiers. She narrowed her eyes. "Look at the way she speaks to her soldiers. They are not her friends. They should be fearful of her. She is their leader."

"She's not you, Xena. She's her own person and if she wants to have a friendlier relationship with her soldiers, she can, as long as they obey her commands I don't see the harm in it."

"She should've never allowed women to join the army."

The governor chuckled and snatched the dagger out from the snow and placed it on her wife's lap. "If I do recall, you are a woman yourself unless you've forgotten that." She squeezed her wife's thigh.

Xena half smiled and lowered her shy eyes. "Don't try to lighten my mood, Gabrielle. I am in war mode. You know I need to focus."

"Got it. War now, love later. I remember you can't do both at the same time." She playfully nudged the lieutenant's arm several times.

"Quit it, Gabrielle," she says softly with a big grin and then pushed her off the bench. "I _told_ you to quit it."

"Ha, okay fine." The blonde brushed the snow off her pants and sat on the opposite side of the fire.

Xena winked at her and began sharpening the blade which obviously didn't need any more sharpening. She eyed Arielle again when she heard her loud laughter from afar.

"If she calls me grandma on the field I swear I'll break her arm."

* * *

Farah sat in front of her vanity, rubbing oil into her hair. She grabbed her comb and ran it through a couple of times, tugging on the knots at the ends of the hair shaft. When she was satisfied with her hair she dipped her fingers into an oil based cream and gently glided her fingers along her face.

A knock came to her doors and she didn't hesitate. "Come in."

As she was rubbing the cream into her face she looked in the mirror's reflection. "Ku-Ilm," she says and the Assyrian bowed her head. "What can I do for you?"

Ku looked at the queen's reflection and nervously fidgeted with her red dress. "Your majesty, I wanted to tell you that the children are recovering well. I am sorry to hear about Princess Cera's disappearance."

"Hmm." Farah answered and looked at a blemish on her cheek and cursed softly under her breath. She wiped her skin with a hot cloth and stared at the handmaid lingering in her room. "Is that all?"

"No, actually there is…something else," Ku admits and Farah kept staring at her through the mirror, waiting. "I…well, it is winter and there is a Mass I'd like to attend. I go every year and –and since there are no churches in this area," she felt her heart fluttering rapidly, "I'd like to go to Thrace to attend Mass there for a few days with your permission."

Farah nodded. "A church service," she says. She closed the lid on the jar of cream and swiveled around in her chair. "And who will look after Aurora while you are gone?"

Ku saw the look in the queen's eyes and her cheeks blushed. "Well," she smiles, "your chambermaids are very good with Aurora. I was hoping they could watch her. I will only be gone for a week at the most."

The queen half smiled and turned around, facing the mirror to inspect her face. "I'm sorry Ku but that is not possible. My children are assigned to Gurda and Ramora. They are overwhelmed enough as it is. Arielle ordered you to watch over Aurora during her absence. Perhaps when she comes back you can go to your church service."

Ku lowered her gaze, disappointed to hear the rejection. "Yes, your highness. I understand."

"Is there something else or will you linger in my chambers?" Farah furrowed her eyebrows and covered her palms in white powder, staring into the mirror.

The handmaid bowed her head. "No, that's all. With your permission, I'll take my leave."

* * *

She closed the double doors and cursed softly in her native language. She spun around and bumped into Csaba. She gasped and lowered her eyes. "My king…"

Csaba smiled and lifted the maid's chin. "Ku, how are you doing today?"

"I'm doing well, your majesty…" she brushed a tendril behind her ear.

"Glad to hear it. How are the children doing?"

"They –they are getting better. They've finally stopped complaining about the itchiness and the bumps on their skin have faded slightly."

He nodded. "Good, good. Is there something wrong? You're pale."

She touched her cheek. "Oh. It's very cold outside."

"Hopefully you are not coming down with something," he says and rests a hand on her shoulder. "I see you've just visited my wife. Is she in good spirits today?"

Ku half frowned and there were a lot of things she could say about the queen but she remembered her place. "She…she seemed a bit agitated."

He sighed. "_Great_." He did not want to deal with Farah when she was in a bad mood and so far she'd been in a bad mood for over a month now. "Keep me posted about the children's recovery status. I have to go see my wife now, excuse me."

"Your highness," she said and kept her gaze low until he disappeared into Farah's room. She exhaled deeply and hurried back to the guest suite where the children stayed.

* * *

Ku gathered the empty silver platter from the children's room and head to the kitchen in the basement of the Adame. She treads down the stairs carefully and paused at the doorway when she heard gossiping from Farah's chambermaids. She backed up and listened but they did not hide their feelings towards their queen and spoke loudly.

Gurda picked at a plate of fruit and smiled at her friend. "The queen is in a mood. I don't know if I can stand to be around her any longer."

Remora nodded and licked her syrupy fingers from the honey dipped cheeses. "She was kinder to us in Banat. I don't like living in Pannonia with these Huns. They are a strange people. They eat on the floor!" she laughed.

Ku frowned at the maids' conversation and remained in the hallway, debating whether or not to go in the kitchen or continue to eavesdrop.

Gurda wiped her hands and leaned in close. "I serve the queen in her chambers a lot as you know. She has been very vocal when the king is present that she wants another child, preferably a girl."

"Of course. She will stop at nothing. She's been talking about it since Prince Edemen was born," Ramora rolled her eyes.

"She's been in such a foul mood that even the king will not come near her. I also do not wish to serve her when she's pregnant. She gives me such a headache. She had me running around the palace in Banat last time!" she groaned. "I have been giving her oleander tea."

Ramora gasped. "Gurda, why do you do such a thing? Surely she will find out that the tea is the cause of the lack of conception," she whispered.

Ku's eyes widened and she walked down the stairs, entering the kitchen. The two maids ceased conversation and went about finishing their food. She set the empty tray down on the table a bit harder than normal and glared at the maids.

"Prince Aman wishes to have tea soon," she informed them.

Gurda smiled at the Assyrian. "I'll give it to him during dinner."

"He wants it before dinner is served." Ku folded her arms, glaring at the conspiring maids.

Ramora raised her eyebrows. "Oh, suddenly Ku-Ilm is the boss of the kitchen, huh?" she teased and Gurda snickered. "I will make the tea for the little prince, don't you worry. I'll bring the tray to him. You don't have to bother with that." She grabbed the platter and walked over to the stove.

Ku skeptically looked at the two and hurried up the stairs.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An old enemy from the days of Attila is blamed for the invasion and Cera's kidnapping. In China, Gabrielle reunites with an old friend of Csaba, and Xena immediately distrusts the coincidental encounter. Arielle and Bayan have a dispute to settle their differences. Meanwhile, Cera is trapped in an unfamiliar place, expected to serve a prince as his concubine.

Chapter 5

Anastasia sat in her tent eating by herself surrounded by dozens of candles. The tent swayed gently against the harsh winds of Siberia outside. She couldn't understand why anyone wanted to live in this place and wondered how the Sabirs were able to endure the harsh weather. Safiya once lived in this area and Anastasia was sure that the winters didn't faze her at all.

As she dipped her warm bread in yogurt, Safiya entered and bowed her head.

Ana smiled, "has Madhiya finally come to a decision?"

"No, khatun," she regretfully said. "There is a young girl here to see you. She says she has information about the attack but wishes to that no harm come to her if Madhiya finds out."

She sighs and grabs the black beaded headdress and placed it on her head. She waved her hand and a servant took the platter of food away.

"Send her in."

Safiya pulled back the tent flap and in came a petite pale faced girl with dark hair, dressed in a fur coat, covered in snow. Anastasia nodded her head and with that Safiya took her leave. The girl kept her head low and her gaze to the floor.

"Khatun," the girl greeted and curtsied. Anastasia smiled softly.

"What information do you have for me? Whatever you say will not leave this tent." she instructed and the girl remained quiet. "You may look at me. I'm not going to harm you."

Finally the fair skinned girl lifted her head slowly and met eyes with the khatun. She breathed in heavily and was speechless all of a sudden. She feared for her life coming here. If her governor found out she surely would be beheaded.

"What is your name?"

"R-Rasheda," she answers.

"Rasheda. Tell me what you know," she prompts her and Rasheda fidgets with her coat. Ana sighed. "If you withhold information from me I can arrest you. Speak now."

"I…I saw Madhiya's Alps riding towards the Nezak tribes. Umm, you should know, khatun, that…her Alps do what they please. They do not need her permission to leave the encampment. They –they often buy slaves for her and trade them throughout Asia."

Anastasia's eyes widened. "Is that all?"

"Yes, khatun."

"You may leave now."

Rasheda bowed her head slightly. "Madhiya will not know of this, right?"

"No. Your secrets are safe with me. Go," she waved her hand and the young girl pulled the hood over her hair and quickly left.

Safiya came back into the tent and saw the queen's face contorted and eyes filled with hatred and anger. "Do you need anything else?"

Ana lifts her eyes slowly to stare at the Sabir woman. "Yes. Bring Madhiya to me."

* * *

Xena and Gabrielle wandered into the nearest village and they never felt more out of place than they did at this moment. Everyone gawked at them like they were strange oddities to behold. Gabrielle ogled all of the gorgeous fabrics and traditional Chinese dresses, shoes and hats.

She walked over to a merchant who was all smiles, although he had a few missing teeth. She grinned back at him and bowed curtly and pointed to the red and black silk robes. He nods profusely and gladly pulled the robes off the hanger and lays it gently in her arms.

"Wow," she marveled. "Xena, look at this robe! Anastasia would look great in this. We should buy something for her while we're here."

The lieutenant rolled her eyes. "We're not here to shop for dresses, Gabrielle. We're sent here to buy goose feathers, bellows and pots for whatever reason…"

"I'm definitely going to come back for that. Ana looks very good in silk. I hope her visit with Cera is going okay."

Xena nodded. "Hmm." She walked up to a butcher and waved her hand at General Tan Daoij. "Tell this man we need fifty pounds of goose feathers," she tells him, "and how we can easily get them. Price is not a concern for us."

He bowed. "Yes, lieutenant." He walked over to the butcher and began speaking in his mother tongue quickly and efficiently.

While Xena waited patiently on the sidelines, Gabrielle looked around and turned to see a man wearing a black coat with a hood, concealing his identity. She narrowed her eyebrows and pretended not to notice him. She wandered off to go look at the pottery across the way and the man was following her from afar, lurking.

She walked over to the next merchant and the man lingered behind a cart of vegetables and fresh fish. Gabrielle disappeared behind a shack, waiting to see if the lurker was to follow her again. She pulled out her Sais from her boots and held them against her chest.

The man came round and she grabbed him by the collar and rammed him into the shack. "Why are you following me?!" she questioned and held the Sais to his throat then ripped off the hood.

What she didn't expect to see was a dear friend of Csaba and Farah. She pulled back and he breathed heavily with wide brown eyes. "_Wang_?"

She playfully slapped his shoulder with a big happy smile. "What are you doing here? You shouldn't sneak up on people like that."

Wang put a hand to his beating chest and gave a nervous smile. "Governor…so nice to see you again. I didn't mean to be a lurker but I can't be seen here." He pulled the hood over his head. He grabbed her arm and pulled her aside away from prying eyes and ears.

"I was told by Princess Bosi that you, Xena and Arielle were here to go up against Prince Houfei," he whispered.

"Yes, that's right. What's wrong? You seem nervous."

He looks around cautiously. "Princess Bosi assigned me to spy on her brother. I've been working for him. This is an order directly from her. Not even the emperor knows."

She slipped her Sais back into her boots. "I need to tell Xena about this. Arielle is the new commander now. She's back at the camp waiting for us. Come with me."

"No, no!" he gripped her wrist firmly. "I cannot be seen with you or any Huns for that matter. There are eyes everywhere. I will come to the camp tonight. The princess advised me to help you as much as I can."

Gabrielle sighed and didn't really like this idea all that much. "Alright. I'll tell Xena and Arielle. We'll be waiting for you at the camp."

He hurried away in the crowd, disappearing as quickly as he came. Gabrielle scratched her head and then returned to the butcher to find her wife looking for her. Xena half smiled and noticed her blonde wife seemed a bit disturbed or uneasy by the expression on her face.

"Where did you run off to?"

"Oh, you know me, just shopping," she laments. "Were you able to negotiate a deal?"

Xena looked over at Tan Daoij who was still talking firmly with the butcher. "Not sure yet. Something wrong?"

Gabrielle grabbed her wife's arm and walked away from the butcher and other merchants. "A man was following me. I found out it was Wang and we spoke briefly. I can't say anything right now but he's coming to the camp tonight. He has something that might help us against Prince Houfei."

The brunette nods, "we didn't see him in the imperial city. Isn't he good friends with the emperor?"

"I remember he was a commander for Emperor Liu."

"Why was he following you in secret then? Liu didn't mention him at all when we met."

"I don't know."

Xena frowned. "I smell a rat. We'll find out what he has to offer tonight."

Tan Daoij finished speaking with the butcher and walked over to the lieutenant and governor who stopped talking and stared with stoic faces. He appeared rather distressed and frustrated after speaking with the mouthy butcher. He bows from the waist and Xena folded her arms, waiting for a plausible answer.

"He will give us thirty pounds of goose feathers but they can't be collected today. We can come back tomorrow for the feathers. He doesn't have enough geese in his shop. He said we can go to the next village to his friend's shop and we can get the other half of the feathers."

She exhaled deeply and didn't feel like going on a wild goose chase, pun intended, for goose feathers. "We'll take the thirty pounds. We don't have time to go to another village. I'll send someone to get the remaining feathers."

"Yes, lieutenant," he says and yells back at the butcher to pound up the feathers and pack them in bags. "Should I tell the men to load the bellows and pots in the wagon?"

She nodded and turned to her wife as soon as he left. "Your clandestine meeting with Wang concerns me. He shouldn't be lurking in the shadows like that."

Gabrielle too, felt the same way. Something was off about that. Wang used to be the emperor's right hand man and now he was working for Princess Bosi and Prince Houfei simultaneously.

"You don't think we should trust him? He said he works for Princess Bosi."

"We don't know his intentions. We'll treat him like an enemy until we know we can trust him. I'll hand him over to Arielle so she can interrogate him."

Gabrielle smiled. "Her first interrogation. I hope she will live up to your expectations."

Xena shook her head. "You know who is good at interrogations?" she hints and her wife shrugged a shoulder. "Anastasia. She is brilliant at that. It was probably the only good thing she did while she was commander for that short period of time."

"She is very diplomatic. Kreka would be proud of her. I think she's done a great job as queen mother so far."

Xena lowered her gaze, thinking of her daughter. They'd been separated for almost two months and she missed her a lot. She hated to be away from any members of her family for a long time and now that she's aged, she felt a pain in her when her daughter left her for long periods of time.

Adjusting her headdress she put on her game face and walked towards the wagons. "Finally Arielle can put that big mouth of hers to use tonight. We should head out before it gets dark."

* * *

Madhiya was brought to the khatun's tent by Badr and Safiya. She stared at Anastasia sitting on the floor eating out of several small bowls on the silver platter. Anastasia lifted her eyes slowly and smiled gestured to the pillow on the floor opposite her.

"Sit, please."

The governor clenched her jaw and laced her hands together. "Why did you need to see me? I have not come to a decision about your offer yet, khatun."

Anastasia nodded. "Sit with me," she repeats herself and Madhiya creased her brows. "I'm not going to say it again."

Slowly, Madhiya lowered herself and sat on the pillow, staring at the platter of assorted foods. Her stomach knotted, sitting so close to the Hun queen made her uneasy and she had no idea why she was called to the tent but given the queen's silence, she didn't expect good things from this meeting.

Ana broke the bread in half and extended her arm over the platter, giving her offerings. The governor raised her eyebrow and Ana's smile widened. Madhiya took the bread cautiously with no intention of sharing a meal with this woman at all.

"I've heard that you are involved in a slave trade across Asia. Is that true?"

"Yes." She had no reason to lie and since she was not in the Hun Empire, she could as she pleased.

"Attila had many slaves. His first wife was a slave once, until he married her. You remember her, right? Cera?"

Madhiya held the flat bread in her lap and stared into the queen's blue eyes. She inhaled sharply. "Yes, I remember Cera. I've met her only once when Attila came to my tribe with Bleda."

The khatun nodded. "And tell me; was she kind to you?"

"She was a very nice woman from what I remember."

"And was she beautiful? What did she look like?"

Madhiya tilted her head with furrowed brows, trying to understand the queen's game she was playing. She didn't understand why the sudden interest in Attila's long forgotten wife.

"She had red hair, fair skin and green eyes. I do not remember anything other than that. Why do you ask me about Cera?"

"Curiosity. So, about this slave trade. How do you gather up these slaves to be traded? Who do you do business with?"

Madhiya chuckled. "Khatun, I am not obligated to tell you how I conduct my business. I am not part of your empire. Despite what you may think, my people don't live in poverty. I make quite a bit of coin trading slaves across Asia."

"And is that why you were seen in Assyria years ago? Do you also buy slaves there as well?"

Her smile faded. "I went to check the slave market in Aleppo. I heard they had many women there. I bought a few slaves and never went back there."

Anastasia sat back against the pillows and smiled at the uneasy governor. "Don't think that I don't have eyes following you everywhere you go, Madhiya. I know very well of what you were doing in Assyria. My daughter invited you to her home. I heard you two had a long conversation. It's been a few years but I think you can recall the conversation, can't you?"

The governor's eyes widened and she looked around the tent. Living in seclusion she didn't know much about the royal clan of Attila in Pannonia since she'd been exiled for several years. Now, she was nervous to say anything more since the queen revealed that the young girl, Arielle, was her daughter.

"I know you haven't come to a decision about my offer but I'd like to entice you some more, governor." Ana began and saw the tan woman's cheeks pale. "I was told you have a large amount of Alps at your service. Are they good fighters and hunters?"

Madhiya lifted her chin. "Yes…khatun, they are. I trust them with my life."

"I'd like to buy your best Alps for my empire. I need more men for my elite guards. I will pay a generous amount."

Madhiya smiled at the offer. "I will pick the best Alps for you, khatun. I'm sure they'd love to be in your service."

Ana bowed her head curtly and called out, "_gardiyanlar_!"

Badr and Safiya entered the tent and kept their gaze low.

"Take Madhiya back to her yurt. I will speak with her in the morning."

Badr nodded and grabbed the governor's arm, hoisting her off the floor. Safiya was to follow them out.

"Safiya," Ana said and the Sabir froze. "Stay. I'd like to speak with you alone."

She sighed and turned around. "Yes, khatun?"

"Madhiya is going to give me her best Alps tomorrow and then I will return to Pannonia. You can take Soran with you back to Balaam. I will no longer need your help. But I do have this." She pulled out a letter incased in a metal holder. "I trust you will give this to Navaz when you return."

Safiya took the letter and stared at the queen with blank brown eyes.

"I hope to see you in Pannonia again one day. I'd love for you to see the changes I've made."

Safiya tersely bowed her head. "I will go back to my tent now. Goodnight, khatun."

Ana sat up. "Safiya." She prevented the woman from leaving once more. "I hope that one day you can forgive me. I wasn't trying to hurt you. That was the furthest thing on my mind at the time."

"Anastasia, you are my queen and I respect you as my superior and I will be entrusted to you whenever you need. But as a woman, I cannot forgive you for what you did. _Iyi geceler_." She gave her departing words and quickly left.

Anastasia sighed and folded her arms.

* * *

In the camp within the Himalayas, Arielle was wrestling in the snow with one of her male soldiers. Her hair once straight had fallen into her natural curls. Bayan watched from afar, drinking rice wine gifted by some of the Chinese soldiers that accompanied them. He kept his eyes on Arielle as she trapped the soldier into a headlock and flipped him over on the ground.

She laughed and playfully slapped his soldier then helped him up. She ruffled her wild curls and looked over to see Bayan staring at her. She raised her eyebrow and turned around, ignoring his constant gazing.

She grabbed a ribbon off her wrist and tied her long curly locks into a ponytail and smiled at her brother's uncle. "Ernak! Will you spar with me?"

He looked to her and nodded to a soldier he was talking to and sipped his wine. "No thank you, commander."

"Ah, come on. You aren't scared are you?"

"I'd rather not beat you to a pulp. Besides, it's against regulations for me to spar with a commander." He shrugged his shoulders and gave her a charming smile then walked off to another group of soldiers.

She huffed and folded her arms. Being in the camp was boring to say the least. Nothing had happened since the attack against Prince Houfei's men and she was waiting on her supplies for days now.

Bayan poured out the rice wine and made his way over to his wife and tapped her shoulder. "I'll spar with you."

Arielle scoffed. "Get away from me, Bayan."

"You want to fight so badly, huh? Why not spar with me? I am an excellent fighter as you know."

She cocked an eyebrow and brushed by him to grab some water. He pulled her back and flipped her over onto the ground, instigating the fight. Ernak turned around when the camp fell silent and he rolled his eyes at the two young couple.

"This ought to be good," he mutters.

Arielle growled and dusted the snow off her fur coat. "I told you to stay out of my way!" she yells at Bayan.

He pushed her backwards and she lunged forward and grabbed him by the collar. They fell against a table of drink and bowls of food. Several soldiers sitting at the table had food spilled on their laps and clothes. They quickly ran out of the way while the commander and Harran king fought on the broken table.

Xena and Gabrielle entered the camp with the wagon of supplies. Gabrielle held up her hand, halting the horses and wagon. She and her wife stared with gaped mouths at the squabbling couple, spitting foul words in each other's faces and rolling around in the snow.

"What the hell is this…" Xena grumbled.

"Maybe we should let them fight?" suggested Gabrielle.

Xena looked around at all of the soldiers clapping and talking with one another. Arielle rolled over on top of Bayan and head butted his forehead and Xena closed her eyes, breathing in heavily. She dropped her bag of coin on the ground and marched over to the drummers on the sidelines, drinking.

The young soldiers stood up and bowed their heads. She snatched the large drumstick out of the young man's hand and pushed them out of the way, making her way to the large gong.

Gabrielle pinched the bridge of her nose. They obviously couldn't leave anyone alone in this camp without something happening.

Xena sounded the gong and everyone in the camp silenced themselves. Arielle and Bayan stopped fighting at the sound and quickly pulled themselves together and got off the ground. The sound was a signal for intruders invading and they turned around to see Xena next to the gong.

Arielle's cheeks turned bright red and Bayan slowly backed away with his head hung. She stared into her grandmother's furious eyes and bowed her head, ashamed of her behavior.

"Arielle," she says calmly, "I would like to speak with you in your tent."

"I'd rather not," the commander muttered.

"_Buraya gel_!" she screamed and Arielle didn't talk back and ran across the camp.

Gabrielle exhaled deeply and head over to Ernak and the group of soldiers. She eyed the rice wine they were all drinking. "Can I have some of that?" she says with a big grin.

Ernak grinned, bobbing his head slowly. "Ah, rough day in the village, aye Gabrielle?" he teased her and handed over a cup of wine. "Xena never uses our mother tongue unless she's angry. Arielle's really done it now."

"And that's why I am not stepping anywhere near that tent," she told him. "Anyway, I have some news. Wang is coming here to give us information about Prince Houfei. We met in the village and he says that he's a spy for Princess Bosi. He's also working for Houfei. Xena is skeptical of his intentions and wants him to be interrogated. She's going to hand him over to Arielle."

He rubbed his beard. "She makes a good call. Just because he's spying for the princess doesn't mean he doesn't have an agenda of his own." He sighs deeply. "I must say, Gabrielle, I'm a bit out of element here. We don't know a lot about Chinese culture and their laws."

"Xena said the same thing."

"Maybe we should've brought Csaba with us. He's more familiar with Chinese customs."

They both heard Xena yelling inside the tent and widened their eyes.

He leans over, "you gonna check it out?"

"Nope."

* * *

Xena paced around the tent with folded his arms and Arielle was silent the entire time during the lecture she was being given. She halted and stood in front of her granddaughter's slouched stance.

"Look at me."

Arielle turned her cheek away.

"I said, _look_ at me!"

She finally lifted her head slowly and regretfully stared into her grandmother's fearsome eyes.

"You make me regret giving you this position, Arielle. You disappoint me. Instead of focusing on battle you are fighting with your husband like a mad woman. What would've happened if that gong sound was not a farce? What if someone came into the camp and raided everything you had and killed all of your men? What would you do then?"

Arielle inhaled. "I'm sorry. I'm not trying to disappoint you but you make it so hard."

"Me? You dig yourself into these holes, Arielle. I've got nothing to do with it."

"Yes you do. You're always yelling at me!"

"Well if you would do your job then I wouldn't have to!" she paused briefly and wiped the sweat off her forehead. "Your mother was nothing like this when she was commander. She wasn't the greatest but at least she didn't behave like a child."

Arielle grimaced. "I am not my mother, grandma. I never will be. You said I have potential to be the best commander but everything I do isn't good enough because I'm not doing things _your_ way. And by the way, I didn't start the fight with Bayan," she adds softly. "He instigated it. I told him to leave me alone."

Xena relaxed her shoulders and uncrossed her arms. "I know having him here is bothering you but you need to find a way to either ignore him or settle your differences. Do not let his presence cloud your judgment."

The young commander nods.

"Gabrielle told me to be patient with you and I am trying my best but if you keep pulling stunts like this –"

"I won't. I promise. I won't do anything like that again."

Xena raised her eyebrow skeptically. "Alright…" she relents. "You have a very important job to do tonight. Wang is coming to the camp and you're going to interrogate him to see if you can squeeze out any information he has about Prince Houfei."

Arielle's eyes lit up and felt a rush of energy soar through her body. "_Interrogation_…" she taps her chin. "I shall not disappoint you grandma!" she brushed by her to leave and Xena grabbed her arm, forcefully pulling her backwards a foot.

"Do _not_ call me that here."

"Oh…right, I forgot. By the way did you get all the stuff I asked for?"

Xena narrowed her eyes. "Almost. I was only able to get thirty pounds of feathers. Arielle, what are you going to do with bellows, pots and feathers?"

"You'll see. Don't you have faith in me?"

"I wish I could choke you sometimes."

"Save it for the interrogation!" Arielle beamed like a small child and ran out of the tent to inform the soldiers of their special guest soon to come.

* * *

Gabrielle was busy chatting with the soldiers and Ernak when she saw her wife emerge from Arielle's tent and march down the hill through the snow. She excused herself from the group and walked over to her.

"Xena, how did it go?" she asked, barely able to keep up with her. "Xena?"

Although she heard Gabrielle, she had her mind focused on someone else. Glaring at the Harran king, she marched over to Bayan and grabbed him by the mink collar and shoved him into a tree. The male soldiers slowly retreated.

Bayan's eyes enlarged and he held his hand on the hilt of his sword just in case he might need it.

"You stay away from my granddaughter," she hissed.

"You…you can't speak to me that way. I am a king."

She emits a crooked smile. "I don't care if you're a king, Bayan. What are you going to do? Draw your sword on me? In front of all these people? Poor choice." She gave him a hefty shove and he banged his head on the tree. "I don't like you, Bayan. Don't get in Arielle's way again and jeopardize this mission or I will treat you like I do with all my enemies. Do you understand?"

"Yes, Xena."

"_Good_." She smiled and pat his shoulder and turned to the governor who casually drank the rice wine. "Gabrielle, come with me to work on drawing a map of the area."

The blonde governor waved at Bayan, pretending like she saw nothing and walked with her wife to their tent. "I think you scared him," she whispered.

"That was the idea. I can't have him in Arielle's way. If it were up to me, I would've sent him back to Harran."

"Were you…hard on her? I could hear you from outside."

"Not more than usual. She told me Bayan started the fight and I believe her. She was very apologetic. We'll see how she does with Wang later."

* * *

In one of the yurts that were spared, Yana's belongings were untouched by the invasion and she wished they would've attacked her yurt instead of her sister's. She stood over a table filled with her jewelry and held the onyx earrings that Cera gave her. Tears of silence fell into her hands as she kept gawking at the earrings.

Mirac walked into the yurt and eyed his elder sister with her back turned. "Yana…"

She placed the earrings back into her jewelry box and wiped her cheeks and spun around, smiling softly at her little brother. "Mirac, have you heard anything from the queen?"

"No, not yet."

His eyes drifted over to the secluded bedroom and sighed. He knew that Inzhu was in that room. She hadn't come out ever since the attack. She felt guilty that she was unable to save her children and put the blame all on her. He couldn't get the image of his two nieces and two nephews dead on the ground out of his head. He wished he could've saved them but he couldn't fathom the feeling his sister felt losing all of her children in one night –one short night.

"How is Inzhu?"

Yana shook her head. "She is not doing well. She is traumatized. I don't know if she will ever overcome this."

He looked to the floor in silence.

"Mirac," she says and he looked into her light eyes. "You will find Cera and bring her back here."

"Yes, sister, we'll find her. Anastasia Khatun won't stop until we find her. She has alerted Cera's brother in Pannonia about the situation."

Yana raised her eyebrow. "You will do whatever the khatun asks you to do. You'll obey all her orders even if you disagree with her."

He smiles and kissed her hand. "Of course, Yana."

"Bring Maxim and Aybek here. I wish to speak with them," she spoke of her two other younger brothers. "Have you written Sanzhar about this?"

"Yes, I wrote him the day after the attack. He should be on his way over. I will go fetch our brothers," he bowed his head and left.

She folded her arms and stared at the bedroom where her little sister admitted herself into seclusion. She was more worried about her sister and her brother's wives who also lost their children. She was not surprised that her brother, Sanzhar, didn't come right away when he heard of the attack. The ride to the tribe shouldn't have taken more than a couple of days. She didn't have the best relationship with her brother who was only a year younger than her but in times of war; he was needed and called upon in dire situations.

* * *

Weeks passed and Cera felt like time went so slowly here. The journey across the sea by ship was difficult and she was mishandled by several of the men. When she arrived at the imperial palace in Japan she was overcome by the size of the palace. She'd never seen anything like it before. Japan was unlike her home in Pannonia.

She hadn't seen the rest of the palace beyond these walls of the dark room she remained in for the last couple of weeks. She and the other Hun girls that were brought over were separated. Now, she was tied by her wrists and ankles with special knotted ropes. She put up such a fight when she arrived that the guards knocked her out and tied her up.

Cera leaned her head against the wall, staring at the floor for hours, or days, she didn't know. She heard the door open, which was uncommon. Slowly, she turned her head and looked over her shoulder. There were two women, dressed in fine silk robes and veils covering their hair.

She furrowed her eyebrows and shifted on the floor to get a better look at the women. They were incredibly short, noticeably shorter than the women in her family. Not even the rest of the Hun women were this short usually.

The pale faced women sized up all the girls who were kept in the room. Cera noticed one woman in particular eyeing the women and whispering into her cohort's ear.

The two women stopped in front of Cera and gawked at her fair skin and auburn hair. "Kimi, who is this one?"

"Hana Shojo, she is a Huna."

The shojo lifted her eyebrow, staring at Cera. "Huna, you said?" she asks and Kimi nods. "Stand up for me, Huna." She instructed and Cera's eyes drifted to her bound ankles. "Oh I see. Untie her!" she shouts at the guards.

Cera's ankles were free and she stood up steadily, hardly able to keep her balance. The shojo's black eyes widened at the height of the young red haired princess.

"She is rather tall. What is your name?"

Kimi whispered into Hana Shojo's ear. "She is mute, shojo."

Hana grinned. "What a remarkable quality. Take her to the red room." She said and Kimi grabbed Cera by the arm. "Why were her wrists and ankles bound?"

"She resisted a great deal when she arrived so we had to detain her but she has been on her best behavior lately."

* * *

After Cera was escorted out of the dark dungeon-like room she'd been kept in, she was bathed by a few women and the water was not warm, but downright freezing. She missed the nice heated bathhouses back home. She was beginning to wonder if her family would ever find her, being so far away and off the grid. She knew that her mother was probably doing her best but she had to rely on herself from now on in this strange land. She was a foreigner here but so far, she wasn't treated horribly as of yet.

The servants dressed her in a sheer white gown and she almost refused to put it on as it showed more of her body than she wanted. Not even would she wear something like this to bed with Mirac. She'd never expose herself this much. Now she really missed the cotton dresses of her homeland.

She was taken to the 'red room' that the shojo mentioned earlier. She walked through the hallway of columns draped in red fabric. She peered through the curtains and saw women of all shapes, sizes, skin and hair colors, on floor beds and couches. Her eyes widened when she lingered too long at two fair skinned women, completely naked, sitting together on a couch, feeding each other an assortment of fruits.

The servants uttered something in their native language and pushed her forward. Cera snarled at the short women but kept walking. She took in a few deep breaths, ignoring the incessant moaning and laughter in the background.

She entered a hallway with two rows of women, also dressed in sheer white gowns. She was placed at the end of the line and couldn't help but notice all of the women were from different parts of the world –blondes, brunettes, curly and straight hair, short and long, tall and petite, thin and curvy.

Hana Shojo hurried into the room and clapped her hands to grab the girls' attention. "Princess Tashibana is entering the harem!" she announced.

Cera's heart dropped. _Harem? Dear god, what have I gotten myself into_?

Princess Tashibana sauntered in the red room, dressed in black silk robes. Cera side-eyed the woman and got a good look at the woman's incredibly pale face, probably dressed in face paint, red lips and winged black liner around her eyes. Her midnight hair was dressed nicely in gold combs and flowers tucked behind her ears.

The imperial princess walked down the aisle, admiring the beautiful girls before her. She stopped in front of a few and tapped their shoulder and her servants took away the girls she chose. Cera kept her eye on what was happening and everyone around her was silent. This was an advantage she had: her silence.

Tashibana stopped in front of Cera and lifted her chin, inspecting her body and long waist length hair. "Hana Shojo, tell me about this one."

"She is from the Huna lands, princess."

"A redheaded Huna," she smirked. "I was told there were other Huna here."

"I did not select them, your highness. She has a special quality. She is mute."

Tashibana nodded. "A wise gift that has been bestowed upon you, Huna," she says and Cera tried not to show any sign of disgust. "Such fair skin," she traced her finger along Cera's arm. "Take your gown off."

Cera froze and stared into the princess' dark eyes.

"You've lost your tongue yet you do not take commands lightly, Huna. Disrobe!"

Hana Shojo nudged her head to the servants and they cut the clasps on Cera's shoulders and the gown fell to the floor. The Hun princess gasped and wrapped her arms around her bare breasts. Tashibana slapped her hands away and eyed her slender frame and sizeable breasts, trim waist and thighs.

Tashibana nodded with a soft grin. "Very pleasing to the eye. Take her to the private chamber." She instructs and steps forward, staring into Cera's brown fragile eyes.

"Since I do not know your name and you haven't the tongue to reveal it, I will gift you a name. From now on your name will be Koryu; a very fitting name for you, Huna. It means red dragon."

* * *

In the middle of Arielle's interrogation, Gabrielle stepped into the tent and gasped at the sight of Wang. Surely, Arielle was very gifted in beating people to death by the wounds and bruises all over Wang's face and arms.

Arielle turned and smiled. "Gabrielle, you've come just in time. I got a handful of information out of him."

"That's…very good. What did he say?"

"He gave me all of Houfei's hideout locations. He will tell you where they are and you can mark them on the map." She turns to the beaten Chinese soldier and smiles. "Oh and he is going to return to Houfei's camp in this condition. He will tell the prince that he was assaulted by Huns. Won't you, Wang?"

He licked his swollen lips and bobs his head slowly. He was barely able to keep his head up at this point. He didn't know how long he'd been here but he didn't expect to be beaten so badly by his so-called allies.

"I have a task for you and gran –I mean, the lieutenant," the commander says as she twirls the dagger in one hand. "You will accompany Wang back to Houfei's camp. I know you two don't like stealth quests but I need you two to remain discreet. Stay in that location undetected as long as possible. I want to know how many men Houfei has and what kind of weapons he has."

The governor couldn't keep her eyes off Wang and suddenly she felt bad for the man.

"Yes, commander. I'll go tell Xena about the plan."

"And you will make it seem like this was a pure _accident_, right Wang?"

He looks Arielle in the eye and frowns. She wrapped her hand around his throat, squeezing tightly. He coughed and struggled to breathe until he finally relented.

Gabrielle cringed. "Did he say anything about Princess Bosi?"

"Unfortunately I couldn't anything from him about that. If I had kept going he'd be dead. Perhaps we'll revisit that conversation." She pinched his cheek and he spat at her. "He's such a _gentleman_, am I right?"


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Xena and Gabrielle transport their hostage across the vast wasteland of China, and on their journey, they stumble upon an unexpected visitor. Farah, plagued by intense migraines, falls ill just before Anastasia arrives in Pannonia. Csaba reveals to his mother that he sent his grandmother and Arielle to China without her permission. Anastasia learns of Cera's whereabouts and sends a letter to China's Emperor for aid in retrieving her daughter.

**This is so suspenseful lol. I'm keeping y'all in the dark for awhile**

Chapter 6

Two weeks were given for Wang to recover so he could travel by horse back to Prince Houfei's encampment. Gabrielle marked the map of all of the prince's hideouts but she didn't exactly trust Wang anymore. He was once a great friend to Csaba and Farah but now, he was hiding something very important, something that Arielle couldn't get out of him.

Wang was tied to the saddle and his wrists were bound. Gabrielle guided them through the thick forests with the map while Xena held onto Wang's horse with a rope attached to its neck. She frowned at the map and halted her horse, tilting the map left and right, looking over it several times.

"What's the problem?" Xena asked.

The governor turned and glared at the Chinese soldier. "I don't know. Wang? Would you like to lead the rest of the way? We've been traveling for three days now and yet we aren't even close to any of the prince's hideouts."

Xena snarled and yanked the rope, pulling his horse forward. "If you are hiding something from us, Wang, now is the time to tell us. Maybe I won't kill you."

"You would betray the commander's orders? I am to be delivered unharmed, remember?"

"I am following orders but I am allowed to do whatever I want to you. Why are you making us travel around in circles? Is this amusing to you?"

He smiled. "I am not making you travel in circles, Xena."

Men hidden in the brush appeared in full armor. Gabrielle spun around on horseback and pulled out her sword, ready to attack. Xena's mouth gaped and she backed away from Wang's horse and drew her blade, pointing it at the nearest man. It was dark in the forest although it was daylight. She tried to make out the men but they had their faces concealed.

"Xena," a voice lurked in the shadows and she whipped her head around to a shadowy figure walking towards her. "The infamous commander. Do you drink from a fountain of youth? Will your nine lives ever run out?"

He stepped out of the darkness and she grimaced. "Shah Balash. Of course, another Sassan brat. Does your family have an endless supply of cousins to spare?" she spat.

"I should thank your daughter for killing my cousins, one being my wife," he sighed. "Release Wang. He belongs to me."

Gabrielle pointed her sword at the arrogant young shah. "He isn't going anywhere with you. He's our prisoner now."

Balash stepped forward, not fearful of the blade. "Put away the sword, Greek woman. You will no longer need it. Release Wang or I'll decapitate you both right now."

"You lie, shah."

Xena eyed the amount of men surrounding them and lowered her weapon. "Put down the sword, Gabrielle. Do as he says."

"What!" her wife yelled back. "Have you lost your mind? You are not willing to fight them? We can take them."

"No, we can't, Gabrielle! Just do as he says."

Xena looked back at Wang and untied his wrists and ankles from the saddle. She pushed him off the horse and he fell on his back, moaning and groaning. He wrapped his very injured arm around his sore torso and hobbled over to the Persian king. All the while Gabrielle was glaring at her wife, shaking her head.

Balash nodded to his men to take Wang away from the area. "Well done, Xena. You can see when you will lose a fight. A wise decision you've just made albeit I've never seen you surrender so easily, perhaps it is your age," he snickered. "Come. Both of you. I wish to show you something."

Gabrielle shared a nervous glance with her wife.

"I'm not going to kill you. In fact, I'm going to release you but not before I show you this." He waved his hand. "Follow me."

Xena nervously trotted behind the shah, eyeing all of the Persians hording around her like wolves. Gabrielle angrily sheathed her sword and side eyed her wife during the ride. Xena did her best to ignore her glare, but it proved to be difficult. It wasn't that she couldn't take the Persians but it was only two of them and they had no backup. She recognized she'd be badly injured or worse if she instigated a fight with the shah and his soldiers.

The shah stopped at the cliff and waved his arm in front of the huge valley. Xena and Gabrielle dismounted their horses hesitantly and approached the Persian. He grinned and bowed his head at the women and took a step back so they could observe.

"Behold," he points ahead at the black smoke across the valley. Fire spread across the area and Xena walked towards the cliff, shielding her eyes from the falling snow.

"Your commander's camp is up in flames," he alarms them. "You've really lost your touch, Xena. I am disappointed in you. I expect the best from you but you fell flat. Perhaps all of your granddaughter's training did not pay off or maybe…you're just not as ruthless as you used to be. My cousins' grandfather used to tell them tales about you and how you ran rampant through the Balkan Steppes, Goth plains and Persia. What a shame," he sighed.

Xena narrowed her eyes, staring at the Hun camp engulfed in flames and black smoke towering over the mountains. She could hear the shah babbling on and on about her past and future. She clenched her fists and lifted her chin as he continued to talk and she continued to listen.

"You're careless, Xena. You've grown weak. All of those princes and princesses in your clan have really softened your hard heart. I was once told you were a ruthless commander, but now you allow your granddaughter to take your position and get herself killed? This must be very embarrassing for you."

Her heart raced and she spun around, fire in her eyes, and grabbed the shah by his shoulders and threw him over the cliff. Gabrielle's eyes enlarged twice their size and she ran to her wife and looked down at the shah hitting a few rocks and trees on the way down, breaking his arms. His screams filled the mountain valley.

Xena breathed heavily and drew her two swords and eyed all of the Chinese and Persian soldiers gaping at her. They quickly grabbed their weapons and slowly approached her.

"Oh Xena…" the governor says, "what have you done…" she covered her mouth and tears welled in her eyes; not tears of sadness but tears of anger and frustration.

She cautiously turned and looked at her wife's eyes and smile on her face. It was eerie. She had seen it before, several times, several years ago. She was afraid to approach her and instead backed away, especially since there were dozens of men surrounding them in a circle.

Xena crossed her swords and eyed all of the Persians and Chinese. "What will you do now? I've killed your shah. Do you have any cousins hiding in the tents?" she asked and the crowd was silent. "I didn't think so because my daughter and I killed all of the shahs. It'd be wise of you to surrender to me."

"Xena…what are you doing?"

"Just go along with me, Gabrielle," she whispered.

The men slowly lowered their weapons and she smiled then walked over to the shah's tent with the Persian flag with the lion head on it. She ripped down the flag and sliced through with her blades and then tossed it into a bonfire.

"Take me to Prince Houfei's camp."

* * *

Ernak galloped throughout the encampment and yelled at all of his men to put out the fires with buckets of snow. So far, there had been three major fires put out and Bayan was fighting off a few Chinese soldiers along with Arielle's female soldiers accompanying him.

He searched the field for the commander and pushed thick clouds of black smoke away from his path. He coughed and wrapped a scarf around his mouth and rode downhill from the burning camp and saw Arielle's body in the snow.

"Arielle!"

He stomped on a few bodies that were already laid dead and jumped off the horse then collapsed to his knees. He turned her body over onto her back and saw a bloody shoulder wound, the side of her face burnt slightly and blistering already. Quickly, his eyes examined for any further injuries and his hands roamed across her body and felt warm blood seeping from her ribs.

Ernak scooped her into his arms and carried her up the hill, leaving his horse behind. "I need aid!"

A few soldiers rushed over and Bayan whipped his head around and saw his wife in Ernak's arms. He darted across the camp, jumping over burning debris and corpses of their enemies. He saw how badly injured she was and his stomach turned to knots.

"Is she alive?" he asks.

The Hun king nods. "She is. She'll be taken care of." He passed Arielle off to the soldiers so she could be tended to.

Bayan panicked and he tried to sidestep the king but Ernak wrapped his arm around his shoulder, forcefully pushing him away. "Where are they taking her? I want to go with her."

Ernak raised his eyebrow at the Kidarite's sudden concern for Arielle. "I need you right now. You can visit her later," he said and pulled Bayan along. "We need to go back to the imperial city. This ambush shouldn't have happened. Wang must have alerted Houfei before his arrival and waited until Xena was gone to attack."

"But…but why would he do that? I thought Arielle interrogated him?"

"She did but he obviously had plans of his own. Meeting Gabrielle in the village was not a coincidence. This isn't anyone's fault. These things happen sometimes and now we need to be extra cautious of where we go, who we talk to and how we conduct attacks."

Bayan eyed the tent where his wife was frowned sadly. "Shouldn't we wait for Xena and Gabrielle to come back before we go to the imperial city? What if something happened to them?"

Ernak shook his head and gripped the Harran king's shoulders. "They can take care of themselves. Xena is very good at what she does. We need to pack up and leave by tomorrow. I'm going to send you to ride ahead to alert the Emperor about this attack."

"But Arielle…"

"She's fine!" he snapped. "She's not dead! Go, now. I am ordering you!"

* * *

After Bayan took off, Ernak went to check up on Arielle and he walked into the tent just as the healer was about to cauterize the wound on her ribcage. She was unconscious and the shoulder wound was mended and bandaged. He sighed and nodded his head to the healer who was awaiting permission.

The hot iron met with her skin and Arielle's eyes shot wide open and her wails of agony echoed in and out of the tent. Ernak cringed and then he knelt down beside her and put a hand over her mouth and pinned her arms to the floor.

"Congratulations. You've achieved your first battle scars," he says to lighten the mood.

Tears were flowing freely as she stared up at him almost like a child crying out for help. Her chest rose and fell heavily and he kept his eyes on her the entire time so she could forget about the pain while the healer taped a cloth over the cauterized wound.

Ernak smiled and released his hand off her mouth then took off his coat and draped it over body. "We're going back to the imperial city. We need more help and guidance. Wang tricked us."

She frowned and winced as she shifted slightly. "But where –where is Gabrielle and –"

"Don't worry about them," he interrupted. "They can handle whatever is thrown at them. It is my job to protect the army and I've failed."

"No, it's my fault."

Ernak folded his arms. "It's not your fault, Arielle. I saw you in the field today. You did really well but there were too many men."

"Grandma said that I should always be prepared for an attack and I wasn't. I should've listened to her."

He rolled his eyes. "Arielle, you really are being way too hard on yourself. I've seen Xena return from raids and missions with broken limbs because of ambushes. She and my father always came back together and she was always the more injured one because she never stopped fighting. She recovered and went back into the field several times and you will do the same. This is just part of the job but just to let you know, you don't always need to go into the field. If there are too many men you should pull back. Your life is important than a soldier's. Remember that."

She sat up and looked down at her ribs and groaned. She threw off the coat and stood up, hobbling towards the camp. Ernak stood up and grabbed his coat and tried to pull her back to the bed and she snatched her arm away.

She walked outside half dressed into the snow. All of her soldiers bowed their heads and stopped what they were doing. Her eyes scanned the encampment and Ernak draped his coat over her bare shoulders.

"Find me a Chinese soldier who is alive. He will come to the imperial city with us," she demands.

* * *

Farah sat at her vanity, massaging her temples and breathing in and out deeply. Gurda stood by her side silently and stared at the queen's pale face and sunken cheeks. Farah groaned and opened her eyes, staring at her reflection and then looked at Csaba sitting at his desk, flipping through pages among pages of treaties sent over by the Goth king, Alaric.

"I have a headache," she turns to her chambermaid. "Bring me some mint tea, please."

Gurda smiled. "Yes, your highness."

Farah slouched in the chair and wrapped an arm over her stomach and frowned at her husband. "Have you heard anything about your sister?"

"Which one?" he asks while flipping through the documents.

She paused. "Cera of course…"

"No, my mother hasn't sent a message over yet. I am unsure of her whereabouts but I'm sure my mother will find her. Arielle hasn't sent me a report about her mission yet either."

"What a _surprise_."

Csaba lifted his eyes slowly, gawking at his pale wife. "Are you alright?"

"I have a headache."

He stood and collected the documents to be sent over to Alaric. He walked over and kissed her forehead. "I'm sure it'll pass soon. I'm going to meet up with Oran so he can send a messenger to deliver these documents. If you need anything just ask Ursula. I'm sure she'd be willing to help you."

* * *

Ku tried to spoon yogurt soup into Aurora's mouth and for the fifth time of failing, she was about to give up. She threw the spoon into the bowl and glared at the princess. Aurora had her arms folded and chin lifted proudly, refusing any type of food or drink.

"This is your favorite. I made it myself. Why won't you eat it?"

The princess huffed. "'Cause, I don't want to."

"You are turning into your mother," Ku muttered. She organized the tray and took it into her hands and stood up. "I'm going to return this to the kitchen since you don't want to eat it. It's now gone to waste."

Aurora waited until her caretaker was gone and smiled deviously. She hopped off the bed and took off her dress and underneath she secretly put on a black tunic and pants. She didn't care much for dresses but Farah insisted that she'd wear them. Aurora was kind enough to listen to her aunt but whenever Ku wasn't around which was rare these days, she preferred to wear clothes she actually liked.

Being stuck in the guest suite was becoming tiresome and boring. All of the bumps on the children's bodies had faded dramatically and they didn't complain about the itchiness as much. Aurora was eager to get out of her room of solitude and play with her cousins. This was one of the few times she could escape from Ku.

She ran out of the room and saw her twin cousins wrestling on the floor while Utigur and Muqan were cheering them both on. Issik was the prince of gloom much like his mother and Kurt, being the eldest, was in charge of everyone, but he looked equally disinterested as Issik.

"Can I play with you guys?" she asks.

Aman poked his head out from underneath his brother's leg. "You can't play with us."

"Why not?"

"Cause, you…you're a princess!" Aladar told her.

She frowned and pushed them both down onto their backs and they whined, scowling at her. Kurt stood up and walked over to the small princes and princess. He placed a hand on Aurora's shoulder. "Why did you do that?"

"They won't let me play with them!"

He sighed. "You're too little, Aurora."

She gaped at her cousins who were the same age as her. "They're little too!" she pointed to all four of the princes.

Kurt didn't really have an answer for her and instead of behaving rationally; Aurora stormed off and swung open the doors. Ramora gasped and hurried after the princess.

"Princess, wait!" the maid called out as she was running after the little girl. Aurora ran up the stairs, bypassing all of the servants who immediately moved out of her way.

* * *

Farah sipped the hot tea and continued to massage her left temple. Gurda stood a few feet behind her and eyed the tea. The doors were swung open and Aurora walked into the room with determination. Farah spun around in her chair and looked down at the tiny princess standing next to her.

Ramora ran in a few seconds after and breathed heavily. "My queen…I am sorry. I couldn't catch her in time!"

Farah nodded and dismissed her maid. "Aurora, what are you doing in my room?"

"Aman and Aladar won't let me play with them! Teyze Farah, please, I wanna play with them."

She sighed. "I can't let you do that, Aurora. You aren't going to play with the princes. These are my rules. Go back to the guest suite."

"No! Teyze Farah, I can do what I want. This is my home too!"

Farah frowned at the mouthy child. "Aurora. I do not have time to deal with one of your tantrums. I do not feel well. Please leave. Ramora, take her back to the room."

Aurora folded her arms, refusing to move. She muttered, "_majnuna_."

Farah slowly rose from her chair, glaring at the princess. "What did you just call me?" she asks and Aurora's mouth gaped. "I understand Ku-Ilm's language very well. It seems you've picked up on quite a lot of it. Listen here, child, I am a queen and you can't speak to me that way."

"My mommy is a queen too."

"Your mother is not here nor does she have any authority over me!" Farah yelled.

Aurora's face paled and she flinched at her aunt's tone. Farah put a hand on her forehead and slammed her hand on the vanity set, trying to steady herself. She stepped forward and Aurora raised her eyebrows and took a step backwards. Farah's eyes rolled into the back of her head and she fell backwards onto the floor.

Aurora gasped and ran over to the fallen queen. "Oh, no!" she cradled her aunt's face in her tiny palms. "Teyze Farah?"

Csaba returned to the queen's chambers and his heart stopped when he saw his wife on the floor. He rushed over and Aurora stood up, wiping the tears off her face. He gently slapped Farah's cheeks and then scooped her into his arms.

"Go get the physician!" he yelled at the chambermaids.

Aurora ran to the side of the bed, hovering over her aunt. "This is my fault…"

Csaba looked at his niece and half smiled. "It's not your fault, Aurora." He cupped her cheek. "Take her back to the sick room," he instructed the two maids. Gurda grabbed the princess' hand and gently pulled her along.

* * *

Gurda and Ramora left the room and Ku was heading in their direction as soon as she heard that Aurora took off. The chambermaids were whispering among one another and gawked at the Assyrian handmaid. Ku frowned and halted.

"What's going on?" asked Ku.

"The queen fainted. I will take the princess back to the room," said Gurda.

Ku grabbed the woman by the arm. "No, you won't. Ramora will take her." she says.

Remora hung her head and took Aurora, leaving the two women by themselves. Ku inched closer and closer to Farah's maid and folded her arms. "The queen fainted, hm?" she questioned and backed Gurda up into a corner.

"I know what you are doing, Gurda. You've been giving the queen oleander tea. If you were smart enough, which I think you are, you'd know that too much oleander kills a person. Are you trying to poison the queen?"

Gurda nervously smiled. "Of course not. I would never do that. She's my queen."

"If the physician finds one ounce of oleander in her body, you will be exposed. You're the only one who makes the queen her tea plus I heard you and Ramora gossiping in the kitchen weeks ago. I'd hate to tell the khatun about this. She will surely behead you."

"Who do you think you are, Ku-Ilm? You think you are above me, but you are just a servant like me. The khatun would never believe a dirty Arab like you," Gurda snidely spits.

Ku shoved the maid into the wall and pinned her arms. "I will destroy you. Don't ever come near Aurora again or I'll pluck out your tongue. _Mumass qadhara_," she mutters.

* * *

Gabrielle stood far away from her wife inside Shah Balash's tent. Xena was looking through the chests of documents and it wasn't surprising that all of the documents were written in Persian. Not a single one in Latin or any other language. Some were written in Chinese but that was no help to her at all. Xena pulled out all of the rolled up documents and placed them in a neat pile.

She turned to the anxious blonde and smiled. "Something on your mind?"

"You just killed the shah, Xena."

"And? He needed to be gotten rid of somehow. Arielle and Navaz lost to him a few months ago. Now we don't have to worry about any Sassan family members tormenting us."

The governor sighed. "If I had known you were going to do that, we could've brought some men with us. What do you think is going to happen now? The Sassan family is huge. They have family members scattered across Persia and Asia. Who knows what the future will hold."

"You believe there is another heir to the throne? If so, then we will be ready to take them down."

"Xena, the Sassan Dynasty is huge! There will be a new shah and I think you've made a huge mistake by killing Balash. His subjects will inform the family and attack us, maybe even attack Pannonia."

The lieutenant nodded and scooped the documents into her arms and smiled at her wife and placed them into Gabrielle's arms. The governor grunted and held the scrolls close to her chest; and there were dozens of them.

"We'll worry about that later. I need you to take these documents to a translator. I want to know everything that Balash and Houfei agreed upon. I really don't buy that Wang is working for Princess Bosi. If he was working for her then why did he attack us?"

She frowned, thinking of the burning camp and hoped that Arielle was able to quell the invaders and put out the fires. She also knew that Arielle was not exactly very experienced but she was lucky that Ernak is there to help her. Although, Ernak knew nothing about China and this was to be their downfall.

"He could be double-crossing her," Gabrielle suggested. "Xena…you worry me. You acted impulsively back there. You don't normally do that."

All Xena could think about were Balash's last words to her. He continuously insulted her over and over again right to her face. She knew that he was trying to get under her skin and unfortunately it worked. She let anger rule her decision and instead of responding with a witty remark she resulted to throwing him over the cliff. She kept trying to rationalize her choice but it didn't make her feel any better. She told herself that he deserved it and he did but maybe his death was premature.

"What's done is done," she says unconvincingly. Her wife eyed her doubtfully. "Find someone in the camp who is willing to translate those. I will wait here."

* * *

Not long after Gabrielle was able to find someone to translate all of the documents. She stayed with the soldier until dusk around a bonfire. She wrote down everything that he said and looked around at the Persians staring at her like she was fresh meat for them.

She questionably looked over the paper that she finished after he translated the tenth document. She held up her hand to stop him from speaking and read over the translation quickly.

"This doesn't seem right. If you aren't translating these correctly I'll hand you over to Xena."

The Persian smiled and bowed his head. "This is what the paper says, Greek woman."

"Hmm."

"You are skilled in writing treaties and declarations. Did you not serve the Roman Empire at one time?"

She frowned and stares into his brown eyes. "For a short time, yes."

"The Hun woman has taken over my Shah's camp. She is very arrogant to take upon such a role. She is humiliating the Sassan family. Huns love to conquer any land that they step on. You follow in their footsteps, Greek woman. You've abandoned your traditions, customs, language, religion, to become a Hun yourself. You are just as bad as them."

Gabrielle emits a soft smile and chuckles nervously. "The Sassans are not without fault. They are equally as blood thirsty as the Huns. The Sassans are known to overtax their people and beat their women whenever they please. Yet here you are, serving barbarians." She says with a charming expression.

"Fair enough, Greek woman," the soldier nods. "You are brave to say such things out in the open. Do you really believe that we will take the Hun woman to Prince Houfei?"

"If you don't comply I'm sure Xena will find a way to get there one way or another."

"I'd like to offer a deal to you, Greek woman."

She set the papers down and looked at the tent which Xena was in and inhaled sharply. "What deal might that be?"

"Shah Peroz's son is destined to the throne. Now that Balash is dead, Kavad will become the shah. There is a messenger who left earlier to the capital of Persia to inform the son of Peroz. You are the governor of the Huns and you would be a valuable asset to Kavad. Consider working under him as a spy."

Gabrielle snorted. "You want me to betray the entire Hun Empire for Peroz's son? Who do you think I am?"

"I think you're a very smart woman. Kavad is young. He wants to make peace with the Huns but it would be better if you provide him with all the information he needs to make that call," he tells her. "It's on the table. You can decide later if you wish but do not tell your Hun woman about this conversation. I will be watching every step you take from here on out, Greek woman."

He stood up and bowed his head then left.

She put a hand over her beating heart and then dug her fingers into her short locks, exhaling deeply. She would never dream of working for a Persian and she didn't understand why that soldier was so keen on speaking to her in secret. Her eyes darted across the camp and she felt like everyone was looking at her, watching her.

She wasn't sure what to think about his offer and the fact that he said that he'd be watching her, unsettled her. He also said not to tell Xena about this and she was hesitant to keep secrets from her wife but at the same time, the conversation with the Persian was odd, invasive and disconcerting.

* * *

Xena sat at Balash's desk and overlooked the translated documents and frowned. She lifted her eyes to her wife who was being awfully quiet and distant. She waved one of the papers in her hand.

"What is this? All of this talks of slave trading and grain trades? This is of no use to us."

Gabrielle shrugged a shoulder. "That's what was in the documents. The man who translated them said so."

"It doesn't even say where the Chinese are getting slaves from. Are you sure he translated this correctly?"

"I am not sure, Xena. You can't really trust Persians."

She mutters under her breath and flipped through several of the papers, skimming through them. All the while Gabrielle stood, twiddling her thumbs behind her back, debating whether she should mention anything about Peroz's son, Kavad, who would be the next successor of the Sassan throne.

"Xena."

The brunette lifted her head with raised eyebrows.

"I think we should go back to our camp. Arielle could be wounded. Balash sent men to attack us. It was a trap allowing Wang to come there."

"Arielle will be fine on her own. I know she's not dead because Ernak is there."

Gabrielle quirked her mouth. "But Xena, this doesn't feel right. I think we should go back."

"Gabrielle. You are getting on my nerves. Arielle gave us orders to find Houfei's camp and that's what we're going to do."

* * *

The guards inside the foyer of the Adame saw their queen approaching with her elite guards and stood up straight, holding their spears.

"_Destur! Anastasia Khatun senin huzurunda!"_

Csaba stood to meet his mother and waited for awhile when he was notified she was crossing the border. He smiled and kissed her hand and both of her cheeks then gave a soft bow of his head.

"Mother, you didn't send word that you were coming home so soon."

Ana looked around the foyer and brushed the long black veil behind her shoulders. "I had to leave quickly and didn't have time to write you. I hope everything here remained in order while I was gone?"

"Yes, mother."

Aurora ran down the hallway with Ku chasing her. She couldn't contain herself when she heard Farah's chambermaids talking about her grandmother's arrival. She ran across the foyer and rammed herself into Anastasia's legs, hugging them tightly.

"_Benim kücük prensesim_," Ana said with a big smile and picked up Aurora into her arms.

"Grandma Ana, you were gone for so long!"

"Grandma _khatun_," she corrected.

Aurora wrapped her arms around her grandmother's neck. "Grandma khatun…" she whispers, still not used to calling her that. "Did you see Cera?"

The queen hid her emotions from the princess. "Yes, I did." She paused briefly. "Where's your mother?"

"She's in China."

Anastasia's eyebrows rose. "_China_, huh?" her eyes drifted to her pale-cheeked son. "I hope you were on your best behavior for Ku-Ilm then…" she says while glaring at Csaba.

"Mhm. Me and the boys had red spots all over our skin!" she says and points to her healed skin. "We were stuck in a room together forever! And then Teyze Farah fell down. She's sick but she'll get better, right Csaba?" she asks cheerily of her uncle.

Ana's frown deepened and she set Aurora on the ground and folded her arms. "Csaba, I don't like what I'm hearing."

"Mother, I can explain everything."

* * *

Later Csaba stood in front of his mother in her room upstairs. He awaited his lecture and her silence was not settling the knot in his stomach at the moment. She sat in her chair, tapping her fingers on the armrest slowly while glaring at him. He didn't dare look into her icy eyes.

"_Where_ is your grandmother?"

He held his breath. "She's with Arielle in China."

"Oh really," she laughs softly. "And exactly how did she get herself involved in the army again? She has no authority over the army anymore. Arielle is the commander now."

"I…gave her the position of lieutenant to aid Arielle in the campaign."

She slammed her fist on the chair's arm. "Csaba! You are a king! You let your grandmother walk all over you! She shouldn't be allowed in the field anymore especially without my permission. I'm assuming Gabrielle is with them too."

He fell silent.

She rose and walked over to her son. "You sent your sister off on a campaign without my permission."

"Mother I –"

"Csaba! How dare you override my authority like this! Cera is missing and you decided to give in to your grandmother's conniving plans and send Arielle off to China. She is too inexperienced to handle such a task."

"But that's why I sent grandma and Gabrielle with her. Mother, I was in acting in your place. I didn't –" he lifts his eyes and backs away slowly at the anger written clearly on her face.

"All campaigns are supposed to be approved by _me_ and instead you acted on your own."

He immediately dropped to his knees and clutched the trim of her black gown and buried his face in it. "Mother, I'm sorry," he gave his deepest apologies to her.

She snatched her dress away from him and turned around.

"Tell Oran to come to my room. I want him to interrogate Madhiya's Alps. I bought them from her and they are now in my custody. I believe they know what happened to Cera."

He stood up and stared at her backside. He felt insulted that she would ask his cousin to do a job that was his in the first place. "Mother…"

"Get out!" she yelled and spun around. "As soon as I finish speaking with Oran I will go see Farah. I don't want to see you in my presence. Get out of my sight before I do something I might regret."

Csaba sighed. "Yes mother."

He stepped out of her room and closed his eyes. He took in a deep breath and turned around to Aurora standing in front of him holding her blanket close to her chest. Ku stood at a fair distance away from the doors with her eyes lowered.

"Is grandma mad at you?"

He smiled and knelt down to brush wavy locks away from her face. He looked into her big innocent green hazel eyes and wished he could lie to her, but he couldn't. She heard everything and apparently so did Ku.

"Why don't you go see Farah? I'm sure she'd love to see you. She loves visitors."

"Okay," she went over and grabbed Ku's hand. "After we see Teyze Farah can we see Nisa too?"

"Sure, _halu_." Ku smiled and looked at the distressed king.

Aurora led the way through the corridor. Csaba watched the two drift further and further away and frowned back at his mother's bedroom doors. He didn't want to call upon his older cousin to do his work but he figured since he angered his mother enough, he ought to obey her orders.

* * *

Xena took a mass of Persians with her to Prince Houfei's camp. She was told that his camp was not anywhere near the Himalayas. Throughout the journey which had lasted four days so far, she was beginning to suspect that every single word that the emperor and Wang said was dishonest. Emperor Liu said his son set up camp in the Himalayas but now the Persians say Houfei's camp was not in the mountains.

She played along and rode slowly through the thick snowy forest with her wife riding beside her. Gabrielle was quiet and hardly said a word over the last four days. She didn't want to pester her so she also was silent.

Gabrielle looked at the thick brush ahead of them and snow flurries fell atop her horse's mane. She pulled the hood of her cloak further to cover her face from falling snow. The cold didn't bother her as much now and she didn't know if it was because of her nerves or because she gotten used to the weather by now.

She peered over her shoulder at the soldier she spoke to a few days ago back at Balash's camp. He smiled in her direction and she whipped her head around, facing frontward. She sensed bad things for their future here in China, so many bad things. She told Xena to go back to the camp but her request was denied several times so she finally stopped begging.

"Xena," she whispers, "I don't like this."

"We're not turning back, Gabrielle. We've come too far now."

"I don't trust the Persians. What if they are leading us to another ambush?"

"You should know the Persians well enough by now that they don't do ambushes twice in a row. They didn't send men to ambush our camp anyway. The Chinese did that."

The governor sighed and pulled her cloak closed with a hand and stared at the Persian soldiers riding and walking behind them as if they were following their new leader. She trusted Xena with her life. She trusted her even when times were tough but right now, she didn't feel like she could put all her faith and hope into her.

One of the Persian soldiers galloped ahead and stopped in front of them. Xena frowned at him and Gabrielle curiously looked around at the other soldiers, fearing they were going to be killed or ambushed.

"This is the Tibetan kingdom territory. We will go no further than this, Hun."

Xena gazed up ahead at the mountainous area. They were north of the Himalayas now but the territory the man spoke of must be miles and miles ride ahead. They weren't even near the area that he named.

"Houfei resides in the Tibetan territory?"

He gave a curt nod.

"If you're allies with Houfei why are you not going to pass into the territory?" she asks suspiciously of the Persian soldier.

Gabrielle grabbed her wife's arm. "I told you something was off about this."

"Our Shah forbade us to go into the kingdom."

"Your shah is _dead_," Xena so kindly reminded him.

He sends her a wicked glare. "We will not betray our empire and the shah's orders, Hun. You may go as you please. We will return to our camp and wait for further command from our viziers and advisors."

With those last words the Persian soldiers turned around and began their trek back to the encampment near the Himalayas. Xena and Gabrielle sat on their horses alone and a bit confused by the Persians lack of interest of going into the Tibetan area.

Gabrielle eyed the man she spoke to and he smiled briefly before he galloped off. "Okay we know where Houfei is. We should turn back now and tell the others where he's hiding out at."

"Bold move of you to assume that's where Houfei is, Gabrielle."

"Xena! This entire trip has been strange from the beginning! Wang showing up out of nowhere, lying to us, allying with the Persians, our camp being ambushed, and now we're here in an area that the Persians won't go into. Don't you think that's weird?"

"Don't you think I know that!" she snapped at her blonde wife. "What is with you lately? You've been avoiding me and you won't even look me in the eye. It's like you don't trust me."

Gabrielle turned her cheek.

She creased her brows. "You don't trust me…"

"I don't know what to think. This mission has been…unusual. I've never had so many things go wrong at once and you killed the shah, Xena! Persia will have every single one of our heads for that little stunt you pulled."

"It's not like I haven't done it before. Why are you acting like this? Did something happen that I don't know about?"

This was the moment that she could tell her wife everything that was said to her. She debated telling her ever since that Persian told her about Peroz's son and the offer of being a spy. She wasn't going to spy and betray Anastasia but the offer was better kept locked away. Perhaps, she thought, she could use this to her advantage later.

"No, nothing happened," she says. "What do you want to do now?"

"You want to go back to the camp."

"I think it's safer if we do. We don't have backup to help us. I know you want to go into the Tibetan territory."

Xena licked her lips and sighed. "We'll go back since it will ease your mind."

* * *

Aurora sat on Farah's bed along with her three cousins. She visited her aunt for the last few days as she felt somewhat guilty for what happened even though Ku told her it wasn't her fault. The twin princes sat on either side of their mother and Edemen sat on the end of the bed with Aurora.

Ku stood a few feet away from the bed until it was time to take Aurora back to her room. She eyed Gurda standing on the other side of the bed by Edemen and they stared at each other for awhile. Gurda averted her eyes and Ku smirked. She figured the Banat maid was fearful of her after the threats she gave.

Anastasia entered the room and all of the children stopped bickering with each other. Farah sat up in bed to greet her mother in law. Ana held up her hand. "Don't get up, Farah."

"Csaba told me you arrived a few days ago. I'm sorry I couldn't come see you."

"It's alright. He told me you were ill. Did they find out what was wrong with you?"

Farah sighs. "No. The physician suspects it was something I ate but he was not too sure."

Edemen got off the bed and kissed Ana's hand. He looked up into her eyes. "Grandma khatun, did you see Teyze Cera? Is Mirac being nice to her?"

She looks over to Farah and who frowned sadly. She smiled and cupped her grandson's cheeks. "Yes, he's been very kind to her."

"Good," he nods, "because if he hurts her I will make sure he suffers."

She squeezed his shoulders. "That's very sweet of you, Edemen."

Oran walked in and bowed his head to Farah and cleared his throat. "Teyze Anastasia," he announces and she turned around. He nudged his head to the doors to speak privately.

She excused herself and they lingered in the doorway. "Were you finally able to make one of them talk?" she whispered.

"Yes. The lead Alp by the name of Selim confessed he took a few Nezak girls during the attack. He told me one of them had red hair so I assume that's Cera."

"What did he say? Where did he take them?"

Oran was reluctant to say anything and she gripped his arm firmly. He gave in. "He sold them, khatun," he said. Her grip tightened. "He sold them to a merchant. He sent them to the imperial palace in Japan."

"Japan!" she shouts, alarming the children. She pulled him out of the room and closed the doors. "Oran, I need to send a message to Emperor Liu in China. Arielle is there and if she knows about Cera, she could go to Japan and save her. Who knows what they will do to her…"

He nodded. "Yes, Teyze but…Arielle is on a campaign for the emperor. He will –"

"I don't care! China is next to Japan. Cera is more important to me than a campaign that was put into action without my approval."

She entered Farah's chambers and approached the bed. "Children, leave the room."

"But grandma khatun we want to stay here," Aurora pleaded.

"Ku, Gurda, take them out of the room right now."

The maids nodded and grabbed the children off the bed and head out quickly. Farah looked into the khatun's uneasiness and wily eyes. "Is something wrong?"

"Farah, I need your language skills. I know you aren't feeling well but I need you to write a letter to Emperor Liu. Cera is in Japan and Arielle is close by so it will be easier if she goes to Japan herself to retrieve Cera."

"Of course. I will help."

"I'll send parchment and ink to your room."

She made her way back to Oran who still lingered outside the doorway. "Bring your mother to me."

He frowns confusedly. "My mother?" he questioned which was not wise of him to do so by the look on her face. "Yes, khatun. I'll take her to your room."

* * *

Ursula immediately left her duties to a maid to take care of Nisa as soon as her son informed her that she was wanted by the queen. She was granted permission to enter the chambers and Anastasia stood by the fireplace waiting anxiously for her arrival.

"Anastasia Khatun, you asked for me…"

Ana turned to the shamaness. "Yes. Come sit with me."

The two sat down on the floor and Ursula smiled nervously, unsure of what this meeting was supposed to entail. She never had private meetings with Anastasia before and she was hardly around Kreka Khatun during her reign either.

"Your son is the Khan of the Gokturks," she states. "I'd like for Yeter and Oran to return to their home in the mountains. Their children may stay here for schooling of course."

Ursula nods slowly, a bit disappointed that her son and grandchildren were going to be far away from her but she respected the queen's decision.

"Your husband is Ellac's older brother and he hasn't received the status he deserves in the empire. I want to give him a piece of land to govern. Csaba told me the Goths in Rome are in need of a commander. I want to bestow the role to Ebnedzar."

The shamaness grinned. "That is very kind of you, khatun. I'm sure Ebnedzar will be pleased with your choice."

Ana nods with a soft smile. "Your skills as a healer are revered in the tribe. We are grateful for your help especially when you helped Kreka Khatun during her illness," she mentions with a hint of sadness. "I'd like to give you a role in the empire as well."

Ursula's mouth gaped at the offer and she hadn't even heard it yet. She expected nothing from the empire ever since she moved here with her family. She lived comfortably here and even had a room in the Adame.

"I'd like you to be the Chief Shaman of the tribe," she began, "and I'd like you to be my advisor. You will be very close to me and I'll move you into a larger chamber closer to mine upstairs. Will you accept my offer?"

Ursula's brown eyes wandered around the room and she grasps Anastasia's hands. "Of course I will accept. I didn't expect this from you, khatun."

"It is well deserved. Your family has been ignored long enough. I'm just sorry it took my husband's passing for me to realize it." She sighs and smiles at the eager shamaness. "Our first meeting will begin right now."

Ursula pulled her hands away and waited patiently.

"Tell me everything you know about the Ostrogoth's conflict with the Franks. I know your tribe had many run-ins with the Goths years ago before you came here."


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cera is trained to be the favorite concubine for the Prince of Japan and attempts to kill him during a dance with a sword. Arielle and Bayan go to the Emperor and explain that they've been betrayed. The Emperor accuses them of lying and throws them both in prison. Gabrielle negotiates with the Emperor to release Arielle and Bayan but realizes that the Emperor is not truly their ally.

Chapter 7

_I've been stuck here for weeks with no way to leave. The women here are like hawks. They watch my every move and bathe me twice a day to make sure I'm clean and pure. I wait patiently inside the 'private chamber' along with a few other girls that were chosen. I listen and watch the other girls who come and go._

_I sit here and rot in this place of solitude. I have no friends: no one to speak to because nobody understands me here. My absent voice is not an advantage in this palace even though Princess Tashibana thinks my muteness is a gift._

_Here in the imperial palace I am a concubine. But what these Japanese people don't know is that I'm no slave. I'm a princess of one of the most powerful empires in the world. I am a princess of the Balkan Steppes, wife of the Son of Kerem, daughter of Ellac and Anastasia Khatun, granddaughter of Attila The Scourge of God and Commander Xena, sister of Queen Arielle and King Csaba._

_But here I am a slave._

Two servants prepared Cera by bathing her twice in one day as usual. Tonight was the night she was to be brought to the imperial prince. She hadn't seen him in person and she couldn't ask the other girls what he was like because it was forbidden to communicate with the other concubines.

She dressed in a black kimono with red flowers painted on the sleeves. Her slim waist was bound with a thick red obi. She could hardly look at herself in the mirror as she didn't recognize herself with the kohl liner on her brown eyes, lips painted crimson and hair pulled back into a slick bun.

The women at the doors bowed their heads and opened the double doors, welcoming someone into the chamber. Cera looked into the mirror's reflection and saw a woman wearing a veil, a brown kimono with tribal patterns stitched into it.

She turned around to get a good look at the woman and all of the servants bowed from their waists and backed away as the mystery woman approached her. She studied the woman's facial features and she did not look like the rest of the Japanese women here.

The woman smile softly. "Princess Tashibana told me about you, Huna. Your name is Koryu."

Cera had no choice but to nod.

"You will walk the golden path to Prince Senka's room tonight. Follow the rules and you will do well here," she explains and Cera raised a confused eyebrow. "My name is Menokohime, mother of Prince Senka and head consort of the Emperor."

She continues, "what ever life you had before you came here…its best if you forget it. You belong here now. I'm sure my son will be very happy to have you in his presence. Behave yourself and you will be treated well, Huna."

Menokohime nudged her head at the servants. "Prepare her to leave in a few minutes. It's best not to keep the prince waiting."

* * *

Days of riding nonstop, the governor and her wife returned to their desecrated camp. There was not a soul in sight. The bodies of the fallen Chinese had been disposed of and the tents were piles of ashes, some food supply was left behind but everyone escaped or left.

Gabrielle galloped to a halt and looked around at the empty camp. "Where do you think they went?"

A man on horseback rode towards them and Xena drew her sword. He skid to a stop and put up his hands, showing he was unarmed. It was one of Tan Daoij's soldiers and Xena sheathed her weapon, although she distrusted every single Chinese person there was now.

"The Hun King took the army back to the imperial city!" he shouts from afar.

Gabrielle sighed. "Well at least we know that they're safe."

"Don't hold your breath, Gabrielle. We shouldn't trust anyone anymore. We are foreigners here. We need to keep riding until we get to the imperial city."

"I think we should give our horses a rest, Xena. We've been riding for days. We could walk some of the way until they feel rested."

The lieutenant groaned and dismounted the steed and began walking briskly through the snow. The Chinese soldier bowed his head and turned to ride away from them. She narrowed her eyes at the man and kept her eyes peeled for any intruders that might be lurking in the shadows.

Gabrielle had a few days to think to herself during the ride back. She contemplated telling her wife everything or keeping it a secret. She was bound to find out anyway, Gabrielle thought. But then again, this information could be used in the future and she wasn't too sure of her wife's intentions at the moment. Shah Balash was dead now and the Persians were surprisingly reserved and did not attempt to attack or kill them both. Wang also mysteriously disappeared.

The trek to the Tibetan Kingdom was odd to say the least. Gabrielle knew something was off about that little trip and the Persians wouldn't step foot in the area. She couldn't get a good read on her wife and she normally could read her very well since they'd been together for many years. But now, she wasn't sure.

She walked alongside her wife, giving her glances every now and then.

"If you want to say something, just say it," Xena said.

She caught her breath and decided to dive in. "The translator I spoke to told me something." She began and looked at her wife who was walking rather quickly. "He told me Peroz's son, Kavad, is going to be the new shah."

"Those Persians," the lieutenant scoffs with a chuckle added, "they never cease to amaze me with their abundance of people to take the throne."

She nods. "They…sent messengers to inform Kavad about what you did. I'm sure they'll reach the capital in two weeks."

"So you think they're going to come all the way to China to kill me?" Xena looks to her wife with a surly grin.

This was the first time Gabrielle saw her wife's arrogance showing. It was a strange sight to see. Perhaps being commander for decades had fallen off her wife's shoulders and now that the power had been taken from her she felt like she needed to redeem herself in a different way. She'd moved passed the cruelty and violence and became a soft hearted woman but was hard when she needed to be. Now, Gabrielle couldn't understand this new side of her wife or maybe it wasn't new at all and it had always been there. Or perhaps she was going back to her old ways and thought she was invincible again, which truth be told, she kind of was.

But we all have to fall some time.

"I think when we get to the imperial city that we need to write Csaba about what's happened."

Xena agreed. "Good idea. We'll regroup with everyone and find out the truth of what is really going on in that imperial city."

The governor licked her dry lips and felt some of her worry brush off her shoulders. "You think the source is coming from within?"

"Something's going on in that palace, Gabrielle, I just don't know what."

She stopped walking and turned to her petite wife. "You know I love you, right?"

Gabrielle smirked, "well…yeah?"

"Just had to say that because you've been acting strange around me." She lightly punched her wife's arm.

She cringed and rubbed her arm. Light punch, yeah right, the governor mused.

* * *

Arielle, Bayan and Ernak were welcomed into Emperor Liu's presence, surrounded by several of his councilmen and advisors. They all knelt down on their knees and Arielle struggled to lower herself to the floor. Her arm was in a sling and she wrapped her other arm round her sore ribs.

The emperor looked at the wounded commander and frowned. "Princess Arielle," he announced and she stood up with the help of Bayan's lending hand. She glared down at him and then looked at the emperor.

"Emperor," she breathed in deeply and winced from her short breath intake. "We were attacked by Chinese soldiers at our camp."

"_Chinese_ soldiers?" he questioned.

She nodded. "Yes, Your Excellency. Your esteemed commander, Wang, came to my camp to give information about Prince Houfei. He confessed he knew where the prince was hiding out at and my lieutenant and governor took him to the location. They did not return and while they were gone, my camp was attacked. I've brought a soldier who can tell you everything."

Liu frowned and gripped the large armrests. "Be careful of what you're saying, Huna. Your brother is a good friend of mine. I'd hate for this to end our alliance."

Arielle raised her eyebrow. "I am not lying, emperor. Wang is working against you. He said he spies for Princess Bosi. He told me during his confession."

"How dare you speak against my daughter!" he shouts. "What an accusation, princess. My daughter would never commit such treachery in my kingdom."

"But emperor –"

"Take her away," he demanded.

Her eyes widened at the guards encircling her and Bayan stood up, drawing his sword to protect her. Ernak slowly rose from the floor and the guards grabbed Arielle and Bayan by their arms and dragged them away.

"No! Wait! It is the truth, emperor!" she yells, trying to defend herself. "Your highness! You must listen to me! You're being betrayed! Emperor!"

The doors closed and Ernak stood in the center of the throne room, staring at the Song emperor with his mouth agape.

"Is this what you bring me, Huna King? Slanderers?" Liu asked of him.

Ernak bowed his head respectfully, still trying to grasp what just happened. "No, emperor. We have your best interest and we are trying to protect your kingdom. Wang confessed he was working for Prince Houfei. My commander would not slander you or any of your family members. Xena was there. She can speak on the commander's behalf."

"And _where_ is Xena?"

* * *

Cera was escorted to the prince's room by the two servants and they left her alone after a few moments. She looked around the room and walked further into it and spread the curtains apart and there was the imperial prince standing with his back turned to her.

He turned around and smiled at her. Cera looked into his eyes despite the servants telling her not to. It was forbidden to look the prince in the eye yet she did so anyway. Prince Senka circled her and admired her auburn hair, fair skin and slender frame.

"My wife specifically chose you for my pleasure," he tells her. "Did the harem maids not tell you the rules? You never bowed in my presence," he chuckled.

She frowned and laced her fingers together. She was not required to bow her head to any royal person due to the fact that she was royalty also. She refused to go against her customs and rules even though everyone in this palace believed she was a slave to the imperial family of Japan.

"Huna women aren't very obedient I've heard. No matter, you'll learn soon."

He smiles and touched her soft cheek and she grabbed his wrist. He raised his other hand to slap her and she grabbed his other wrist and gripped them until her knuckles turned white. The prince struggled under her strength and she released him and he took a step back. Rubbing his wrists he glared at his concubine.

"Disobedient _and_ fearless. What a horrible combination," he muttered. "You aren't the first to resist me but you will learn in time that if you keep this up I will decapitate you."

Cera eyed a katana on the wall and remembered what her grandmother said to the children.

"_The katana is the sharpest sword in the world. It can slice through parchment with a clean swipe."_

She looked back at the prince who kept grinning at her. "So, what talents do you have?" he asks while pouring rice wine into a golden glass. "Do you play any instruments?"

She shook her head.

"You obviously can't sing. What a pity. I'm sure you would've had a lovely voice."

Cera half smiles, trying to hide her disgust for the prince. Her eyes darted back to the katana and the doors leading back to the private chamber.

"Did they explain your duties to you?"

She raised an eyebrow, unsure of what he meant.

Prince Senka chuckles and sat down on the floor, sipping the wine. "You belong to me now. You're in my exclusive harem. My wife and mother chose you so you could bear heirs for my future kingdom."

Her eyes widened and suddenly she felt very ill.

He licked his wine soaked lips. "I know Huna women reserve themselves for marriage. Surely you aren't tainted by a man yet. You are young and you don't appear to be a slave. Do Huns even have slaves anymore?" he laughs lightly. "Are you a virgin, Huna?"

Cera frowned and refused to answer the question. She reminded herself not to give in to the prince or anyone in this palace even if it meant her death.

"Since you aren't willing to answer any of my questions, how will you entertain me? My wife gave you a name. Koryu, was it?"

She lifts her chin and clenched her jaw. Another question she refused to answer.

"Do you dance?"

Cera smirks and curtly nods her head.

"Excellent. Let us see how well you dance. Don't disappoint me, Koryu."

He waved his hand to the musicians in the corner of the room and they began playing soft music on a flute and harp. Cera turned her back to the prince in took in a big breath. She took the two large pins out of her bun and her long hair tumbled down her backside. Senka's mouth jarred as he was about to take a sip of the wine.

She ruffled her hair and slowly slipped the kimono off her shoulder and extended a bare arm. She twirled her arm with the plucking of the harp strings and then wrapped her arm around her back and then exposed her second arm.

Twirling her arm with the music she brought both arms above her head and then loosened the obi sash about her waist and the kimono slipped off her body and fell to the floor. The prince leaned backward and admired her fair complexion, long slender legs and auburn hair covering all of her backside.

Cera turned around in her bare flesh and saw the prince's eyes light up. She smiled, trying to disclose her disgust and walked closer to him. She grabbed the obi sash that was on her waist and knelt down and wrapped it around his neck and winked at him.

The prince smiled and touched her chin and she pulled away quickly then spun around, moving gracefully across the room. Her eyes darted to the katana on the wall and she took the sword carefully with both hands and backed away quickly to the center of the room.

She balanced the sword on her head and twirled around, amusing the prince. When her back was turned she frowned and took the katana off her head and twirled it around slowly to match the notes of the music.

While he was distracted by the agile movements of her body she turned and came at him with the sword swaying with her hips and arms. She knelt down and glided the katana across his arm, drawing a small amount of blood.

He hissed and she licked the blood off his arm and grinned mischievously up at him. He still kept the smile on his face and then she pinned him to the ground and sat on top of him. She held the katana to his throat.

The music stopped.

He nervously glanced down at the blade and into her brown eyes. "Very impressive, Huna…" he whispers. "You are very good with a sword."

She pushed the blade up to his neck and grimaced.

"You plan to kill me?"

She furrowed her eyebrows and breathed heavily. Prince Senka kneed her in the groin and she gasped, pulling away the sword from his neck. He grabbed the katana and tossed it on the other side of the room and flipped her over onto her back.

"A fire dragon you are indeed, Koryu," he teased and her chest rose and fell heavily.

She tried to escape and he pressed his body against hers. He grabbed the sash around his neck and tied her wrists to the bed post. Cera looked above her and kicked her legs furiously. Senka frowned and pinched her cheeks together.

"If you are not obedient now, you are about to be, Huna," he hissed.

He traced his fingers along her breasts and then forced himself inside her. Cera gasped silently and her entire body tensed. Tears rolled down her cheeks and she closed her eyes so she wouldn't have to look at his satisfactory face. Her silent cries and wails were unheard and unnoticed by the imperial prince as he continually thrashed her insides.

Her abdomen tightened and she opened her eyes and stared at the katana several feet away from her. The tears flowed freely down her cheeks and then her face relaxed as her body gently rocked back and forth. She blocked out everything and kept her eyes on the sword. Her body fell limp and her face was expressionless.

_Even if I scream, nobody would hear me. If I attempt to resist, he will kill me. Nobody will hear my cries because nobody understands me. I'm as good as dead in this palace. I'm dead inside._

He stood up and stared down at the redhead Hun and saw her eyes staring off into the distance. She was not here, but somewhere else. He untied her hands from the bed post and her arms slid down to the floor.

He called out for the harem women waiting outside and they rushed in after the doors were opened.

"Take her back to the chamber."

* * *

Arielle sat on the floor in the emperor's dungeon and tapped her fingers on her knee impatiently. Days. It's been days since the emperor dismissed her and Ernak wasn't unable to speak with her and Bayan. Out of all people she had to be stuck in a small space with her cheating husband.

Bayan paced around the cell and her eyes followed his every step.

"Must you keep walking around like a parrot?" she griped.

"I'm just trying to figure out a way out of this. He can't keep us in here forever. We weren't lying about Wang."

She groans lowly. "I know that, Ernak knows that, you know that, but the emperor doesn't give a shit. He's either in denial or he's protecting his daughter. Princess Bosi isn't innocent."

"Or maybe she is?"

The door opened and Arielle stood up slowly and wrapped her uninjured arm around her aching ribs. She ran to the iron barred gate and smiled. "Gabrielle!" she beamed.

Then in walked Xena and Arielle's excitement faded and she backed away from the gate. Xena halted and turned on her heel, facing the gate. She laced her fingers together staring at her granddaughter and Bayan behind cell bars.

"Grandma…I can explain."

"No need," she said. "Ernak told me everything. The emperor allowed us to see you two for a short time."

Arielle bowed her head and sighed, ready for the lecture.

"Sometimes I wonder what goes on in that pretty little head of yours, Arielle. I leave the camp and you come to the imperial city and now you're in jail," she laughs. "You've made your first mistake. Good job."

Gabrielle frowned. "Xena, don't make her feel any worse than she already does. This wasn't her fault."

"Calm down, Gabrielle. I am rewarding her behavior."

Arielle lifted her head and stared at her grandmother confusedly. "You are?"

"Yes, _congratulations_. You've managed not to piss me off this time with your impulsive actions." She tells her and Arielle smiled yet she was still confused by the acknowledgment. "The emperor knows about Wang's betrayal and you've exposed Bosi, that's where you made the mistake. Next time, keep that information to yourself unless you have more proof," she advises.

"Are you going to get us out of here?" Arielle pleaded.

Xena stepped closer to the bars. "No, you're going to stay in here. Gabrielle and I will investigate the Wang and Bosi relationship. Gabrielle's going to talk to the emperor and see if she can coax him into releasing you two. Until then, stay put and don't cause trouble. I'm talking to _you_, Arielle."

The commander nods. "I'll be on my best behavior!"

"Uh huh. Come on, Gabrielle, we have a stealth mission to accomplish."

They walked down the corridor together and Gabrielle grabbed her wife's arm, halting them both. "Do you have plan?" she whispered.

Xena grinned from ear to ear. "I was hoping you did." She lightly slapped her wife on her back.

"Oh god. _Xena_…" she pinched the bridge of her nose.

"You're much better at stealth missions anyway. You love to chat people up. This is right up your alley, governor," she winked.

"Does Ernak know about this plan of yours that you forgot to tell me about?"

Xena emits a smug face down at her wife. "You'll be the first to tell him."

"Oh my god. Next time, tell me the plan!"

"Noted. I wrote a letter to Csaba and it was delivered today. Now, on to find Ernak in this damn place. We need a female to go into the princess' room. Or maybe we could have someone follow her. Find out where she is without being too obvious. Got it?"

Gabrielle grumbled. "Got it…"

* * *

Anastasia sat behind her granddaughter brushing her wavy hair. She listened to Aurora's stories about how she and her cousins all got some sort of pox and their long recovery in the guest suite. Ku stood next to the doors, grinning and eyeing the princess from afar.

"Grandma khatun, when will Nisa have the baby?" Aurora asked.

"Ursula told me this morning that the baby is on its way," she said and the princess gasped.

"I hope it's a princess then I will have someone to play with," Aurora said and Ana raised her eyebrow. "Teyze Farah doesn't let me play with the boys."

Anastasia stopped brushing the girl's hair and turned her around with a gentle swivel of her shoulder. Aurora looked up at her, blinking her green eyes. "Why would she do that?"

Aurora shrugged. "I donno. Aman and Aladar play with swords. Can I learn to use one too?"

"Sure, _tatli kiz_. I'll teach you. I'll talk to Farah too."

The princess smiled and turned back around to have her hair brushed again. Csaba walked into the room after knocking a couple of times and received a glare from his mother. He knew he was not welcome in her room or anywhere near her since he told her the news of Arielle's campaign.

"Mother." He bowed his head. "I have news about Farah's illness."

She nodded and picked up Aurora off her lap. "Ku, take the princess to her room."

"Yes, khatun." Ku hurried over and grabbed Aurora's hand and left the room.

Anastasia sat on the edge of her bed and folded her hands in her lap. "What did you find out?" she asked her son.

"The physician tested her saliva and found oleander in her body. He says…she's been exposed to the herb for awhile."

She sighs deeply. "Have the kitchen searched for oleander leaves. Question all of the servants and maids. I can't have a snake in my home with everything else going on around here."

He bowed his head again and turned to leave.

"I didn't say you could leave."

He paused and turned back around.

She rose from the bed and walked over to her nervous son. She folded her arms and Csaba briefly looked her in the eye and lowered his head. "How could you send your grandmother off on your sister's campaign? You allowed her into the army against my wishes. You've made a mockery out of me, Csaba."

"Mother, you –you know how grandma can be."

"Yes, I do. She has a way with words. She's a master manipulator at times but I find it hard to believe that she manipulated you. Instead of behaving like a figure of authority you let her join the campaign because you knew I wouldn't approve and you _also_ knew Arielle wasn't experienced enough. You broke the rules."

He nodded. "Yes I know. I am very sorry. Will you forgive me?" he could only hope.

Anastasia lifted her chin and exhaled. "And of all the positions you demoted your grandmother to _lieutenant_!" she spat and he flinched. "She has been the commander for this empire for several years and you disrespected her by giving her a role that is less than she deserves!"

He frowned, unsure why he was being scolded for giving his grandmother a role in the army. He thought that his mother would still be angry about allowing the former commander back into the army but now she was upset that he gave her a demotion.

"If you were going to break my rules you could have at least given her the role of captain, Csaba!" she took a brief paused. "Lieutenant," she snorted. "What a laughable role to give my mother. You humiliated her by doing that."

"Mother…I had no intention of humiliating you or grandma. I would never."

She rolled her eyes. "I've sent the letter Farah wrote to China. You better pray that everything is going according to plan over there, Csaba."

She grabbed her kozak hanging on a hook near her bed and placed it on her head. Looking into the mirror she adjusted the veil and positioned the headdress appropriately and tucked her hair behind her ears.

"I'm going to check on Farah." She walked by him and paused. "Where are the Yakut Alps?"

"They're in a secluded room."

She nods. "Good. I want them beheaded in the square."

His eyes widened and he swallowed. "…as you command, mother."

"Send their heads to Madhiya."

* * *

Ernak waited outside the palace for the lieutenant and governor to arrive. He spoke briefly with Tan Daoij and even though the emperor imprisoned Arielle and Bayan, the general was surprisingly loyal to him instead of Emperor Liu.

He saw them approaching and waved his hand. They stopped and looked around to make sure there weren't any lurkers around. "Ladies, I hope you have a plan. Tan Daoij said he is willing to help us no matter the cost."

Gabrielle looked at the Chinese General standing with a few soldiers. "Why would he help us after what the emperor did to Arielle?"

"You have a keen eye, Gabrielle. I was wondering the same thing but I trust him. I believe he knows something or maybe he's completely oblivious."

Xena folded her arms. "I don't like this mission anymore. There is something wrong and it's coming from inside the palace. We need to get close to Princess Bosi and find out what she's hiding."

"How are we going to do that?"

"I haven't figured that out yet. Gabrielle, you need to talk to the emperor. Convince him to release Arielle and Bayan. Ernak, Come with me." She hooked arms with the king and Gabrielle sighed, staring back at the palace.

* * *

Gabrielle knelt down on the floor as soon as the emperor walked into the throne room. He sat down and she lifted her eyes briefly and saw Empress Zhenfeng join him by his side, standing beside the throne.

"Governor, what can I do for you?" he asked.

She rose and stared at the two monarchs. "I came to ask for mercy," she began whilst staring at the empress, "Arielle didn't mean to insult the princess. She was just given a report of what was told to her. Wang did come into our camp and confessed he was working with your son."

"Wang has been my right hand man for a long time. He has no reason to betray me. As for my daughter, your commander insulted her. The princess wouldn't go against my kingdom."

She nodded. "I know emperor but you should consider that you have spies in your city. Wang gave us the locations of where your son is hiding out at and we escorted him to the location but we were accosted. Wang escaped and now we don't know where he is."

"You should keep better track of your hostages, governor."

He waved at the guards and the doors opened slowly. Gabrielle looked over her shoulder and saw Wang making his way into the throne chamber. She turned back around and breathed in heavily. Now she knew she wasn't going to win this argument.

Wang passed by her and she frowned, looking him in the eye. He smiled and bowed at his emperor then stood beside him and the empress.

"You may speak freely, Wang."

The commander grinned at Gabrielle who was trying her best to hide her rage. "I will forgive the beatings that your commander gave me. She was only doing her job after all."

"Why do you lie in front of your emperor?" she asked. "You told me that Princess Bosi employed you to spy on Houfei. Are you lying about that too?"

"I made no such promise to the princess," he defends himself.

She shook her head and muttered under her breath.

A messenger ran into the room holding a scroll in his hands. He knelt down on one knee and presented the letter to the emperor. "A message for you, lord."

Gabrielle eyed Liu as he opened the letter and read it over silently. She could see the seal on the bottom of the letter and knew it had to be from Anastasia or Csaba. She averted her eyes when the letter was handed back to the messenger and he darted out of the throne chamber.

"Anything more you'd like to add, governor?" the emperor asks.

She bowed her head. "I have nothing else to say, emperor. With your permission, I'll take my leave."

* * *

As soon as she left the throne room she went in search for the messenger. She flipped the hood over her head and walked briskly through the long corridor. She spotted the messenger turning a corner and ran after him. A couple of guards were heading her way and she slipped into a tight space and pressed her body to the wall, hiding her face.

The guards passed by and she poked her head around the corner and followed the messenger at least twenty steps behind. He opened a door and entered a dark room. Gabrielle hid behind a wall and waited for him to exit the room.

The messenger went in the opposite direction and she ran to the door and opened it slowly. She checked to see if anyone was coming and closed the door behind her and entered the room. The hood fell off her head as she lifted her eyes, staring at all of the messages and letters that were sent to the emperor. They were organized on shelves and they were numbered as well.

"Damn," she whispered.

She didn't know if she was going to be able to find the letter in this giant room. She quickly rummaged through a box of randomized letters and opened each one to find the seal of Attila on it. She found a few letters from Balash.

"What a surprise." She scoffed.

Men approached the room from outside and she grabbed the Persian letter and tucked it into her coat then crawled on the ground to hide underneath a table. She scooted backwards when the door was opened and a surge of candlelight illuminated the dark room.

"Where is the letter from the Hun Queen?" the man asked.

The messenger fumbled over to the box and Gabrielle watched his boots inch closer to her. She put a hand over her mouth and heard a lot of rummaging around above her.

"Right here, sir."

The guard looked at the letter and hummed. "The emperor wants this letter burned immediately. See it that it be done."

He walked out and Gabrielle crawled to the other end of the table and saw the young messenger carry the letter over to a large candle and he lit it and placed the letter on a table. She emerged from underneath the table and pulled out a dagger from her belt.

Slowly she approached him and wrapped her arm around his neck and stabbed him in the back. He yelped and she covered his mouth with her hand. She twisted the dagger in the wound and then shoved him aside.

Gabrielle smiled and retrieved the letter and unrolled the parchment and frowned. "Chinese!" she hissed.

* * *

"The Persians took you to the Tibetan Kingdom and then left you there?" asked Ernak.

Xena nodded.

"And you killed Balash. Am I hearing this correctly?"

"How many times do we have to go over this? He's dead. End of story."

The king rubbed his beard. "Xena, you've always been my favorite!" he smiled and kissed her cheek.

She grimaced and wiped her cheek with her glove. "Don't do that again."

"Xena!" the governor ran towards them, out of breath and her coat wafting in the cold wind. "Xena…I…" she halted and breathed out sharply, trying to catch her breath.

"Gabrielle," her wife smiled. "Were you able to get the emperor to release Arielle and Bayan?"

"No…"

"Gabrielle!"

"Just wait! I have something important to tell you." she says.

She pulled out the letter that was sent from Pannonia and handed it over to her. Xena looked at the letter written in Chinese letters and it was complete jargon to her. This was of no use to her and she stared at her wife confusedly.

"This letter…is from Pannonia. It was brought to the emperor by a messenger. When I was dismissed from the throne chamber I followed the messenger. The emperor ordered him to burn it. So…I…I killed the messenger."

Xena's eyes widened.

"I also got a letter from Balash," she took out the scroll in her coat and handed it over. She struggled to breathe the mountain air and wiped her sweaty brow.

Ernak whistled over to Tan Daoij and waved his hand. The general ran forth and bowed his head. Ernak snatched the letter from Xena's hands and gave it to him.

"Translate this. It is from my motherland."

The general nervously eyed the king and cleared his throat.

He reads.

"_Arielle, I know you and your grandmother are on a campaign in China. I returned to Pannonia after spending time in Kazakhstan. Your sister's camp was attacked and she was kidnapped. I have been informed that Cera is in the imperial palace in Japan._

_Retrieve Cera and return her to Pannonia_."

Gabrielle held a hand over her heart. "Oh god…Cera. She's been trapped there this entire time and we're only a boat ride away!"

Xena furrowed her eyebrows and grabbed the general by the collar. "Are you _sure_ that's what it says?"

Tan Daoij nodded. "Yes, lieutenant."

"Now Liu knows about Cera," she mumbled. "And he wanted to _burn_ the letter?" she turned to her wife.

Gabrielle lowered her gaze. "There is something else."

"What else?!"

"Wang came to the throne chamber. He denied everything."

Ernak threw his arms in the air. "What a fucking mess!" he growled. "We need to go to Japan and save Cera. If anything's happened to her I'll make sure to bring heads back to Pannonia, I swear on my brother's grave."

Xena briefly smiled and gripped his shoulder. "We need to get Arielle and Bayan out of the palace first. The emperor is setting a trap for us. There is no way he's on our side now."

Gabrielle massaged her aching head. "Makes you think there's no Prince Houfei at all."

The lieutenant glared at the palace. "Ernak, we're going to organize a raid."

The king smiled deviously. "Ah, raids! My favorite. Tell me what you want me to do, Xena."

* * *

Bayan sat on the floor, leaned up against the wall and toyed with the shoelaces on his boots. He looked over at his wife who sat on the opposite end of the cell and she was picking at the chipped coating that was painted on the iron bars.

He chuckled out loud and Arielle whipped her head around, glaring at him. "What's so funny?" she asked.

"I was just thinking of that time we were held hostage by those Franks in West Pannonia. Your mother came to save us."

She smiled at the memory. "You could've gotten us killed, you know."

"By who? Your mother or the Franks?" he jokes.

He stares at her glistening blue eyes and then she turned away from him. His smile faded and he kept thinking of how horribly he treated her the last two years. He lied to her about Sarnai and then when he told her the news she blew up at him. He didn't expect his life to go this way.

"I…I will send Sarnai back to her tribe."

Arielle raised her eyebrow and leaned her head against the wall. "I'm not going to forgive you, Bayan. Our life will never be the same after what you did."

"I know," he whispers.

"Hun kings are allowed to marry multiple women. If you had asked for my approval then this might be a different story."

He smirked. "You would've agreed to me taking on a second wife?"

"In your dreams, Bayan."

The two looked at each other and shared a soft smile.

"I've thought about what to do with Sarnai," she explains. "I am divorcing you so you can marry her but I will tell my mother to write in the contract that Sarnai will have no power as queen. I will remain queen of Harran and continue my reign in Pannonia."

He nodded, thinking that was fair, more than fair actually.

"Will Aurora get to meet her brother at least?"

"Don't push it, Bayan. It's bad enough you let that whore near our daughter." She sighed deeply. "Do you even love her?"

"No…I don't."

She scoffed. "Then why do you want to marry her?!"

"Because if I don't she'll go back to her tribe in Mongolia and take my son away from me."

She smiled. "Perhaps that should be your punishment then. Live with your consequences, Bayan."

He sulked and folded his arms. Something dropped on his head and bounced onto the floor. He looked above him at the small barred window and then down at the ground. A small letter. He grabbed the rolled up letter and Arielle was too busy picking at the iron bars to notice.

"Arielle…" he got up and ran over to her and she frowned at the letter in his hand. "They're going to raid the palace."

She snatched the letter out of his hand and smiled. "Grandma you are amazing. But wait, why would she raid the palace?"

He looked into her pensive eyes. "Your grandmother is crazy. You must get that from her."

"Shut the hell up," she spat and kicked him backwards. "They've stripped us of our weapons so I guess we'll wait until we're busted out of here."

"Is it really so bad that you're stuck in here with me?" he teased.

* * *

Cera was put in a different room apart from the other concubines. The moment that the harem servants found out that she almost killed the prince she punished severely. She curled her legs close to her chest as she leaned against the wall. The soles of her feet ached from the servants whacking her with bamboo shoots.

She wrapped her arms around her bruised midsection and sobbed under her breath. The longer she remained in this room the more disconnected she felt from herself. She couldn't imagine what else these people could do to her. She counted her blessings that she was still alive but she had an inkling that wasn't going to last long.

All she could think about was her family and how much she missed seeing their faces. She thought for sure that she would've been rescued by now but it was clear that her family didn't have any idea where she was. She closed her eyes and saw her mother's face.

She smiled softly as she pictured her mother with a warm grin and bright eyes staring back at her. How she missed everyone in her life and now that was all taken away from her.

The door to the room creaked open and Princess Tashibana walked in with her two servants. Cera kept the smile on her face with her eyes closed, reminiscing the good times her family had. Images of her wedding swarmed in her thoughts and she could almost hear the music –the people following the steps of the tribal music; everyone gathering in circles, clapping their hands and singing together.

Tashibana frowned and told her servants to wait by the door. "Koryu."

Cera ignored the princess and kept daydreaming.

"I know you are not hard of hearing, Huna. Get up," she said. "I said get up!"

She grabbed Cera by the arm and hoisted her off the floor. Cera grunted and stared down into the woman's dark slanted eyes. Tashibana raised an eyebrow and then slapped Cera across the face.

Cera gasped and then slapped the Japanese princess back. The servants looked at each other nervously, unsure of what to do.

"_Who_ do you think you are?"

Cera smiled and grabbed the princess' shoulders and head butted her in the forehead. Tashibana stumbled backward and fell to the floor with a loud thud. Cera eyed the servants who immediately left to find guards. She ran after them and grabbed them by their long braids and pulled them backwards and smashed the backs of their heads together.

The concubines gawked in horror as they stared at the tall redhead. Blood seeped from the servants' heads and the girls backed away from Cera.

Cera marched over to the doors and knocked furiously to get the guards attention outside. She grabbed two long hair pins and hid them underneath her willowy sleeve. They opened the doors and she stabbed them in the eyes with the hair pins and took both of their swords from their sheaths and sliced through their bodies.

Menokohime rounded the corner and noticed two dead guards on the floor and the tall Hun standing over them wielding two swords. Her mouth gaped and she hurried down the hallway. Cera lowered the two swords and ran after the prince's mother.

Her long legs covered her tracks well and Menokohime picked up her robes and scurried through the halls yelling for the guards help. Cera looked around and heard rabid footsteps marching her way. She saw a guard about to head her off at the corner of the hallway and she threw the sword and it landed in the middle of his forehead and she jumped over him.

Cera smiled and guards yelled throughout the palace. She caught up to the consort and grabbed her arm and they skid to a stop at a dead end. She pushed Menokohime through the window and climbed out after her.

She grabbed the consort's hand and ran across the roof to evade the guards chasing after them. Cera forcefully pushed Menokohime off the roof and jumped shortly after her. Cera looked around for a horse and saw one standing near the gates.

Bringing Menokohime with her she cut the rope around the horse's neck and pointed to the saddle. The woman looked into her eyes fearfully and Cera grunted, pushing the woman onto the horse. She climbed aboard and rode towards the gates.

Tashibana and Prince Senka ran to the window together and saw the redheaded Hun escaping with Menokohime on horseback. Senka growled and turned to his wife who had a sizeable wound on her forehead.

"I want them followed!" he ordered. "Bring my mother back here!"

* * *

Csaba met up with his cousin outside in the square and saw his mother's elite soldiers riding off to the border. Oran turned around and smiled at his cousin and made his way over.

"The heads of the Alps are being sent to Madhiya per your mother's request," he tells the king. "Your mother means business, cousin. She is more ruthless than Kreka Khatun!"

Csaba nodded. "I've noticed."

He was still upset that his mother refused to speak to him unless it had something to do with warfare. Even then their conversations were short and she didn't acknowledge him when they passed in the halls in the Adame. He'd never seen his mother so upset with him in his life and didn't have any idea on how to fix the situation.

"I will be traveling with Yeter back to the Gokturk Mountains in the spring."

Csaba frowned at his cousin. "Oh? I didn't know you were going back."

"Your mother ordered that we leave. Issik and Muqan will stay here so they can continue their studies. My mother is going to have her hands tied!"

"What does that mean?"

Oran awkwardly laughed. "Oh, didn't you hear? My mother is the advisor for Teyze Anastasia now. My father will be going to Rome to aid the Goths in the spring as well. He's the new commander for the Goths."

Csaba whipped his head around and glared at the Adame. He left his cousin's side and Oran stared at him confusedly at his sudden abrupt departure.

He rushed into the Adame in search for his mother. He grabbed a maid's arm. "Where is the khatun?"

The maid stammered a bit, "she –she's in the kitchen, your highness."

* * *

Anastasia had all of the maids and servants questioned but nobody was willing to talk. She resulted to going into the kitchen in person and ordered that all of the jars of herbs were emptied so she could inspect them with her own eyes.

The kitchen maids poured out all of the jars onto plates on the table and Anastasia brought the physician with her so he could test all of the herbs to make sure there weren't any pieces of oleander hidden in the crushed herbs.

She also had a meal prepared for Farah and stared at the nervous chambermaid. She picked up the spoon and dipped it into the spiced yogurt soup and held it up to the maid's mouth.

"Taste this."

The maid eyed the khatun and took the spoon from her. Her hand was shaking as she spooned the soup into her mouth. Anastasia narrowed her eyes; waiting for a reaction from the maid and saw nothing was happening.

"It's safe. Take the soup to Farah's room."

"Yes, khatun."

Csaba ran down the stairs and the maid carrying the tray of food stepped aside and bowed her head at his presence. He eyed his mother's long black veil and marched his way over.

"Mother, what is this? You gave the role of commander to Ebnedzar? Why was I not notified of this?"

She turned slowly to face her son. "My decision doesn't need to be discussed with you, Csaba."

"Mother! I am the king of the empire! You don't get to make decisions like that without my consent. You are breaking the order of command."

"_I_ am breaking the order?!" she shouts. She composed herself and told the maids, "leave us."

The room was cleared and she folded her arms, looking her son in the eye. "You can't speak to me that way in front of your subjects, Csaba."

"And you can't make decisions like that –giving Ebnedzar the role of commander, Ursula is now your advisor? Just what do you think you're doing?"

"I saw that it was appropriate. Do not forget your place, Csaba. You are king of this empire, yes, but I am above you. _All_ decisions must be approved by me. Kreka was very accommodating and lenient with her sons but I will not show you the same favor. You want to talk of breaking the chain of command; let's talk about that. You ordered a campaign without my consent. When will you get that through your head, Csaba?"

His nostrils flared and he looked at the table, refusing eye contact with her.

"If anything happens to Arielle I will blame it on you."

"_Nothing_ will happen to her. Grandma is there."

She half smiled. "How could I forget?"

Ursula walked into the kitchen and saw the two having an intense staring contest likely due to a heated conversation. She bowed her head. "Anastasia Khatun, I have something important to discuss with you."

Anastasia lifted her chin whilst glaring at her son. "Wait in my room for me."

Ursula nodded and quickly head back upstairs.

She exhaled heavily and smiled at her son though he suspected it was a false gesture. "When Farah recovers I will assign her to a very important job. It is time that she behaves like a queen and represents the empire and myself, properly. I will also give you a job."

He pursed his mouth. "And _what_ job would that be?"

"Rabia is a bit out of place here. She is not a queen nor a wife or mother. Banat is without a proper leader with you and Farah here. I want you to give the role of governor of Banat to Rabia. Since Gabrielle isn't here to write a contract I'll have Ursula write one. I know Rabia will be a great governor of her homeland."

Csaba swiped his tongue across his teeth. "As you see fit, mother. I will tell Rabia about your decision."

She cupped his cheeks and kissed his forehead. "You know I love you_, tatli cocuk_. I'm just trying to execute my power and sometimes I need to be hard on you. Don't take it personally."


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Xena orchestrates a plan to raid the imperial city of China with the help of Arielle. Cera escapes the palace in Japan and meets a friendly sailor, hoping he can help her return to Pannonia. After Arielle receives a letter that her sister is in danger, she sets out to rescue Cera. Disturbed by the massacre of women and children, Arielle has trouble coping and confides in Gabrielle, seeking guidance.

**Some heavy stuff here, guys.**

Chapter 8

Menokohime watched the redhead Hun opposite her poke the fire with a long withered stick. She was tied to a tree in the middle of a dark forest far from the imperial palace. She studied the young Hun woman's mannerisms and they were much different than they were when she was kidnapped earlier by force. She was manhandled and pushed onto the ground upon their arrival in the forest.

Cera laid the stick in the snow and lifted her eyes to the horrified woman. _Japonca_. She sat down on a log and folded her hands on her knees, cocking her head from side to side. Menokohime pulled her legs close and icy breath left her shivering lips.

"They –they will come for me. You can't keep me hostage, Huna."

Cera smiled and grabbed the stick again which caused the Japanese consort to flinch. Chuckling, she drew a simple picture of a crown in the snow. Menokohime eyed the drawing and it was quite good for someone using a piece of a tree branch as an instrument.

The princess pointed to the crown and then pointed to herself. Menokohime raised her eyebrow, not understanding the mime-like gestures. Cera whacked the crown drawn in the snow with the stick and then thumbed her chest several times.

"Royalty?" the consort guessed. "You are royalty?"

Cera nodded slowly. And it was just then that Menokohime's face turned a shade of ghost white, mirroring the snow.

She wiped the drawing with a swipe of the kimono sleeve and began drawing again. This time it was a drawing of a long sword. She eyed the frightened woman and pointed to the sword and then pointed the long stick in Menokohime's face.

"You…you're going to _kill_ me?" she whispers.

Cera half smiles and shook her head. She drew a few stick people in the snow and tapped the sword drawing and then circled the stick people and raised her eyebrows at Menokohime, hoping she'd understand.

The consort inhaled sharply. "Your people. Your people will kill me?"

The princess grinned.

She cleared the drawing once more to create a clean slate to draw on. She drew a ship with large sails and pointed the stick at the ship drawing and then to Menokohime's chest.

She signed, "_You will take me to the port_." Fully aware that the woman could not understand her silent language.

She made a wave motion with her arm, mimicking the waves of the ocean and nodded to the consort. Menokohime exhaled deeply and lowered her eyes; fearing that death was awaiting her at the port of Japan.

* * *

"Explain to me the difference between a battle and a raid again."

Xena sighed for the third time. The more her wife kept asking questions the more annoyed she became. Two weeks passed since Arielle and Bayan were locked away. She had to act quickly but efficiently as well. She hadn't organized a raid since Arielle was a teenager and that was a very easy raid. This one wasn't going to be so easy.

"We're going to rush into the palace and kill everyone in our path," she explains. "We will lose a lot of men because the emperor has several guards and soldiers inside and outside. The purpose of a raid is to be unexpected. A battle is planned."

Gabrielle scratched her chin and eyed Ernak getting the men ready to charge into the palace in the dead of night. Camping outside the imperial city was tiresome and she was eager to get out of China but she couldn't help but feel there was something missing. Prince Houfei was the missing puzzle piece in this mess.

Her wife explained further. "Our number one goal is to get Arielle and Bayan out first. Once they're out, our men will take them to us."

"You mean we're not going inside with the army?"

Xena chuckled. "Gabrielle, I am not participating in this raid. I'm here to observe and make sure things go smoothly. Arielle is the commander and since she's not here, I am taking over her position."

"And when she's rescued, you'll hand over the role, right?"

Xena smiled and tapped her headdress. "But of course."

She walks over to Ernak and points through the gates leading towards the palace. There were several soldiers lined on the Wall that kept invaders from intruding. Little did they know that there was about to be a huge surge of Huns who'd invade the imperial city.

"Don't stop no matter what," she told him. "Your priority is to get Arielle and Bayan. Make sure she is protected on her way out. Remember: Emperor Liu is not our friend or ally anymore. He's proven that several times since we arrived."

Ernak nodded. "I'll get them back, don't worry Xena. I won't let you down. Raids are my specialty."

The Hun army broke through the wooden gates of the Great Wall protecting the imperial city. It was then that Ernak lead the army into the city and soldiers lined on the Wall immediately started shooting at him and the rest of the elite men surrounding him.

Xena's eyes wandered staring at the Wall and all the soldiers on it. She noticed they were distracted by the Huns rising in the city. She was surrounded by a group of recruits, holding their bows ready to strike at any moment.

The governor eyed the Wall and then in the midst of the screaming from afar, her ears picked up on a small, almost unnoticeable, sound.

_Snap_.

She spun around and saw an archer in the darkness aiming right at her wife. She looked over at Xena who was oblivious and kept her focus on the archers along the Wall and within the inner city. She sprinted across the field in a short distance and wrapped her arms around Xena and forced all her body weight to push her wife onto the ground.

The arrow pierced through her coat and into her shoulder and she collapsed onto the snow, breathing heavily, wincing, heaving and hissing.

Xena lay on the ground, wide eyed, gawking at the arrow sticking out of her wife's shoulder. She didn't have to tell the men to shield them and they immediately shot arrows blindly at the attacker who had long since escaped. This was the first time in a long while that she'd been the target for an assassination. She'd been somewhat out of the war scene since Arielle took over and she wondered if that arrow was meant for Arielle instead of her.

She got to her knees and crawled over to her wife who was in agonizing pain. She brushed a blonde tendril from her flushed cheek.

"Gabrielle…" she breathily whispers whilst staring at the arrow.

"Don't." the governor put her hand up. "Don't ask me…why I did it."

Xena half smiled.

"Because you already know the answer."

"I was going to say thank you."

The blonde tried to laugh but instead coughed and put a hand to her bleeding shoulder. Without hesitating she broke the arrow in half and sat up slowly with her wife's lending hand. She pushed the arrow through her shoulder and clenched her teeth.

Xena bat her eyelashes, quite surprised at the governor's will to heal herself. Usually she was not so forthcoming when it came to wounds of any kind. She quickly took off Gabrielle's coat and looked at the bloody wound.

"I'll fix this for you. We need to relocate you somewhere safe."

Gabrielle swiped her wife's hand away. "No. I'm fine, Xena. I want to be in the field with you. It's just a shoulder wound."

The lieutenant pursed her lips as a response and backed off. "Alright. Have it your way," she lightly jests. "I'm going to wait outside for Arielle and Bayan then. Are you sure you can handle that by yourself?" she asked of the wound.

"I think I can manage."

* * *

Bayan struggled to stay awake with the minimal fluids and food that was given to them over the last two weeks. His body wore thin and malnourished. He tried to offer his food and water to Arielle so she could regain her strength and heal her wounds but as usual her stubborn-self refused.

As his head lolled from side to side he was jarred by the screaming outside the dungeon. He quickly stood up and nudged his wife in the leg. She grunted and rubbed her eyes. They both stared at the door and heard soldiers yelling in Chinese.

They heard cries for help for only a few seconds until it was silent.

The door was knocked down and they stared at Ernak, smothered in blood and holding two swords with his men standing right behind him. He gave them a huge smile and ordered his elites to unlock the cell door.

Arielle ran out of the cell once the door was opened and hugged Ernak tightly. He awkwardly pat her back and glared at Bayan who was not one for humble reunions. He knew that he wasn't liked by any of Arielle's family members from the beginning except now, he gave them more of a reason for them to hate him.

"Is it true that grandma is raiding the palace?" she eagerly asks. She'd been idle too long and wanted in on the action despite her shoulder and rib injuries.

He pinched her cheek. "Yes. We need to hurry. Xena ordered me to take you out of the palace. She and Gabrielle are waiting for you outside the Great Wall."

"What? I don't get to stay and fight? It is my job!"

"Arielle!" he snapped. Suddenly she became quiet as a mouse. "These are orders directly from Xena. Since you were out of commission I am obligated to follow her orders. Besides, I'd never disobey your grandmother's orders. I am not stupid enough to do that, but apparently you _are_."

The commander folded her arms. "But I am in charge now. I don't need her permission to stay."

He grabbed her arm and threw her out of the dungeon and she rammed into the wall. He pointed his blade at her chin and she wrapped her arm around her throbbing bicep and upper body.

"She's not trying to take your position from you, Arielle. You _will_ learn to take orders. I am above you indefinitely. You may be queen in Assyria but you are not queen of the empire. Go to the camp now," he states firmly.

He threw the extra sword he snagged off one of Liu's men to her. She caught it with a bit of a struggle and rolled her injured shoulder backward. He glared at Bayan who already stole a sword from a Chinese corpse on the ground.

"I pity the day you have to share the battlefield with your mother," the king glares at the bright eyed commander. "You think Xena is hard on you now, wait until you have to go to war with your mother by your side."

Ernak whistled at his elite soldiers and they ran down the hallway to finish off the last of Liu's men waiting behind the throne chamber's doors. Arielle sighed and suddenly felt like there was no end to her being chastised. She was used to it when it came from her grandmother but she never expected it from Ernak. He was always playful and very nice to her. He was the jokester out of all his brothers but during battle he was stern and a completely different person.

At this moment she knew that her attitude wasn't liked by anyone. She even began to hate herself for the way that she was. She'd been very outspoken since she could talk and now it was coming to bite her in the ass. At this rate she felt like she was disappointing everyone especially her family. It was unfortunate that her entire family was among the most powerful empire next to Byzantium. It was a blessing and a curse.

Bayan grabbed her shoulder and she gasped.

"We should do as he says. They're probably waiting for us. We shouldn't worry them."

* * *

Cera traveled with her hostage to the port of Japan and couldn't be happier to see ships. She wasn't around the sea often but right now, she could kiss the ocean if she were able to. Along the journey she switched outfits with Menokohime so she wouldn't be mistaken for a concubine.

She sold the horse she stole from the imperial groundskeeper to a merchant in a village a few miles back. They continued on foot until they reached the port. She kept the veil over her head so she wouldn't reveal that she was a foreigner here. Menokohime was too afraid to say anything and she didn't dare run away.

Cera pulled the consort with her and they met up with a sailor who was not Japanese at all. Cera searched the entire docks for someone who might speak more than a few languages. This sailor wasn't from the East at all. He looked like someone from the Steppes judging by his skin color, long nose and brown eyes.

She pushed Menokohime forward and the sailor turned around after finishing a conversation with a Japanese merchant. He bowed his head to the two ladies and smiled at the very nervous imperial consort. Cera lifted her eyes skeptically eyeing the sailor.

"Where –where is your ship heading to?" Menokohime asked.

The sailor smiles. "We're heading to China, ma'am."

Cera sighs. Close enough, she thought. She figured if she went to China she could somehow make her way back to Kazakhstan. After all, it wasn't too far from China. Menokohime looked to her and she nods curtly.

"Are…you able to take passengers?"

He rubbed his chin. "I don't have room for the both of you. I must tell you, I don't normally transport people on my ships."

She was handed the gold from Cera. "I'm not going. She is."

He held the weight of gold in his palm and sighed deeply then eyed Cera's concealed identity. "Why should I take someone aboard that I cannot lay my eyes upon?" he chuckles.

Cera took the veil off her head slowly and kept her gaze low. The sailor's jaw dropped at the sight of her auburn hair. She briefly made eye contact with him and anxiously turned away with a heavy frown.

"A white woman," he mutters, a bit disturbed by the women's request. "She is not from here. Why do you want to sail to China? Are you a slave?"

Cera shook her head.

Menokohime interrupted, "She doesn't speak, sailor. She is from the land of the Huna."

He folds his arms. "Huns! I do business with them often in Assyria."

Cera saw a glimmer of hope ahead of her. She immediately grabbed his shoulders and furrowed her eyebrows, angry that she couldn't speak to him in the way she should. Out of desperation she signed her entire story of what happened to her and he frantically tried to follow her fast hand gestures and phrases.

"Whoa, easy now, girl. I cannot follow what you are saying. I'm afraid I don't understand you."

She clamped her hands together and pleaded with her teary doe eyes. She dropped to her knees and hung her head, sobbing softly.

The sailor awkwardly grabbed her arm and gently lifted her off the ground. "Perhaps I can help you but this is not enough coin."

Once a sailor, always a sailor, the princess griped inwardly. She didn't have anything else to offer for him and gazed at the ship. It was her only way back to her family and she hoped she wasn't going to be stuck here.

"Which tribe are you from? Harran?"

She shook her head.

"Nezak?" he guessed wrongly again. "Pannonia?"

Cera nods with excitement.

"I see. Pannonia is far from where I am traveling to but I can see you're in trouble here…" he grumbles. "I can only take you to China. You will have to find a way back to Pannonia yourself."

She could live with that decision and with a lending hand she climbed aboard onto the large ship. The sailor stared at the Japanese woman who was equally as lost. She didn't look like a slave but she was dressed in a kimono while the Hun woman was in fine imperial clothing. He sensed something was off about this transaction.

Far from the docks, imperial soldiers appeared and scattered themselves across the loading docks. Cera turned at the loud commotion and frantic yelling from afar. She saw the Japanese soldiers raiding the entire village and shipping grounds. Menokohime yelled to them in her mother tongue and pointed to the ship.

The sailor whipped his head around at the auburn haired woman and quickly boarded his ship and ordered his men to raise the anchor and cut the ropes to the docks. Cera backed away from the deck and breathed heavily. So close, she thought.

He grabbed her arm firmly. "Who are you?! Why are imperial soldiers after you?!"

Cera pulled her hair back and turned to show him a tattoo of her clan on the nape of her neck. The sailor's eyes widened, instantly recognizing the symbol.

_The night before Cera's wedding her sister gifted her something that nobody else could think of. Cera sat on the floor while the needle pricked her skin in little bursts over and over for the last hour. Arielle dipped the needle in the ink well and finished off the last details of the tattoo marking._

_Cera turned to look at her sister with reddened cheeks. Pain was not a thing she was good at hiding and her elder sister knew that._

_Arielle turned her sister towards the mirror to showcase her fine tattooing skills._

"_Whenever you're in trouble this mark will help you. God forbid that happens. Only use it when you need to."_

_Cera nods and kept staring at the fresh tattoo. A bird holding a sword with its talons. A lot of pain went into creating something so small._

"_Oh and one more thing. Don't tell mother you have a tattoo. She'll think I am a bad influence on you."_

"God almighty," the sailor whispers. "What are you doing on the other side of the world?!"

* * *

It wasn't easy bypassing all of the Chinese fighting against their people but Arielle and Bayan safely made it out of the imperial city. They immediately met up with Xena who was standing in their camp which was somewhat dismantled. It didn't appear that anyone was sleeping in large tents to stake their ground.

Arielle caught her breath and her shoulder throbbed. She spotted Gabrielle with a huge bandage on her shoulder and ran to her, completely forgetting about her own wounds and aches and pains.

"What happened? Who did this to you?"

Gabrielle crookedly grinned, glad to see that Arielle was alive and well for the most part. "It's nothing."

Xena scoffed. "She took an arrow for me."

"Gabrielle," the commander looked displeased. "How _noble_ of you. Don't do that again."

Her grandmother grabbed her arm, hoisting her over to stand by her side. "Someone wants to kill you, Arielle. My enemies are long gone. You are the target now. Be on guard at all times. But, just for the record, I'd take an arrow for you any day." She grins.

Arielle wasn't sure how to process all of the information. She turned to eye the Wall lined with archers shooting at her men. "What are we going to do? I want to help. This is my army. My men are being slaughtered in the palace."

"We don't have time to mourn over our losses. The goal was to get you out of the palace. We need to head to Japan. Your mother gave us another task to complete."

"Mother? What? Why Japan?"

Gabrielle stepped forward and saw the sadness in her wife's eyes. "Cera was taken from her camp and is now in the imperial palace in Japan. Your mother wrote a letter to you but it was intercepted by Emperor Liu. He's no longer our ally. We can't depend on him anymore."

Arielle tightened her hands around the hilt of her sword and glared at the palace which some sections were up in flames. The news of her sister's kidnapping was just the icing on the cake. First the emperor betrayed them and now this. She couldn't bear to think what horrible things have happened or will happen to her little sister.

She walked towards the wagons filled with the goose feathers, bellows and pots she asked for weeks ago. She grabbed the reins of the horse and pulled the wagon along away from the camp and headed towards the palace.

Xena and Gabrielle followed the commander's every step in awe and puzzlement. Gabrielle ran in front of the cart and Arielle's nostrils flared. It was a look that she knew very well –a Xena look. That expression of determination and death was near –not for her but her enemies.

"What are you doing?" she asks Arielle. "The raid is almost over. Ernak is coming back here soon."

"I'm heading back to the palace. If the emperor wants to be my enemy then he picked the wrong person." She pulled the horse forward and Gabrielle stopped her again. "Out of my way!"

"There's no point in you going back there! You'll be killed!"

Arielle huffed and glared back at her grandmother who stood silently watching everything unfold. "I'm going back. I need you three to cover me. My plan will work. Do you trust me?" she specifically asked her grandmother and mentor.

Xena raised her eyebrow. She could see that the young commander wasn't going to give up and nothing she could say was going to stop her.

She waved her hand to the soldiers. "Cover the commander."

Gabrielle gasped and watched as Arielle hopped onto the horse and lead the wagon of supplies through the imperial gates.

"Xena, you can't be serious. You're allowing this?"

"I'd like to see this _brilliant_ plan she's come up with." She nudged her wife's ribs and walked behind Arielle and drew her swords.

* * *

Ernak wrapped his arm around a Chinese soldier's neck and slit his throat with a quick swipe. He threw the traitor on the ground and wiped the bloody blade on his pants. He heard Arielle yelling from nearby and his blood boiled. Not following orders again.

He marched over to Arielle who was yelling at her men to carry the pots and bags of feathers close to the several entrances of the palace. Xena was off to the side a few feet from the empty wagon, fighting three Chinese soldiers. Gabrielle was behind her, covering her with a few punches and kicks, merely wounding the Chinese.

"Arielle! What the fuck!" he screeched. "I told you to go back!"

He kept his eye on Xena who drove her sword into the last soldier who tried to slice her leg open. That happy grin after a kill was something to be feared, he mused.

"And why is Xena here? What have you done? You can never follow orders!"

Arielle ignored his wrath and kept commanding her men. She was too focused on snuffing out the imperial palace to hear the king's mouth run for miles, conveying his disdain and disappointment.

The men dumped the goose feathers into the large pots and then pushed them towards the doorways. Arielle heavily relied on her elites, the governor and lieutenant to cover her while she executed her plan. Ernak grunted and walked over to Xena.

She let out a loud cry and rammed her blade into a Chinese soldier's throat and he fell to the ground, bleeding spewing out of his jugular. She turned and blinked the leftover blood off her lashes.

"Ernak," she greets calmly. "So good of you to join us."

"What the hell is going on? You were supposed to wait at the camp and we were going to high tail it out of here!"

Gabrielle whacked a man across the face and held up her sword with one hand. She chimed in to the conversation. "Arielle's got a plan. She makes it hard to disagree with her."

"Don't I know it," he grumbles.

Meanwhile the Hun soldiers were gathered around the feather filled pots and they were instructed to ignite the feathers. Arielle stepped away and waited for the feathers to burn until smoke appeared. She waved her hand behind her.

"Cover your mouths!" she demands and put a hand over her mouth. Others did the same as smoke filled the air. She snapped her fingers at her men.

They put scarves over their mouths and used the large bellows to pump air through the nozzles. With great bursts of pressurized air the smoke entered the palace halls. Arielle clapped her hands, telling her men to increase speed while pumping the bellows full of air, pushing the smoke further and further into the palace.

Within minutes the entire palace was filled with black smoke and people jumped out of the windows, coughing violently. Blood seeped from their eye sockets and they spat up blood as they crawled on all fours, trying to escape the smoke within the emperor's home.

Gabrielle gaped in horror at the bloody-eyed Chinese. A group of women ran out of the palace entrance, crying tears of crimson, screaming. Those screams. They were screams of terror and agony.

She slowly turned her head up to her wife who also looked horrified yet interested at the same time.

Arielle ordered that the lids be placed on the pots and they quickly vacated the smoke filled area. She waved her hand to the others and they took off running behind her. Ernak stayed behind a few seconds longer watching the imperial Chinese guards bleed from almost every orifice of their bodies.

They ran outside of the city and gazed in awe at the people collapsing onto the ground, crying out for help. Smoke engulfed the entire imperial city and it was now covering the mountains and even the archers on the Great Wall felt the effects.

Arielle saw a child crying out for his parents. He went into a coughing fit and cried bloody tears. She frowned sadly and turned her cheek.

Gabrielle wiped her brow and approached the commander. "What…just happened?"

She inhaled sharply, trying to ignore the child's cries. "The goose feathers…are poisonous when lit on fire."

Xena folded her arms and kept watching the people of the Song Empire suffer greatly. Their deaths were slow and hard to watch but she kept a stoic face through it all.

"Impressive," she says. "Where did you learn that?"

Arielle looked at her grandmother's satisfaction written all over her face. It was the first time she'd seen that she did something to get her mentor's approval. She didn't realize wiping out an entire city was the way to get that fulfillment, but she didn't know the outcome would make her feel so terrible.

"Let's move out. We need to get to the port to sail to Japan."

* * *

Edemen clashed swords with his father several times until Csaba caught him in a dirty position. His father's sword was held up to his throat which meant that he lost. The prince sighed and stepped back then stuck the play sword in the ground.

"When can I use a real sword?"

"When you're older, Ede."

The prince folded his arms. "Father, I am eleven now. I think I am old enough to learn how to spar with a real sword! Teyze Arielle used one when she was nine! Why am I being treated differently?"

Csaba could think of so many things to say about his little sister. Crazy was the first that came to his mind. "You aren't Arielle. You don't want to be like your aunt, do you?"

"Of course I do! She's amazing! She's great with a bow. She can shoot from hundreds of miles away!"

"Hundreds, huh?"

Edemen nodded. "_And_ she says I'm her favorite. I want her to train me. Will she?"

"She's a little busy, Edemen. She's a commander. She's not going to have a lot of free time to be with you." He saw disappointment on his son's face. "But I'm sure she would love to teach you."

Badr walked up to the two and held out a letter. "Your highness; a message from China."

Csaba nods and read the letter over. Edemen tried to peer over to see what was written. He frowned and rolled up the parchment paper and tightened his grip around it. The prince tried not to seem interested.

"I have to speak with your grandmother. We'll continue our lesson at another time."

Edemen knew his father had many things to do but he was glad that he got to spend a few hours with him.

"Do you think mother will want to spar with me?"

Csaba cringed, not quite sure that Farah was up to doing anything. She did train under Gabrielle's and Xena's supervision for a few years but she was not the best. Still, Farah enjoyed sparring even if she got hit in the face a few times.

* * *

Ursula sat on the floor in the khatun's room, writing up a few contracts that Ana requested. She finished the last one and sighed heavily. She was not used to writing so much but she was glad to be in Ana's service. Now that tension had died down over the last couple of weeks and Farah's health improved, the Adame was a lot calmer.

"I've finished the contracts you asked for."

Anastasia lifted her eyes for a brief moment during her daily reading and signing sessions. "Thank you."

She grabs the contracts and gave them a quick look then signed her name at the bottom of each page. She smiled at her advisor who seemed a bit overwhelmed and tired. She took notice of it but it was so much easier with a person to help her with everything while Gabrielle was away.

"Farah will be very surprised when she will be announced as the empire's treasurer," she adds.

Ursula nodded. "You are making a lot of changes in the empire. There has been talk in the tribe that you are moving too quickly since you took over Kreka Khatun's position."

Ana raised a brow and stacked the papers into a neat pile. "Let them talk. I am making necessary changes. Everyone in the family should have a role. It's ludicrous to give multiple tasks and positions to one person. Gabrielle is a good example. She is the governor, treasurer and advisor. That's too much for one person to handle. That's why I gave each one of her tasks to you and Farah."

"I agree that they are positive changes but Kreka Khatun was loved by everyone in the empire. She is missed dearly. I fear that too many changes will cause our people to…"

"To _what_?"

The shamaness exhales softly. "To revolt against you."

Anastasia smiled and paddled her advisor's knee gently. "It wouldn't be the first time that's happened. These changes are better for everybody. They will come to understand eventually."

She pauses at Ursula's unhidden angst and proceeded to add, "Kreka was a great queen to her people. She served them well but she did not execute her power properly in her later years. She was not very accommodating or welcoming to foreigners. She did not like that Thracians relocated to Pannonia. Thracians are my mother's people. Every single person here is accepted as part of our empire. I have decided to build a church in the outskirts."

Ursula's mouth gaped. "Anastasia, you will surely have a mob of angry Huns at your doorstep…"

"I was forced to accept your people and Attila banned shamans from the tribe, yet here you are," she snidely replied.

Csaba knocked on the door and entered the room. He eyed his mother and Ursula sitting together on the floor and bowed his head. "If this is a bad time I can come back later."

"No. We're finished here," she says. "What do you want, Csaba?"

"I received word from China. Emperor Liu imprisoned Arielle and Bayan. Apparently Wang is against us and it seems that China is no longer our ally from what grandma said in her letter. She said she's going to get Arielle and Bayan then come back to Pannonia as soon as possible."

Ana frowned. "There's nothing about Cera in there?"

"No, mother. She didn't mention Cera."

She nods her head slowly. "She probably hasn't received my letter yet. Let me know if she sends something else."

He smiles and replies, "I will, mother."

"Bring Farah to me. I will assign her a new position today."

* * *

Cera sat huddled in a corner on the deck of the ship with arms wrapped around her legs. She nearly escaped the imperial guards of Japan at the docks and she'd definitely reward the sailor for his bravery and help.

The sailor walked over with a cup of water and some bread. He knelt down in front of her and she smiled weakly. "This is all I have for now until we reach China."

She graciously accepted the food and drink and immediately downed the water. He sat down beside her and watched her silently eat. She noticed him staring and looked at him from the corner of her eye. She was not one to be ravenous over a piece of bread but traveling in the woods in Japan for a week with no proper food or water took a toll on her body.

"My name is Ren. We were not properly introduced." He lends his hand.

She hesitantly shook his hand and their eyes met for a moment and she went back to nibbling at the hunk of day old bread.

"By your tattoo I am assuming you're a princess?"

Cera chewed quietly and kept to herself.

Ren chuckled. "Alright. I can see you're shy."

She whipped her head around and took the dagger from his belt and held it up against his throat. Ren had no time to react and he put his hands up for surrender.

"I take back what I said," he pleads.

She lowered the dagger and handed it back to him. Slowly, he snatched the dagger from her and placed it back where it belonged. He marveled at her warrior skills. She was quick and silent –silent being the operative word. He never met someone quite like her and her hair was definitely something he hadn't seen in the Hun tribes. It was a rare sight to see a red or blonde Hun but they did exist evidently.

"We'll reach the coast in a couple of days. It would be an honor for me to escort you home, _princess_," he teases with a mock of a bow.

Cera lifted an eyebrow and he stood up and bowed appropriately this time. He smiled and went to the wheel to continue steering the ship. She emits a small grin as they kept eye contact while he steered the ship.

* * *

Arielle rode nonstop to the coast of China. Three days. They traveled for three days without stopping. Gabrielle tried to convince her to stop and let the remaining army they had left rest but Arielle refused. Ernak had no objection to the continuous ride but he couldn't say the same for his horse or men.

Xena trotted up to her granddaughter and couldn't even get her to make eye contact. She could see that Arielle was beyond upset and she had the right to be, for several reasons.

"We need to stop for a night at least, Arielle. We'll make it to the port tomorrow but you need to let your men rest. The raid exhausted them."

The young commander grit her teeth and ignored her grandmother.

"Aren't you listening to me? I told you we need to stop. Gabrielle told you that yesterday."

"Why didn't you tell me about Cera earlier?" she asks softly.

Xena looked sheepish and she did feel guilty for keeping that from her but there was a bigger task at hand at the moment. "I needed to get you out of the palace first. Your safety is important to me."

"What about Cera's safety?!" she spat and stopped her horse. "She's my little sister! I would do anything for her! Who knows what she's been through? I don't even know if she's alive!"

"Arielle…"

"No! You don't get to plead guilty to me, grandma. You should've told me before the raid. I could've helped. We could've left China a lot sooner." She huffed. "We'll stop tonight but I'm not stopping because of _you_. I'm stopping for my men. As you said, they're _exhausted_."

She dismounted her horse and yelled at her men to find a good spot to set up a small camp for tonight.

Xena sighed and her wife soon joined her. Gabrielle slowed to a trot and couldn't help but overhear the entire conversation –the entire army heard it.

"She's not upset at you. She just cares about Cera. Imagine that? Arielle caring for someone else besides herself?" the governor joked.

"_Gabrielle_…"

"Sorry. You and I both know that you couldn't have gotten Arielle and Bayan out of that cell fast enough. She doesn't know what we did outside the palace. Let her cool off for awhile."

"She might need an ice bath to cool that hot head of hers," she scoffs. "How's your shoulder?"

Gabrielle unconsciously put a hand to the wound. "Better. It still aches sometimes. This cold weather isn't helping either."

* * *

That evening camp was set up and a few tents were pitched, the biggest one for the commander and company. Arielle sat by the fire, warming her bare hands. She requested to be left alone by her men so she could think. Usually she liked company but she never felt so empty inside as when she heard that Cera was kidnapped.

She tried not to be angry at anyone as it wasn't their fault. She knew it wasn't. She had to blame whoever took her sister but she didn't know who did it or why. That was the most frustrating part of it all. She was left in the dark.

Gabrielle made her way over, nursing a cup of wine. "Can I sit with you?"

Arielle frowned and scoot over on the fur coat on which she sat. The governor sat down with her, enjoying the warm roaring fire together.

Gabrielle didn't expect Arielle to talk. She just wanted to sit by the fire because one, it was cold, and two, she figured the commander needed someone to be with. Nobody should be alone at a time like this, she thought.

"Is this what it's like to be a commander?" she blurted out.

Gabrielle paused from slurping the wine.

"I probably killed hundreds of children in that city. I gave them the worst possible death. They died slowly; blood pouring from their mouths, ears and eyes. They probably took fifteen minutes to die –minimum."

"Sometimes…" she began, "you have to make tough decisions when you're a commander. War is not pretty. It weighs on the soul."

Arielle looked her in the eye. "Did grandma kill children?"

Gabrielle licked her dry lips and focused on the fire.

"Did she?"

"Not intentionally…"

Arielle smirked. "Don't lie to me, Gabrielle."

"Yes she did, but she was different than you are now. I'm not saying she was swinging her sword, decapitating little boys and girls or anything."

"Did she…feel bad about it afterwards?"

What a loaded question, the blonde thought. "I don't think she did at the time but I wasn't around then. She does now. She would never hurt a child."

"But I did. I hurt hundreds if not thousands in the city."

Silence.

Gabrielle felt her hair stand up on the back of her neck. Her eyes drifted to her wife who was sitting at a fire by herself, mirroring her granddaughter. Both were in deep thought but they probably shared more of the same thoughts than either cared to recognize.

"Gabrielle, how do you get rid of this feeling? I feel like I'm going to vomit each time I replay the image in my head."

She inhales deeply. "It will pass. You'll never feel the same again. This is what your grandmother was trying to tell you when you were sixteen. Being a commander isn't just giving orders and leading your people to war. You've become a target now. All of China knows who you are."

She spoke once more, "death is never an easy thing to come face to face with. If you've become too comfortable with it then you know you're too far gone. There will be many more wars during your reign. You must be able to deal with the losses and gains but still remain composed."

Arielle dipped her head and stared at the sword in her lap.

"I understand now. I didn't understand before but I do now."

Gabrielle sipped the wine. "Understand…what exactly?"

"I will treat death like love. It is easy to gain and lose at the same time. Both cause a great deal of pain but sometimes they can be rewarding to the mind and heart."

The governor blinked rapidly. She was choked up for words. She'd known Arielle since birth and everyone knew what a brat she could be and she was at times. She was headstrong and liked doing things her way. If it wasn't her way it wasn't going to happen. Now, she saw a dramatic change in Arielle. Or maybe it was always in her and she needed a slap of reality to bring the tongue of wisdom forth.

"Have I ever told you that you're nothing like your mother?" she teases.

Arielle finally gave a genuine smile and bumped knees with her confidant.

* * *

The sailor docked his ship at the port and helped the princess off the boat. She was not one to ask for a hand but he aided her against her wishes. Cera stared at all the merchants and she recognized one of them who was handling large pouches of coin. It was the same man that took her to the imperial palace.

That felt like a lifetime ago now. She was so alone in that harem and she didn't want to think about Prince Senka again. Not even a hundred baths could get rid of his hands crawling across her flesh. She blocked the image from her mind. But this from this point she knew her family wasn't going to let the imperial family of Japan live this down. They were going to pay some way or another.

Ren walked with her through the market and kept a close eye on anyone who lingered by them. She was very noticeable in this area due to her height, hair and skin. He gingerly grabbed the cloth veil and draped it over her head. Cera frowned and shot him a glare.

"You're drawing unwanted attention," he whispers.

She didn't know why this man was being so kind to her but she didn't mind it. She'd been around enough enemies. She kept her guard up in case he tried anything but so far he was amenable and tended to her like he did to his men. She thought that he might be seeking a lot of coin from her family when she was to be returned. Pirates always think with golden eyes instead of their brains or hearts.

"I promised I'd take you back to your home but first I need to buy supplies for my ship. We'll sail around to Dalmatia and ride the rest of the way to Pannonia."

Cera nodded.

They stopped at a vendor who sold dried foods, grain and wine. "Wait here. Don't wander off."

She turned around and sighed lightly. All eyes were upon her. Each person that passed glanced at her like she was some kind of enigma. She stared at the people passing by and saw a glimpse of a red cape in the crowd.

Cera narrowed her eyes and stepped forward into the rushing crowd. She recognized that cape anywhere and that head full of curly locks. She pushed through the sea of people, bumping into everyone in her path.

A huge smile appeared on her face for the first time in so long. She ran across the market and Ren spun around.

"Hey! I told you to wait here!"

He didn't get a chance to negotiate prices with the vendor and ran off after the princess.

Her heart raced and she shoved people aside. The lookers cursed at her in several foreign tongues but she paid no mind to them. She collided with her elder sister and wrapped her arms around her from behind.

Arielle nearly fell over and she pushed the unknown person off her and turned around to whip her sword out. She paused and gaped at her little sister standing before her, alive and in one piece.

"Cera…" she leapt forward and hugged her sister tightly. "I thought something horrible happened to you!"

The redheaded princess sobbed in her sister's hair and her body shook lightly from the adrenaline rushing through her veins. Arielle pulled away and cupped her wet cheeks. Cera could barely contain her excitement and was so relieved to see a familiar face.

"_I…I knew someone would come for me_." She signs with unsteady hands.

Arielle smiled and kissed her sister's cheeks. "H –how did you get here?"

Ren caught up with them and he halted at the sight of Arielle. She whipped her sword out and Cera stepped in front of the frightened sailor.

"_He's a friend. He helped me_."

Despite her little sister's words she was skeptical of the man. She lowered her blade and eyed him from head to toe. "_Thank_ _you_…for helping my sister. My mother will reward you generously."

Ren's face paled. "I was not…able to get her name."

"Princess Cera and I am Princess Arielle. My men are waiting at a camp nearby."

She grabbed Cera's hand and held her close. She looked back at the man gawking like a fish out of water.

"Are you going to stand there? I'm ordering you to come with me!"

He didn't know how to behave in front of princesses but quickly trailed behind them nervously.


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Stricken with fear, Cera expresses to Arielle that she has a problem that has lingered since she escaped from Japan. In the old Visigoth territory, a new enemy emerges, threatening the Hun's ally. Upon arrival in Pannonia, Anastasia plans a surprise for her mother and tells Gabrielle to keep it a secret until the reveal. Arielle seeks out a shamaness to help her sister dissolve her problem.

**I'm excited lol. Okay, enjoy :)**

Chapter 9 –_Mother of All Mothers_

Ren stood awkwardly in the Hun camp and gave curt nods to everyone who passed him giving him odd looks. He eyed Xena and Gabrielle who came out of the commander's tent. He didn't even have time to catch either of their names either. He was only able to meet them briefly but they were too eager to see Cera to notice his existence.

He figured that the young princess was missing for quite some time and everyone was very happy for her return. He walked over to the women who spoke quietly under their breaths. When he halts in front of them they stopped conversing and furrowed their eyebrows.

"How is the princess? Is she well? She hasn't had a proper meal in awhile, I guessed," he says.

Xena smiles at the sailor. "She is resting with her sister. Your name is Ren? Where are you from?"

"Arabia, ma'am."

Gabrielle chuckled and her wife sneered down at her.

"Arabia. I've been there."

Ren's face lit up. It was rare to hear that someone had been to his land as there were hardly outsiders who came and went.

"When did you come to my homeland? I've never seen Huns in Arabia."

She smirked, "it was ages ago. Probably before you could walk, I'm sure. Arielle mentioned that you are a sailor. Does that mean you're a pirate too?"

Ren's face turned a chalk white. "Pirate is a loose term, ma'am. I trade supplies across Asia, Africa and Assyria."

"Hm. Assyria. So you are well aware of the king and queen of Harran, is that correct?"

"Well, I've never seen them before. Forgive me but I don't involve myself in politics nor have I met any royal members of the infamous Hun clans."

Gabrielle and her wife shared a snide smile.

"Ren, you will be coming with us to Pannonia. My daughter will reward you for guiding the princess to safety."

He bowed his head. "And may I ask who your daughter is?"

Xena emits a devious smile. "Anastasia Khatun of the Hun Empire."

His jaw dropped and he fell to his knees before her. Gabrielle covered her mouth, barely able to contain herself from going into a fit of laughter. Xena allowed him to stay that way for a few moments until she tapped his shoulder.

"Get up, boy. I'm not a queen."

He stood up and now he felt he couldn't look her in the eye. "I didn't know. Princess Cera is her daughter, isn't she?" he asks and lifts his eyes to see her haughty face. "Please, ma'am. I cannot meet the khatun. I am not worthy. I'm a sailor, nothing more. I belong to the sea. Allow me to return to my ship."

"You would disobey orders from a queen, Ren?"

He lifted his chin, staring at her confusedly.

Gabrielle cleared her throat to explain further. She stepped close to him and whispered in his ear. "Princess Arielle is Queen of Harran."

"_Rab yahrem_," he mutters. "Excuse me, ladies." He bowed and hurried off.

Gabrielle laughed and lightly hit her wife's arm. "Did you see him? I thought he was gonna pass out."

"Anastasia is going to have an amusing meeting with the sailor. Did Arielle tell you when we're supposed to leave? It's going to take awhile to get back home."

"She didn't say. She was too worried about Cera. I gotta say, Xena, she looks awful. How do you think she ended up in Japan? Who would dare to kidnap a princess of the empire? Whoever they are should fear for their lives."

Xena glances back at the tent. "I'm sure they will be punished severely when they're found."

* * *

Arielle lay beside her sister, watching her sleep soundly. She gently caressed her sister's pale cheek and Cera woke up abruptly and wrapped her hand around Arielle's throat. It took only a few moments gazing into her sister's blue eyes to realize what she had done.

She retracted her hand and breathed heavily, staring up at the tent ceiling.

Arielle rubbed her throat and gazed at her sister. "Cera, what's wrong?" she asks but received no answer. "Did they do something to you in Japan?"

Cera turned her cheek and placed a hand over her heart to steady her breathing. Her sister grabbed her arm and inspected it carefully.

"You look like a skeleton. Why won't you eat anything? I brought everything we have. It's not much but it's better than nothing."

She awaited her sister's reply and still she was left in the dark. Cera hadn't said a word since they laid eyes on each other this morning. She sighed and propped her head up on her elbow, keeping a watchful eye on her little sister.

"You can tell me anything, Cera."

Cera sighed and lolled her head to the side to look into her sister's eyes. She lifted her hands tiredly and signed, "_Those herbs you got from Ursula a long time ago. Do you remember_?"

Arielle lifted her brow and nodded.

"_I need you…to get me those herbs_."

Arielle frowned deeply and sat up. "What are you saying, Cera?"

"_Please, Arielle. I need them just for a precaution. Please don't tell anybody. I don't want anyone to know."_

"Precaution!" she yelled. "Someone forced themselves on you?" she presses. "Who was it?"

Cera began to weep quietly and wrapped arms around herself.

"Cera, this is very important. Tell me who it is. Tell me!"

Cera covered her eyes and continued to sob.

Arielle growled and stood up. "Gabrielle! Grandma!" she called out.

Cera gasped and crawled across the tent and hugged her sister's legs. She quickly dried her eyes and tugged on Arielle's pants and finally she looked down at her sister's desperate brown eyes. Quickly, Xena and Gabrielle came into the tent and witnessed Cera on the floor, hugging Arielle's legs.

"What happened?" asked Gabrielle.

Arielle creased her eyebrows and sighed. "Cera…" she began and the little sister looked up at her helplessly. "She needs more water."

Xena folded her arms. "Is that _all_?"

The commander bit her tongue for her sister's sake. "Yes and bring more blankets. We'll leave in a couple of days."

Gabrielle immediately left without further questioning and Xena glared at her granddaughters, one who looked irritated and the other very disturbed and distressed. Neither one of them could look her in the eye. She lingered a few moments longer, staring at them both until she exited the tent.

Arielle exhaled deeply, not sure why her grandmother was being so dismissive but she would surely have this subject brought up again. She knelt down and cupped her sister's cheeks.

"I will get the herbs for you."

Cera smiled in relief.

"But first, tell me who did this to you and then, only then, will I get the herbs for you."

* * *

Madhiya got the news that since she sold her best Alps that her sales were plummeting. She immediately sent the remaining Alps to scout for others in lower Siberia and northern Mongolia so they could recruit more men for her. As long as she had her Alps she never had to lift a finger.

Now she waited in yurt for their return and went over the amount of coin she had left to distribute to her tribe. Viktoria, her handmaid entered the tent with her head down.

"Governor, Chieftess Yana is here to see you."

She rolled her eyes and grabbed her kozak and rushed outside to meet the Nezak woman. She adjusted the headdress and smiled at Yana who was on horseback and apparently brought one of her many brothers with her.

"Yana, always a pleasure to see you. Are you here to steal all my grain again?"

"You wish you were that lucky, governor," Yana says with a brisk grin. "Anastasia Khatun asked me to give you this. It is a gift directly from her."

The large chest was carried across the field and dropped in front of the Yakut governor. She looked at the ornate chest covered in jewels and the wood carvings were nothing to balk at. Clearly, this was definitely sent from Pannonia.

She skeptically looked at the chieftess. "What is it?"

Yana gestured with a wave of her hand to open it. Madhiya nodded to her men to open the box. Once opened she stared at a glossy liquid. She stepped forward and dipped her fingers in it and took a quick whiff of it. Sweet honey from the Matra Hills of Pannonia. When she dug her fingers in for a second time she felt something feathery.

She reached in and grabbed hold of the mystery item and slowly pulled it out of the honey box. Her eyes widened when she saw one of her Alps heads and she tossed it to the side and wiped her glazed fingers on her pants.

"What is the meaning of this? I gave her my best Alps and she beheads them?!"

Yana smiled. "The khatun orders you to surrender unto her or she will have your head."

"I'd like to know why she killed my Alps! I will not surrender to her."

"Your Alps kidnapped Princess Cera from the Nezak tribe awhile back and sold her into slavery. Be grateful that Anastasia Khatun did not kill you when she had the chance."

Madhiya scoffed. "I did not order my men to kidnap the princess. I don't even know what she looks like. I will not surrender to Anastasia. I have done nothing wrong." She turned and walked back to her yurt.

Yana yelled, "_Askerler_!"

A horde of Nezak and Pannonian Huns surrounded the governor just as she was about to leave. Madhiya turned around slowly, staring at all the swords pointed at her mere inches away. She laid her dark eyes upon Yana.

"As I told you, Madhiya, surrender or I will take your head back to the khatun."

* * *

During the ride back to Pannonia, Cera was escorted by her grandmother in the back of the army while everyone rode faster than everyone else. Gabrielle stayed beside Arielle during most of the journey and Ernak lead the entire army through the snowy terrain of China. Soon they would reach Persian territory and they'd have to lay extremely low and go unnoticed which meant they'd have to go in the barren areas so they wouldn't be risked spotted.

Gabrielle studied Arielle's hard face throughout the journey. The commander was very mouthy usually but she hadn't said a word since they departed a few days back. She wondered what happened back in China but didn't question it and neither did Xena.

"Did Cera say how she got to Japan?" she inquired.

Arielle curled her lip. "She doesn't remember what happened."

"Ah." She sighs and looks up ahead at Ren who was trailing behind Ernak. "Ren is a very nice young man. It was very brave of him to look after Cera. He could've taken advantage of her or worse."

"Gabrielle!" she griped. "I don't want to talk. I just want to focus on getting home."

She flinched and gaped at the commander. "Okay…sure. If there's anything you want to talk about I'm here for you. You know I don't tell Xena anything that we talk about."

"I'm going to scout ahead. We're about to cross into Persia." She said and rode off furiously passed the army and Ernak ahead. Gabrielle raised her eyebrow and looked behind her at Cera who was barely able to ride without discomfort written all over her face.

Xena glanced over at her granddaughter and smiled. She paddled Cera's leg to grab her attention. "Your mother is going to be very glad to know that you're alright. I'm sorry we couldn't come for you but we didn't know you were kidnapped."

The princess nods gently and wrapped the scarf around her face, protecting against the harsh cold winds that brushed by.

"Aside from what happened, are you happy living with Mirac's family?"

Cera looked at her and nodded.

"Mirac is a very nice boy. He has a lot of siblings. I can't remember any of their names. He has two sisters, right? Hopefully I can meet them again. I'm sure your mother will want them to come to Pannonia after we arrive."

Cera turned away and closed her eyes then began weeping.

Xena heard the soft sobs and pulled on both of their reins and grabbed Cera by the chin, turning her face. She saw tears streaming down her cheeks and wiped them away with a swipe of her thumbs.

"Cera, why are you crying? You should be happy. We're taking you home."

She could see those tears were not of joy but were from hurt and pain. Now that they've stopped they were further away from the army. She kicked her horse and held onto the princess' horse and trotted to keep up so they wouldn't be lost in the snow.

She frowned. "You and Arielle are hiding something. You two have been acting strange ever since we left the camp."

Cera shook her head. "_Please grandma, I don't want to talk about it_."

"The truth will show itself sooner or later."

* * *

Anastasia tried to distract herself with several tasks she gave herself. She anxiously waited for word on Cera but so far she was left dry. Since she was dispersing positions to all of the family there was a bit of unrest in the Adame like Ursula said there would be.

Rabia was very eager to return to Banat and gladly accepted her title as governor. Instead of waiting until spring to return to her homeland, she left a week after Csaba handed her the contract. Farah wasn't so excited to see her sister leave but she knew that Rabia would much rather be in Banat than in Pannonia.

Ana decided today was going to be an easy day for herself and she spent almost the entire day with Aurora. She and the princess were to pay a visit to Farah in the treasury to see how her work was progressing.

They walked in the room and Farah was busy writing and counting under her breath, too busy to notice their arrivals. Aurora gazed at the several chests, large, medium and small, stacked in neat piles scattered across the small room.

"Farah," she said, alarming the young queen. "How is everything coming along?"

Farah stood up and smiled at the small princess holding the khatun's hand. "Very good I think but I did find that your mother has a lot of coin saved from years of serving as commander. She hasn't touched even half of it in years."

"I'll talk to her and see what she wants to do with her earnings."

Aurora saw a large chest of gold coins and she gasped. "Grandma khatun, what will you do with all this gold?"

"We'll use it for many things_, tatli kiz_."

"Like…buying a _horse_?" she hinted.

Farah raised her eyebrow and Anastasia stifled a laugh. "You want a horse? You should probably talk to your mother about that when she comes home."

"Don't worry. I have a plan."

"Ah, plans. Those are never good."

Farah reached over and touched Aurora's soft wavy locks and turned her attention to her mother in law. "Anastasia, I heard you are sending Ebnedzar to Rome to help the Goths. How much coin should I distribute to Alaric?"

She looked around the room for a few moments and then spoke, "I'll leave that up to you, Farah."

Aurora tugged on her grandmother's sleeve. "Can we go now? I want to play with Aman and Aladar."

"Am I too boring for you now?"

The princess giggled. "Nooo. I just wanna play with the boys."

Anastasia smiled. "Wait for me outside. I'll take you to them." She watched the princess dart out of the treasury and anxiously wait in the hallway for her. Her smile disappeared and she stared seriously at her daughter in law.

"Is there anyone here you might suspect who gave you the oleander?"

This question caught Farah off guard. She stuttered, "well I –I haven't thought about it lately. I put it behind me."

"Farah, oleander kills people. Could it be one of your chambermaids?"

"No! They have served me for years! They would never do that to me."

"You never know what people are capable of. The physician said you were exposed to it for a long time. I hope you are feeling better now."

The queen nodded her head slowly.

"I've had Gurda and Ramora questioned but they didn't give any useful information at the time. If you change your mind, I will question them myself. They aren't stupid enough to lie to my face, are they?" she smiled and walked off.

* * *

_Ravenna, Goth Territory_

Galoa, the political advisor for King Alaric delivered a message delivered by a currier from Pannonia to the Roman palace in Ravenna, now occupied by the Goths. He waited in front of his king's desk which once belonged to Odoacer.

Alaric smiled and handed the letter back to his advisor. "Very good. Anastasia is sending Attila's eldest son to help us against the raiding Franks. I will expect him in a few months after winter passes."

"Yes sir." Galoa rolled up the letter and handed it to their scribe to lock it away in one of their safes filled with messages from Huns and several other allies of theirs.

"If you don't need anything else, I will check on the weapon supply room. We are supposed to receive weapons from the neighboring Goths in the plains."

The Goth king waved his hand to dismiss his advisor. He leaned back in the chair and stared at the fireplace with his fingers laced. The Franks were coming into Goth territory and they were already attacking the Scandinavian tribes further north. They weren't nearly as damaging as the Vandals but they knew how to conquer small areas and the tribes were spreading rapidly within the last couple of years.

A young soldier ran into his office and saluted. "Your highness, a woman who claims to be the Gepid Queen is here to see you."

He frowned and unlaced his fingers. "Gepid? We have not heard anything from them in a long time since Theodoric was killed."

"Should I send her away, sir?"

"No, no. Send her in. I will see what she wants."

He waited patiently for his soldier to return and went over what to say to this woman. He had several issues with the Gepids in the past but they turned into recluses after Theodoric was slain by Odoacer's will. He had never met the Gepid king before nor did he ever mention a wife.

The soldier returned with the woman and Alaric stood then walked around his desk to meet her. A tall woman with a slender frame marched into the room clad in leather armor and a skirt that covered her leather pants. She had long reddish brown plaited hair. The several braids draped across her shoulders, breast and backside.

She stopped a few feet in front of him and he gazed at her freckled cheeks and huge brown eyes that complimented her olive skin. She gave him a big smile and extended her hand. He immediately noticed her hands were covered in blue tattoos.

"Goth king. It is a pleasure to finally meet you. Queen Eksama of the Gepids," she introduced herself.

He gestured her to sit opposite him and a chair was brought for her. She sat down and propped her boots on his desk to which he eyed her cautiously. Eksama grinned and folded her arms, leaning back in the chair.

Alaric cleared his throat and slowly took a seat. "Eksama, was it?"

"In the flesh, Goth king."

"What can I do for you, Queen Eksama?" he asks nicely.

"I've heard from a little birdie that you are allies with the Huns. Are my sources correct?"

"Yes, we made an alliance after I helped get rid of the Roman Emperor, Odoacer."

She nods and swung her legs off the desk and slammed her palms on the table causing him to flinch. "Listen Goth king, I know you are not fond of my people and I don't really like you either. It'd be wise if you cut ties with the barbarians. The future does not bode well for you. I've made an agreement with the Franks. They are on my side. I highly doubt the Huns will protect you. They're too busy with Justinian at their back door."

He chuckled at her forwardness. "Are you threatening me, your highness?"

She shrugged a shoulder and stood up straight. "No threats yet, Goth king. I'm offering you a way out. I want your land and if you don't cut off the Hun alliance I will make sure every single one of your people suffers. Now, _that_ was a threat."

Alaric folded his arms and gawked at the tall woman, unsure of what to think. It'd been awhile since he encountered such a brash woman such as her. Xena came to mind as she frequently spoke her mind but she used manipulation to get what she wanted. Eksama did no such thing. She told him what she wanted and she wasn't going to take no for an answer.

"Who are you to come in here and _demand_ I betray the Huns and surrender my land to you? I've never met you before in my life."

Eksama smirked. "I am more important than you think. Consider my offer, Alaric. I'll be making my way to Hun territory soon to talk to their queen as well."

"And what is the purpose of doing that?"

"I'm going to make an offer to the Hun queen. I'll be on my way. I hope we can talk again soon." She bowed her head then quickly sauntered off.

Alaric rubbed his chin and kept quiet at his desk after the Gepid Queen left and she certainly made her mark. She was straight to business which he liked but the way she behaved was not like a woman at all. Her mannerisms were of a man despite her feminine features and pleasing face.

"Interesting woman…" he mumbled.

* * *

Nearing sunset the Hun army returned to Pannonia after their long journey from inland China. Anastasia was immediately alerted by her guards that they were approaching the border and she hurried outside to wait for them. She stood at the bottom of the stairs outside the Adame with a big smile on her face.

The first person she saw on horseback was Ernak and then Arielle trotted up behind him. She titled her chin upward in search for the others and hoped to find Cera with them. Farah, Ursula, Csaba and Ku waited behind her. Ku had her arms gently wrapped around Aurora to keep her from darting across the field.

Aurora saw her mother walking towards them after dismounting the horse. She excitedly waved her arm in the air and Arielle smiled and knelt down and spread her arms outward. Ku released the anxious princess and she rushed towards her mother.

"You came home!" she cheerily says and hugs her mother tightly.

"Of course I did." She kissed her daughter's head and never before in her life had she missed something so much until now. She'd never been away from Aurora for such a long period of time and unfortunately she knew she'd have to do it again several more times.

She pulled away and fixed her daughter's burgundy dress. "I don't remember seeing this dress before…"

"Ku made it for me." Aurora leaned in to her mother's ear. "Grandma made me wear it."

"Ah, now it all makes sense." She winked up at her mother who could clearly hear the princess' not so subtle whispers. "There's someone who wants to see you." she turned her daughter around and Bayan waited for her by his horse.

Aurora gasped and ran over to her father and crashed into his legs. Arielle looked at the two reuniting after a long time being apart and sighed. She felt a hand on her shoulder and didn't bother to turn around.

"Arielle…"

The commander turned her head and stared at her mother's worn face. She figured her mother made herself stress too much with Cera's disappearance thus making her look sickly and thinner than usual.

"I brought Cera back mother, but just a fair warning, she isn't well." She says with a stern face.

Ana looked over her daughter's head and saw her mother and Gabrielle escorting Cera towards her. They held onto her thin arms and Anastasia brushed by Arielle to greet the three of them. The redhead princess slowly raised her chin and met eyes with her mother.

"Cera!" she beamed and embraced her warmly. She kissed her cheeks and forehead then looked into solemn brown eyes. Her daughter only a bit taller than herself, but she appeared so small and very weak. She inspected her arms which were scrawny almost and her skin pale.

"What happened to you? What did those people do to you?"

The princess crinkled her nose and if she could secrete tears she would but her eyes were dry from crying for days on end. She didn't want to think about what happened to her anymore and she definitely didn't want to tell anyone. The only person who knew was Arielle and she hoped it would remain that way.

Ana ran her fingers through her daughter's hair and waited for an answer that was never to come. "Well…Arielle will take you inside and we will talk later?"

Cera nodded and Arielle grabbed her hand and ushered her inside. Arielle briefly nodded to Ku-Ilm then slowly guided her sister up the stairs.

The khatun couldn't bear to see her daughter look the way that she did and by her behavior, she was sure something happened to her. She turned and frowned at her mother and Gabrielle who stood off to the side in silence.

"Mother," she greeted.

Xena grinned. "_Tatli kiz_."

"You and I need to have words. Come with me." She turned and head back to the Adame.

"Well hello to you too."

Gabrielle bit her lip. "She's mad, Xena. She's real mad."

"Time to get a lecture from my daughter. What fun." She sarcastically said with an eye roll.

* * *

Anastasia stood in her bedroom with her mother and governor staring at her from a couple feet away. Her mother didn't seem the least bit concerned about what was to come. That face of hers was irritating. She was so calm. How could she be so calm?

"Mother, just what…on earth were you thinking going to China to help Arielle?" she blurted out.

Xena inhaled deeply. "Anastasia, believe me, I didn't want to go."

"Oh please."

"Are you going to listen to me or not?"

Ana pursed her lips and folded her arms. "Go on, explain yourself."

"Arielle's behavior was reckless. She was very upset when she found out Bayan would be accompanying her. I decided to go and Csaba gave me the go ahead. He assigned me to a role."

She stopped her mother right there. "I know very well what role he gave you. I already scolded Csaba for demoting you. He should have never given you a position so low in rank. You shouldn't have to take orders from Arielle. She is inexperienced."

"She did a good job without me. She wiped out the entire imperial city without my help."

Ana's mouth parted. "She did _what_?"

"She did, Ana. China is not our ally anymore. Emperor Liu set a trap for us. I'm not sure what his motive is but we can't trust him. I suspect that we will be dealing with him in the very near future."

The queen ran her hand down her face and groaned. "I don't need China on our backs right now. What else happened?"

Xena shared a nervous glance with her wife.

"_What_?"

"You see, Ana, we had another altercation…"

Ana lifted her eyebrow. "What does that mean?"

"She killed Shah Balash," Gabrielle blurted out.

"Excuse me? Mother, you did what now? You killed Balash?!"

Xena grinned awkwardly. "He pushed my buttons. He had to go. Gabrielle found out that Peroz's son, Kavad, will be the new shah."

Anastasia buried her face in her hands. "I don't know what to say to you right now. You may leave."

Xena curtly bowed her head and walked towards the doors. Gabrielle stayed for a moment longer but quickly tried to exit as well.

"Gabrielle," the queen called out. "You stay."

* * *

Ernak waited until the army settled and cleared the area of supplies and horses before he went to see his family. It was dark now and the encampment was very quiet except for some soldiers who began drinking outside their yurts and laughing loudly.

He thought it best to see Nisa first and then he'd see Kurt and Utigur in their rooms later. His mind was focused on battle at the time in China but the thought of Nisa and his new child was also something he thought about every day while he was away.

He opened the door to his room and there he saw Nisa huddled over a bassinet on the floor next to the bed. Closing the door as quietly as he could he crept up beside the bed and Nisa heard loud boots approaching. She spun around and gasped.

"Ernak!" she squealed and he kissed her lips generously and stepped back, eager to see the baby in the cradle.

She smiled and grabbed the gurgling child into her arms and Ernak's eyes sparkled. He gently caressed the baby's head and turned to his wife, eagerly waiting for her to tell her the sex and name of their child.

"Her name is Maria. It was my mother's name."

"Maria," he whispers.

He never thought that he'd be a father to a princess as he had two sons already. Although, when he was younger he boasted over having two sons while his brother, Ellac, had only one. Now, he could say that he had a daughter and he immediately fell in love with her.

Nisa passed their daughter over into his arms. He took her carefully and then sat on the bed. His daughter stared up at him with big brown eyes and he thought he'd never wipe the smile off his face. He looked up at Nisa who seemed amused at his expression.

"If my mother were here she'd be over the moon," he said. "I spent a lot of time in my mother's old tribe which has been taken over by Mongols."

His wife sat down and wrapped an arm around his large frame. She knew how much he missed his mother as she was the most important person in his life for a very long time, especially after his father died when he was very young.

"I would like to move there with you, Kurt, Utigur and…Maria."

"You would? What about the boys' cousins? They will miss them here in Pannonia."

He nodded. "There are plenty of boys their age in Mongolia. After all, my mother gave me control of the area. I think it would be best if we move there. We can wait until the summer."

* * *

Arielle stayed with her sister in her room and they were in the baths together. Cera had her arms wrapped around her breasts and Arielle filled a pan of water and poured it over her sister's dry and tangled hair. She lifted Cera's chin and smiled softly at her.

She then poured water over her own hair and then grabbed a comb and oil to run through her sister's hair. Tugging at the knots from the ends of the hair, Cera stared at her sister who stood in front of her. How she missed the hot baths here but she grew accustomed to the cold baths she received in Japan.

Cera finally let her arms drop and then lifted her hands out of the water, grabbing her elder sibling's attention. "_You will get the herbs for me, right_?"

"I promised I would but you need a bath and rest first, Cera."

The younger sister began to panic and she started to get out of the bath.

"_Cera_!" she pulled her back into the water with a firm yank.

"Let me take care of you. You will get the herbs, I promise. I am going to talk to Ku. I'm not going to get them from Ursula. She will suspect something's up and tell mother. Ku is going to find another shamaness."

"_Are you going to tell mother about this?"_

Arielle stopped combing her sister's hair. "Yes, but not right now." She looked into her sister's watery eyes. "Cera, she's not going to be mad at _you_. This isn't your fault. She needs to know. She will make sure Prince Senka suffers. He will definitely get a taste of mother's wrath," she chuckled and Cera half smiled.

"_Did you…tell grandma?"_

"Do I look stupid to you?"

Cera grinned for the first time in awhile.

"If I told her she would have gone to Japan and raided the fuck out of that palace. Don't worry, I won't tell them until you're ready but you can't wait too long." she grit her teeth and cursed while she was brushing the knots out of her sister's hair. "Besides, she already suspects something is wrong."

Cera shrugged her shoulders. "_Grandma knows everything_."

* * *

"Gabrielle," Ana said and the governor straightened herself. "I'm making a lot of changes in the empire. I've given your treasurer job to Farah and Ursula is my advisor now. I thought I'd lighten your load."

The governor smiled and was actually relieved to hear that. "Thank you. Farah will be a great treasurer. She loves math."

Ana nodded. "She's already doing a great job. I assigned Rabia as governor to Banat and also have given the role of commander of the Goths to Ebnedzar. He will leave in the spring season."

"You did all of this while we were away?"

"Yes. I thought it was necessary. But I wanted to talk to you about my mother."

Gabrielle's cheeks soured. "Your mother…"

The khatun sighed. "She deserves so much more than what has been given to her. I know she feels displaced after Arielle took on her role which I think was part of the reason why she wanted to go to China. She misses the battlefield."

That was something Gabrielle couldn't disagree with. She'd seen her wife's pain right before her eyes.

"And that's why I want to give her a title. She will not just be mother to the empire's queen. I will promote her to Khanum."

Gabrielle contorts her face and tapped her fingers on her cheek. "_Khanum_. What exactly is that?"

Anastasia thought of the best way to describe it to her. "It is…sort of like the mother of the queen mother. I already told Ursula to make a really extravagant kozak. It will be black with gold trim and lined with several gold coins on the headpiece. What do you think?"

She emits a smile and snorted. "Anastasia, I know you mean well but I really don't know if…your mother is going to like people calling her 'Xena Khanum'. She doesn't like that kind of attention."

"How do you know? She might like it. She'll get to make decisions without my presence. She will be over me, Csaba and Farah. All the decisions will go through her."

"So…she is the equivalent to a queen?"

Ana put a hand on her hip. "More or less. I would really like to work with her. I know that we don't always agree on everything but things are different now."

Gabrielle's eyes wandered the room. "I don't know, Ana."

"We'll see what happens but I don't think she will deny the position. She loves to be in charge. Oh and one more thing: Do. Not. Tell. Her. Anything about this! I want it to be a surprise."

"Ah…" the governor gave a cringe of a smile. "Because we all know how much your mother _loves_ surprises…"

* * *

Ku-Ilm inconspicuously brought in a shamaness from the Suevi tribe into the Adame. She brought the woman dressed in a black cloak, covering her face, to Cera's bedroom. Ku entered the room and told the shamaness to follow in after her.

Cera sat on her bed wearing a black silk robe and her wet hair was pulled back behind her shoulders. Her stomach knotted upon seeing the cloaked woman. Arielle walked over as the shamaness revealed her face.

Ku introduced her, "This is Lutifah. She told me she will be able to help."

The tan skinned shamaness bowed her head to Arielle. "Princess."

Arielle grabbed hold of the woman's cloak. "If you breathe a word about this to anyone I will personally rip your throat out."

Lutifah smiled softly. "I will not say anything, princess."

She took the satchel off her shoulder and pulled out several small bags of herbs and sticks and spread them out on the bed. Cera frowned, staring at the many herbs while her sister stood right beside her and Ku waited outside of the door in case someone was to come in the room.

Lutifah approached the young princess and inspected her face. "When did it happen?"

Cera looked over to her sister who gave her a nod of approval. She signed something the woman didn't understand and Arielle translated for her.

"She says she doesn't remember but it was recent."

The shamaness nodded and while she poured a bag of herbs into a glass she then requested Ku to heat the water over the fireplace. As she was stirring the herbs Cera watched her with curiosity but still, she was very nervous. She remembered when she found Arielle on the floor, bleeding to death.

"After you take this you will bleed mildly for a few days. It's best if you stay in bed." She explained and tapped the spoon on the glass and looked at the nervous princess. "You will experience cramping the first few hours and you will feel weak for a day or two. If the bleeding doesn't stop after three days then I will come back to see you. Do you understand?"

Cera nodded.

Arielle crossed her arms and leaned on the bed post. "Are you good friends with Ursula?"

Lutifah turned and smiled. "Yes, princess."

"Do not tell Ursula about this either."

The woman focused on making the tea. "Of course, princess." She paused. "If I may ask, does the khatun know about this?"

"No and she doesn't need to know. Can we get on with this already?"

* * *

Gabrielle mumbled all the way back to her bedroom. She couldn't wrap the word 'khanum' around her head. What was Ana thinking? She didn't want to see the look on her wife's face when the big surprise was to be revealed.

She flung her dirty coat on a chair and leaned her palms on the desk, continuing to mutter all the possible scenarios that could happen or could not happen. While she was too busy focusing on the future, Xena walked out of the baths, but had not yet bathed, and smiled at the distracted blonde.

Quietly she went up to her petite wife and said in soothing voice. "Gabrielle…."

The blonde wife screamed and spun around then put a hand over her beating heart. "Xena! _Don't_ do that!"

"Hmm." She mused with a sly grin. "Why were you talking with Ana for so long?"

"I…she was telling me…all the changes she's made during our absence."

"Oh? Like what?"

Gabrielle backed away and her wife's piercing eyes followed her every step. She made her way to the baths and grabbed a towel, trying to act natural.

"Um, well, Farah is treasurer now and Ursula is Ana's new advisor. Rabia is governor of Banat and Ebnedzar is the new commander for Rome."

Xena sauntered across the room with a curious disposition. "Very fascinating."

Gabrielle bumped into the wall and nearly missed a step as she walked into the marble baths connected to their room. She turned around and inhaled deeply then began to loosen the buttons on her blouse.

"I think she's making a lot of great changes. Wouldn't you say so?"

Xena walked around the steaming baths and tried to keep herself from snickering at her wife's odd behavior. "I guess so. What's got you so flustered?"

"I'm not flustered. I'm just tired. We did just ride all the way from the other side of the world."

"Ah yes, _that_ is the reason," she mutters.

"What did you say?"

"_Say_? I said nothing, Gabrielle. What did my daughter say to you to make you so nervous?"

Gabrielle laughed awkwardly and slipped off her blouse and untied the laces on her brassiere. "I'm not nervous. Stop reading into things." She turned away from her wife's prying eyes. "Tomorrow we can see Ernak's baby. We haven't had a baby in the home for awhile."

She felt heat radiating behind her and she slowly looked behind her shoulder and her wife stood behind her with folded arms.

"What are you hiding from me?"

"Xena…nothing. I'm not hiding anything."

"Yeah right." She grabbed her wife's arms and flung her into the pool of water.

Gabrielle emerged and spat out hot water and brushed her wet bangs away from her eyes. "What did you do that for?!

The tall brunette knelt down beside the bath and exposed one of her bare legs and dipped it into the water. "I'm going to find out what you're hiding from me, Gabrielle. I don't like it when you and Anastasia conspire together. It never ends well for me."

"We do not _conspire_…"

"Is that so? You and Arielle also spoke back in China. Doesn't anyone tell me anything anymore?"

Gabrielle scoffed and swam away from the edge of the bath. "Have you looked in the mirror lately? You must not be seeing the person everyone else sees."

Xena gasped audibly. "What are you implying?"

"You're smart, Xena. You can figure it out." She teased.

* * *

Ku waited outside of the room patiently for what felt like an eternity. She bit her fingernail and then saw Anastasia round the corner. Her swift strut created a vortex of wind and her black robes flowed behind her as she made her way down the hallway. Ku gasped and quickly entered the room.

She shut the door and Arielle turned away from her sister and the shamaness.

"The khatun is coming!"

Arielle panicked and hurried Lutifah to pack up her herbs in her satchel. Luckily Cera drank all of the tea. She grabbed Lutifah's arm and snapped her fingers at Ku.

"Take her out the back way. Make sure she's not seen by anyone."

The handmaid nodded and hurriedly escorted the shamaness out doors that lead into an adjoining room. Arielle ordered her sister to get in bed and pulled the silk sheets over her body.

"Close your eyes. Pretend you're sleeping," she whispered and Cera shut her eyes and feigned slumber, although she knew that her false sleep would be interrupted in a matter of hours due to the symptoms that Lutifah described.

Anastasia entered and smiled at Arielle who was sitting on the bed. She walked over and sat down next to the bed, eyeing her youngest child lying in bed sleeping _soundly_.

"Did she tell you anything? About Japan I mean."

Arielle's face paled and she ran her fingers through her wet hair. "No, she fell asleep after her bath. You don't have to stay, mother. I can watch over her."

"You just got back from a long trip, Arielle. I'm sure you're tired. I can stay here with Cera."

"No I'm fine, really. Bayan is spending time with Aurora anyway. I won't be missed. I think I should stay with her. She asked me to."

Anastasia studied her daughter's face and frowned then looked at Cera. "I will send a message to Mirac's family. I think she should stay here for awhile so I can keep an eye on her."

"Wise choice, mother."

The khatun stood and Arielle stood up as well. "Since you're so eager to watch over your sister, I will come back tomorrow and check on her. I'll also bring our physician to examine her."

Arielle deadpanned. "That's not necessary. I had someone examine her already in China. He said that she needs to rest for a few days and drink plenty of fluids."

Ana raised her eyebrow. "It looks like you've done everything. What is there left for me to do?"

She grabbed her mother's arm and took her away from the bed. "Mom, you'll be here for her. Don't worry. I'll take good care of her. I'll see you tomorrow." Her eyes darted to the doors and back to her mother.

"_Iyi geceler_," she said to part ways.

Arielle smiled. "_Iyi uykular_, mother."

**Khanum = woman of aristocratic status**


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Xena suspects that Gabrielle and Arielle are harboring secrets from her, and she begins to investigate. A traveler from the west comes to Pannonia and is assigned to be Anastasia's new chambermaid. Suspicion arises when a shamaness is reported to have been seen in Cera's bedroom. Anastasia seeks answers from Arielle concerning the secrecy surrounding Cera.

**Things will speed up in the following chapter :)**

Chapter 10

Arielle stayed with her sister all night like she promised and neither one of them got any sleep. Ku came by in the morning to ask if Cera needed anything. Later she came back with broth since Arielle knew that her sister wasn't going to be able to eat any solid foods for awhile.

Cera sat up in bed against a mound of pillows while she was being spoon fed like a child. Just the few sips of the broth that she had were just enough to fill her uneasy stomach. She wrapped an arm around her sore womb while her sister kept trying to feed her. She put up her other hand and turned her cheek the other way.

"You need to try and eat a little bit more. I promise you'll feel a lot better. In a few days you can eat regular food." Arielle coaxed her sister and pushed the spoon closer to her mouth. "Cera, work with me here. Mother is coming to see you today and you have to appear at least somewhat normal."

The younger princess creased her eyebrows and opened her mouth. She got in two more large spoonfuls of the broth and then refused to eat any more of it.

Arielle smiled and set the saucer on the table near the bed. She looked underneath the sheets at the bloodied towel and nodded. She realized that she needed to change the towels and dispose of them before anyone noticed –anyone, that being her mother.

Cera sighed and sank into the pillows, staring at the ceiling. She felt her sister's eyes on her at all times and this was an all night ordeal. She felt bad for keeping her sister here especially after the long trip they had but Arielle didn't seem tired. Even if she was she was good at hiding her exhaustion.

She lowered her head and Arielle kept gawking at her. It was a bit unnerving. She signed in her lap and her sister watched her hand gestures carefully. She complained that this was the most painful thing she ever went through and Arielle half smiled.

Then she asked, "_Why did you decide to get rid of your baby, Arielle_?"

The commander anxiously ran her fingers through her wild hair and looked into her sister's eyes. "I don't know. I was scared I guess."

"_And you weren't scared the second time?"_

Arielle squeezed her sister's arm. "Of course I was. That's why I decided to come back home."

Cera frowned confusedly. "_But we would've helped you the first time. Mother loves you. She wouldn't have been mad at you."_

"My life would've been very different if I had the baby, Cera. In a way I did the best thing for myself at the time. Don't get me wrong, I love Aurora very much but I don't think I would've been a good mother living alone back in Harran. I didn't know what I was doing for the first year of Aurora's life. I _still_ don't know what I'm doing," she says with a light laugh.

Her sister grinned. "_You're a good mother, Arielle. Grandma is right; you're too hard on yourself_."

"Listening to grandma again, huh? Yeah well, I could be better. Mother is always doing things for Aurora."

"_Mother loves her. She just likes to spoil her_." Cera looked down at herself and wiped her nose. "_Do you think Mirac will still…want to be with me after what happened?"_

Arielle grabbed her sister's hands. "Of course he would. Why kind of question is that? He'd bend over backwards for you!" she tried to reassure her sister and instead got tears as a response.

"Cera, you don't have to worry about anything! Mirac is a great person and he loves you a lot. What happened wasn't your fault. You didn't ask for this to happen. Cera, look at me."

The redhead princess lifted her tear stained cheeks and her sister dried her face with the backside of her hand.

"You're going get through this and we'll help you. One day you will have a child of your own and I will definitely be there to bug you the entire time. You'll be a great mother because you're very kind and compassionate of others. Don't let this one event ruin your life."

* * *

Ren was invited to the queen's chambers to have a formal meeting. He met her advisor and Farah who was also a queen. He didn't realize there were so many queens in the Hun Empire. First Arielle, the khatun and now Farah. There he stood in front of the three women and the governor and Xena stood behind him.

He couldn't keep his eyes off Farah and Anastasia took notice of his inconspicuous eyes. Farah was obviously amused and kept smiling. She was not insulted at all as she normally got those reactions when men met her. Thankfully Csaba was not in the room otherwise he'd definitely say something to the sailor.

"Ren, thank you for saving my daughter in Japan," Ana said.

He shook his head and blinked his eyes then looked at the khatun who met him in equal height but she looked so much taller the more he looked at her. He nearly forgot his manners and bowed his head.

"It is an honor, your majesty. Both of your daughters are very beautiful."

Xena rolled her eyes in the background and Anastasia's smile grew.

"My mother told me that you are a sailor and trade in Assyria. You know that my daughter is queen of Assyria…"

He nodded. "Yes, khatun."

"I would like to show my gratitude for protecting my daughter. How would you like to be in charge of my navy? We have a port in Dalmatia. It is not being used currently but you may use it for trading in Africa if you'd like."

His mouth parts and he looked behind him at Xena and Gabrielle who both had their arms crossed. Xena raised her eyebrow at his gaping mouth.

"What are you staring at me for, boy? Answer my daughter. She is talking to you!"

He spun around at the grinning khatun. "That is very generous of you, your majesty. I'd love to be in charge of your navy. I didn't know Huns were sea bound. I assume you do most of your trades and wars on land."

"We do but I had ships built a few years ago. We don't have anyone experienced enough to handle the navy. You seem like a perfect choice. If you accept then Farah will pay you for rescuing my daughter as well as becoming naval captain."

He knelt down on one knee and all the women chuckled softly. She grabbed his arm and hoisted him off the floor. "I will do anything you say, khatun."

"Very good. Farah, show him to the treasury and pay him."

Farah smiled and walked over to the nervous sailor and waved her hand to the doors. Ursula took her leave and followed them out of Anastasia's chambers.

Now Gabrielle could finally laugh since the sailor left the room. Xena was disinterested in the young man's sweaty hands and anxious manners and more focused on what happened to Cera in Japan. She didn't press her daughter about the idea since they all arrived yesterday late in the day.

Anastasia frowned at the women and Gabrielle ceased laughter. "When I was visiting Cera in Kazakhstan there was an attack on the tribe. Men came and killed almost all the women and children in the camp. Cera was taken right under my nose," she explained.

She adds, "I went to Madhiya's camp after the attack because I suspected she had something to do with it."

Xena groaned. "I told you to stay away from her, Anastasia. She is nothing but trouble. She's a worthless piece of shit."

"And she doesn't like you," Gabrielle chimed in.

Ana sighs and continued, "Madhiya didn't seem to know anything about the attack. She has a horde of Alps who are skilled hunters. I convinced her to let me buy her best Alps and I brought them back to Pannonia with me. I had them interrogated and they revealed that they were the attackers and Cera's kidnappers."

Silence.

"I had them beheaded and sent their heads to Madhiya."

Xena smiled with satisfaction. "Excellent job, Ana. You accomplished a lot while we were gone."

"And it seems you did as well. Killing the shah wasn't a wise decision, mother. Now the Persians are going to come after us. As if we don't have enough to deal with." She rubbed her forehead. "Gabrielle, I want you to write a letter to Navaz. Tell him to come here so I can devise a plan to keep Persia out."

The governor nodded. She kept thinking about what that Persian soldier told her and she kept it a secret from her wife which probably wasn't the best choice but there was too much going on at once. Now she stared at the two, wondering if she should open her mouth or keep her trap shut for awhile longer.

"I'm going to see Cera. Arielle was with her all night. You're both more than welcome to come with me," Ana suggested.

Xena put up her hand. "We'll come later."

The khatun smiled at her mother which made her feel a bit uneasy. Gabrielle's cheeks reddened and she desperately wished she wasn't in the same room as her wife right now. She could make a run for it but that might look suspicious and her wife was already on her tail about every move she made.

Xena cringed at her daughter's goofy face. "Stop it. Stop looking at me like that."

Anastasia squished her mother's cheeks together and Xena's eyes darted in several directions. "I just want you to know that you're very special to me."

Xena furrowed her eyebrows and slapped her daughter's hands then glared at her shy wife. "What are two planning behind my back? I know you're doing something."

"Mom. Why are you always thinking the worst?"

"Because you two are working together. I don't like it when you do that."

"I can see that you are going to give Gabrielle a hard time so I'll tell you. We're planning a surprise for you. I think you're going to like what I have in store for you."

Xena grumbled and Gabrielle slowly began to back away. She grabbed her wife's arm and pulled her close. "I'll kill you….in your _sleep_, Gabrielle," she hissed.

"Don't blame her, mother. It's my idea!" Ana grinned from ear to ear. "I'll leave you guessing. See you both later."

Gabrielle felt like she was in a very dangerous situation being in a room alone with her wife right now. She backed down as the blue piercing blues bore into her soul.

"Xena, I swear to you, I had nothing to do with it!"

* * *

Bayan left his daughter's bedroom after spending all of last night and this morning with her. Ku finally was able to convince the princess to wash her hair and change out of yesterday's clothes. He missed his daughter a lot and he listened to her tell him all about her adventures and mishaps here in Pannonia. He hardly had to say anything because she was quite talkative which reminded him of Arielle.

He rounded the corner and met face to face with Csaba. His eyes widened and he hadn't laid eyes on Arielle's brother since their last encounter before she went to war with Persia in Balaam.

Csaba grimaced and took a step forward. "The only reason you aren't six feet under is because of Aurora and my sister."

"I think Arielle can make up her own mind, Csaba."

He cornered Bayan and was so close they were nearly touching foreheads. "Arielle is very precious to me. Don't even think you deserve forgiveness from anyone in this family. Be grateful that Navaz spared your life. If you fuck up again I can't guarantee your safety."

Bayan furrowed his thick eyebrows and stared down the king.

"Don't cross paths with me again. I don't want to _see_ you or _hear_ you breathe."

Csaba shoved him against the wall and stomped off down the hallway to pay a visit to Cera. Bayan's heart raced and he exhaled heavily. He hated dealing with Csaba ever since he was a little boy. Everyone else in the family wasn't nearly as hostile towards him but he knew that he'd have to deal with Csaba as long as he was alive.

* * *

This was the real test. Arielle left Cera alone with their mother and told her to keep quiet about what happened. At least staying in bed for a few days wouldn't seem abnormal given her journey across the entire world practically. She hoped that her mother wasn't too suspicious and would keep her focus on Cera's health and nothing else.

She went to see her daughter before she'd go to her room to change. She was still in her robe from last night and had circles under her eyes from not sleeping for days. Upon entering her daughter's room she saw Ku brushing Aurora's wet wavy hair with a wide tooth comb.

Aurora smiled. "Mommy! Where have you been?"

"I was with Cera, _tatli kiz_."

"Is she staying here?"

Arielle looked at Ku sadly and picked up a few of her daughter's clothes lying around. "She will for awhile."

The princess clapped her hands. "I like Teyze Cera. She draws pretty paintings. Is she gonna teach at school again?"

"I'm not sure. We'll see. How was your visit with your father? Did you two have a good time?"

"Yeah!" she squealed. "Will I go to Harran with him? I miss it there."

Arielle frowned and sat on the bed and Ku kept combing the princess' long hair. "We talked about this. You're staying with me from now on. Ku's here to take care of you."

Aurora pouted and picked at the threads on her dress. "But I like Harran and I miss Sarnai too. She gives me presents."

Arielle clenched her fist and let her daughter continue talking about her husband's whore. "She takes me to the market and makes my favorite foods 'cause you can't cook," she says and her mother slightly smiled. "And –and she spend time with me when I get bored."

The commander's face softened. "You like Sarnai, don't you?"

"Mhm. She's nice."

"Well, I'm glad that she's nice to you." She felt like she'd been stabbed in the heart but she could see that her daughter liked the Mongol woman a lot.

She stood up and kissed Aurora's forehead. "I'll be back later. I'm going to change clothes. Ku, keep an eye on her."

"Always, Arielle." The Assyrian smiled.

* * *

Gabrielle sat with her wife in the women's room eating on the floor in silence. She dipped the bread in a dip and stared at her wife who was completely ignoring her. She dropped the bread on her plate and Xena lifted her head in the middle of chewing.

"Are you going to give me the silent treatment now?"

Xena smirked and wiped her mouth with a swipe of her thumb. "I'm just enjoying the food, Gabrielle. Why do you think I'm always out to get you?"

"You just told me you'd kill me…in my sleep."

"That was a joke. You should know me better than that." She sipped the fruity drink and winked at her panicky wife. "Since you love being a spy for people, did you ever figure out what Arielle and Cera are hiding?"

The blonde huffed and decided to leave the subject alone. "No. They were acting strange, weren't they?"

Xena nods and spread a large helping of cheese onto the bread. "Those girls love to keep secrets and Arielle is a devious brat. She knows that Cera is unable to tell anyone about their secrets. The only time her lack of tongue is of use is when Arielle is up to something."

"What do you think they're hiding?"

"Who knows? But whatever it is must be pretty juicy. Arielle is protecting her sister."

Gabrielle frowned with a mouthful of cheese. "Protecting her from whom?"

Xena raised her eyebrows and shrugged her shoulders. "Anastasia, I'm sure. Secrets are bound to be told eventually."

Farah's twin boys ran into the room screaming loudly. Xena had her mouth wide open ready to put an olive in her mouth and paused at the loud boys. They had wooden swords and were sparring with each other. She stared at the two clashing swords with one another and frowned, already getting a headache.

They turned to the women and dropped their swords and immediately sat down. They began picking at the food and Xena raised her eyebrow. Gabrielle chuckled softly allowing the boys to steal most of their assorted foods.

Xena slapped Aman's hand as he reached onto her plate. "Get your grubby hands off my food, boy."

"Grandma Xena, will you teach at school again?! We miss the class."

"Yeah, we do," Aladar said and grabbed a handful of olives and stuffed them into his mouth.

Aman continually ate off her plate and finished all her food before she had the chance to. She folded her arms and stared at the boys who seemed to have no manners whatsoever and they didn't care either. Entitled princes, she thought.

Gabrielle looked at the ravenous boys and eyed her wife who was astonished by their appetite given their tiny bodies. "Did you two…eat this morning?"

They bobbed their heads and finished all of the small bowls of fruit, olives and cheeses.

Xena pursed her mouth. "Thank you for finishing my food for me. I wouldn't even dare to think of finishing it myself," she says with utmost sarcasm.

The princes stood up and wiped their hands on their pants. "You're gonna teach us how to use real swords, right?" Aman asked hopefully.

"Absolutely not. You will continue training with the practice swords."

"Aweh!" they whined.

"Don't you two have somewhere to be?"

Aladar went to pick up his sword. "We have math class with our mom today. We're gonna go in the treasury!"

Gabrielle smiles at the boys. "I'm sure you'll both learn a lot. Your mother is very smart."

"Come on brother," Aladar wrapped an arm around Aman and they left the room together with swords hanging by their sides.

Xena sighed looking at the empty tray of food and heard her wife giggling. "Those boys are pigs."

"They're adorable, Xena."

"They're lucky they have Farah's face."

* * *

_Disclosed Location_

Eksama crossed the old Goth plains and settled a very small discreet campsite along the border of Pannonia. She was notified by her scouts that the Hun palace was located in the Matra Hills. This was good news for her because she wasn't too far from the infamous clan of Attila.

In the woods she sat in a chair at her desk with one leg propped up on the tabletop. She finished eating a plate of rice and lamb off the shank and licked her fingers. She smiled at the woman in front of her and waved her hand to her soldiers to take the empty plate away.

She folded her arms and leaned back in the chair much like imitating a man. "Zelda, you've always been a loyal servant to me."

Zelda, a woman of small stature with long blonde locks, bowed her head to her queen. "Yes, my lady. I would do anything for you."

Eksama nods. "Let's keep it that way. I have a job for you and it's very important. If you make any mistakes I'll gut you and feed your carcass to the wolves."

Zelda hung her head and listened to her queen's request closely.

"Attila's clan lives in the Matra Hills. It's an hour's walk from here. I will send you to be a servant to the Huns. You will live in the Adame with the rest of the clan."

"How will I do that?"

The queen frowned. "Did I finish?"

Zelda's cheeks flushed.

"You will be stopped by the guards before entering the Adame. Here's where you listen closely." She swung her leg off the table and pulled out her dagger and jammed it into the table. "One mistake and your skin is mine to hang on my wall."

She saw that she struck imminent fear in her servant and chuckled. "Alright here's what you're going to tell the guards. You used to be a Roman slave under Emperor Odoacer. You have no family left and King Alaric offered to help you because he felt sorry for you. He suggested you'd be sent to the Huns. The Goth king is very good friends with Queen Anastasia. You will serve the royal Hun family and follow their every move."

Zelda nodded. "Yes, my queen. I'll do as you say."

Eksama narrowed her brown eyes. "I want a report from you once a week. Find out all of their names and what their occupations are. If you can, get close to the queen. Listen to everything she says and does."

Before her servant could answer she pulled the dagger out of the table and threw it at Zelda's feet. The young woman gasped and her face turned almost translucent.

"Your name will be Diana from now on. If you get caught don't bother coming back to my camp."

Eksama pulled out a vial and threw it at the servant's feet next to the dagger planted in the floor. "If you get caught, drink this poison. I will have no trails lead to me. Understand?"

"Yes, my queen."

"Off you go then. I'll be waiting for your report in seven days." Eksama smiled and waved her hand.

* * *

Arielle hurried down the stairs and tucked her black blouse in her trousers. She jumped off the last step and rolled up her sleeves as she briskly walked through the hall towards her sister's bedroom. Her thick curls bounced with every step she took.

Xena left her wife awhile after the twin princes ravaged their food. Gabrielle was in her office writing a report of everything that happened in China. Xena was sure that her daughter wasn't going to like what was in the report but she knew that her wife wasn't going to leave anything out.

She head in the direction towards her room and saw Arielle ahead of her. She narrowed her eyebrows.

"Arielle!"

The commander halted and spun on her heel. "Grandma, good morning."

"Morning." She approached her granddaughter and eyed her attire from head to toe. Black pants, blouse and flats. "Why are you wearing simple clothing?"

Arielle looked down at herself almost like she forgot what she was wearing. "I changed clothes earlier. I was in a robe."

Xena folded her arms and quirked her mouth to the side. "Where's your kozak?"

"In my room. Why do you ask?" she was wasting time here and increasingly worried over leaving her sister with her mother.

"You're a commander, Arielle. You're supposed to wear your headdress all the time unless you're off duty."

Arielle smiled. "Then why are you wearing yours?" she nudged her head at her grandmother's headdress. She received a hideous glare and cleared her throat. "I'll get it later."

Xena grabbed her arm. "Where are you going? Gabrielle is writing the China report. Your mother and Csaba will be waiting for you to explain what happened. I have to be there too _hence_ why I'm still wearing the headdress." She raised her eyebrow skeptically.

"I'll be there for the briefing, grandma but I need to check on Cera first."

She yanked on Arielle's arm and pulled her close. "What are you and your sister hiding from everyone? She knows everything that happened in Japan. Whatever she's not telling us will hurt us. If she has information she needs to hand it over."

Arielle didn't want to reveal anything too quickly and she calmed herself before she released a surge of anger.

"She will tell us when she's ready. She's very tired. Allow her a few days rest then she will explain everything. Fair enough?"

"Keeping secrets is no way to build trust between you and your mother. Don't forget that she is your superior."

Arielle nods with a weak smile. "I know, grandma. I don't know any more than you do about Japan. Cera's been quiet about everything. You saw her. She's like a walking skeleton. It's clear that she's been through a lot."

Xena saw pain in her granddaughter's eyes and sensed what she might be hiding but she didn't want to press further. She knew she was hard on Arielle ever since she could talk and that was only because she saw that Arielle had a lot of potential from the start. She hoped that her granddaughter knew that she wasn't hard on her for no reason.

She also had several rocky conversations with Anastasia over the years although now they were both older their relationship was a lot better. Anastasia had always been very smart and spoke her mind but she didn't have the same fire that Arielle had.

She realized that Arielle liked to put up a wall against her mother and her as well. She flocked to Gabrielle when she needed to talk but Xena didn't want Arielle to feel like she needed to keep secrets from her family. After all, she ran away with Bayan and spent most of her pregnancy in Harran without telling anybody. Arielle liked to do things her own way but Xena thought that she should know that you don't have to do everything by yourself –a lesson she herself learned several times. Loneliness was not the way to solve problems.

She grabbed Arielle and pulled off to the side in a separate hallway. "Arielle, what is going on? I know you think that you can't trust me with your secrets but I know you're protecting your sister."

"I…I promised I wouldn't tell. Cera's really broken inside. She's scared what people will think about her."

"She was sold into slavery. It's obvious something was bound to have happened." she hinted and Arielle frowned sadly. "Someone abused her, right?"

Arielle lifted her head, tears threatening to run down her face.

"She was raped, wasn't she Arielle?"

The commander nods her head slowly.

Xena sighed and felt sick to her core. "And you're helping her get rid of the aftermath."

"Please don't say anything to mother yet. I want to help Cera. She's too afraid of what mother will do."

"I'm not going to say anything."

Arielle wiped her cheeks and stared at her grandmother with puzzled eyes. "You aren't?"

"I didn't say anything when you did the same thing, Arielle."

"You know about that?"

Xena half smiled. "I can keep secrets."

Arielle surprisingly and abruptly wrapped her arms around her grandmother and hugged her tightly. Xena's eyes widened and she smiled softly and returned the warm embrace. She got the feeling that Arielle definitely needed that love and affection for quite some time.

* * *

Csaba sat with his sister and kissed her hand several times. She could barely keep a smile on her face and kept shifting in bed as she sat in her own pool of blood. She was glad to be home and see all of her family members but she wondered when Arielle was going to come back. Her mother kept staring at her from the end of the bed.

"I'm so happy that you've come back here in one piece."

Cera nodded silently at her brother's affection.

"Everyone was so worried about you! You're my baby sister and I'd do anything for you. If someone hurt you, just tell me and I'll make sure they won't live to see another day."

She reached outward and cupped his cheek. "_Thank_ _you Csaba. Is Mirac coming here_?"

Ana stared at her daughter and saw there something in those brown doe eyes; something that was being hidden and locked away.

"I've sent a letter to Mirac's family. Yana was very adamant that you were returned safely. See, I told you that she likes you, Cera."

The princess grinned and looked back at her brother who was sitting incredibly close to her. She turned away shyly and laced her hands in her lap, anxiously waiting for her sister to return. She'd been gone for a long time already.

Right on cue, Arielle and Xena walked into the bedroom. Cera's face paled upon seeing her grandmother. If she could run away from this place, she would. Arielle put up her hand, signaling her to calm down and Cera settled back against the pillows but she kept her eyes planted on her grandmother's expressionless face.

Xena came by to stand beside her daughter and said in a hushed voice, "Gabrielle's almost done with the report."

"We can have a meeting before dinner. I'd like for all of us to eat altogether."

Xena looked to the laid up princess and Arielle was sitting on the bed, comforting her. She licked her upper lip and grabbed her daughter's arm to guide her away from the bed to allow the siblings to catch up with one another.

"Arielle wants to be with Cera. We can have their food sent to the room. We can eat together in the hall."

Ana frowned and turned back to look at her children. It was a rare sight to see all three of them in one room and get along so well with each other. "But I'd really like it if Cera joined us."

"Anastasia just let her stay in bed for awhile. She wants to be with Arielle."

"She still hasn't said anything about Japan. I need to know what happened there if we're going to have problems in the future."

"She'll tell you after she rests. Emperor Liu knows that Cera was in the imperial palace in Kusuba."

"How could he know about that?"

"It's all in the report. Let's leave them alone. Csaba and Arielle will join us later for the briefing." She pulled her daughter away and Anastasia kept her eyes on her children until she was guided to the doors by her mother's forceful hand.

* * *

After the formal briefing, Arielle went back to tend to Cera and everyone else went their separate ways until dinner. Now everyone sat together on the floor in the large hall. They sat in a circle together and Xena sat by her daughter with Aurora on the opposite side. Throughout the dinner Xena hardly touched her food and kept thinking about what Arielle indiscreetly revealed about Cera earlier.

Gabrielle noticed but said nothing of it as she didn't want any attention brought to it. She turned to Ursula who sat with Ebnedzar beside Aurora.

"Where are Oran and Yeter? Aren't they going to eat with us?" she asks.

Ursula's conversation with her husband was interrupted and she smiled softly at the governor. "Yeter is not feeling well so I sent her to her room."

"I hope it's nothing serious."

"I will send a physician to examine her tomorrow morning."

Aurora had trouble finishing her food as she was too busy telling Anastasia about everything she wanted to do in the future. She talked about the horse she wanted quite a lot whilst Ana tried to force a spoon into her mouth in between short sentences.

Zelda, the spy for Queen Eksama, stood beside the khatun and reached down to refill her glass. Anastasia spun around at the pale arm crossing over her plate. She looked up at the blonde young woman confusedly.

"Who are you?"

Ursula paused and stared at the blonde. "Her name is Diana. She was sent by King Alaric to serve you. I didn't get a chance to tell you. I've assigned her to serve as your chambermaid."

Zelda bowed her head nervously and held the pitcher of water close to her chest, refraining from filling the khatun's glass.

Anastasia smiled. "Oh, I see. Welcome to Pannonia."

"Thank you, your highness," said Zelda. She filled up the glass of water and took a step backward. She glanced over at Ku who kept glaring at her from afar. She tried not to make direct eye contact and focus on the queen.

In the midst of the busy dinner, a maid walked in and tapped Ku's shoulder and whispered in her ear. While everyone was preoccupied with conversation and filling their palates, Ursula looked at Ku and the maid having a quiet conversation with each other.

Ku nodded to the maid and slipped away from Princess Aurora's side and hurried towards the doors. Ursula narrowed her eyes and saw a hooded figure standing outside of the dining hall. Ku grabbed the cloaked figure and went down the hallway.

Ebnedzar nudged his wife's side which startled her. He smiled. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine, thank you. I'm going to check on Yeter." She pat his thigh and he held her hand so she could stand easily.

Aurora proceeded to talk continuously, "and then Aman hit his brother in the face!"

Ana forced a spoonful of rice into the talkative princess' mouth.

"And then…" she murmured.

"Chew first then you can speak, _tatli kiz_," she ordered and Aurora frowned then slowly chewed the mound of rice in her mouth.

Xena sighed and tossed the spoon onto her untouched plate and got off the floor. Her wife turned her head upward and grabbed a hold of her wrist.

"Where're you going? You didn't eat anything," says Gabrielle.

"I'm going to turn in early."

Gabrielle wiped her mouth and attempted to get up but her wife held up a hand.

"Stay. Finish your meal," she says quietly then walked out of the room filled with chatter.

* * *

Xena sat on the floor in her bedroom, brushing her hair in front of the fireplace. Her eyes were focused on the flames and she was in a comatose state though the brush bristles continuously ran through her long locks. Her eyes feigned to blink as she kept gawking at the fire with her mind elsewhere.

The governor entered the room an hour later after everyone finished eating. She kicked off her flats and rounded the corner leading to where she and Xena slept. She lingered in the archway and saw her wife sitting by the fire deep in thought, obviously.

She took a seat beside her wife and subtly wrapped her hand around the brush handle. Xena turned and handed over the brush to her wife. Gabrielle smiled and took the long raven locks in her palm and brushed through the knots that had been missed entirely.

"You hardly said anything during the briefing and you didn't eat anything at dinner. What's going on with you?"

Xena knew better than to keep her feelings hidden away from Gabrielle. "I was thinking about Cera."

"Arielle is being a good caretaker. I'm sure she'll be back on her feet in no time."

Gabrielle embraced the silence that was handed to her once again. She sighed and kept brushing her wife's hair. This was a silence that she didn't like. It was odd silence and she didn't like it when her wife kept things from her especially if it was important.

"Xena, I can tell that you aren't acting like yourself. Are you sure there isn't something you want to talk about?"

The brunette turned and smiled, cupping the blonde's cheek. "Never change, Gabrielle. Your compassion for others becomes you."

Gabrielle lifted her eyebrow and stared at her wife with an open mouth. "Okay? Thanks…"

"Right now I just want to sleep. I'm sure we can tackle this mane tomorrow," Xena jested about her hair and kissed her wife's forehead then stood up and head towards their bed.

* * *

Ku took Lutifah out of Princess Cera's room and quietly closed the door. She turned and gasped at the sight of Ursula standing right in front of her. Lutifah hid her face beneath the cloak's hood and turned her cheek to the chief shamaness.

"_Hoşgeldiniz_, Ku-Ilm," she greeted with a terse smile. "Who's your guest?"

"Um…ah."

Ursula walked forward and ripped the hood off the woman and her eyes widened. "Lutifah?" she growled and grabbed Ku's hand. "What are you doing with a shamaness?"

"Princess Cera was complaining about insomnia. I asked Lutifah to bring some medicine to help the princess sleep."

"You could've easily gotten the medicine from our physician. You don't need a shaman for that. I know you are very close to Princess Arielle and you are at her beck and call. What are you doing with Lutifah and why was I not notified about it? You do know that I am in charge of all the shamans in my tribe."

Ku nodded. "Yes, Ursula. I didn't want to bother you. You're busy with your duties serving the khatun."

The shamaness smirked. "So you secretly snuck in Lutifah and left the dining hall? I saw you. _What_ is she doing here?"

"Please Ursula, I cannot say. I am sworn to secrecy."

Ursula grabbed the handmaid by the throat and shoved her against the wall. Lutifah stepped away slowly and pulled the hood over her head. Ku croaked and coughed. She grabbed the hand that was choking her and stared into the shamaness' dark eyes.

"Talk, Ku-Ilm."

Ku's eyes widened and she kicked her leg against the wall, trying desperately to breathe. Ursula tightened her grip and Ku choked out, "_wait_!"

The shamaness pulled her hand away and the Assyrian collapsed on the floor, coughing and heaving heavily. She wrapped her hand around her throat and swallowed.

"Princess…Princess Cera was carrying a child," she whispers. "She –she wanted to get rid of it. Arielle told me…to find a shamaness to help."

Ursula glared at Lutifah who shied away. She was tempted to walk straight into Cera's room but refrained and instead she stormed down the hallway. Ku sat up and leaned against the wall, rubbing her sore throat.

Ku spoke to Lutifah, "you should go. The khatun will scathe you with her wrath."

"She will come looking for me eventually."

Ku coughed lightly. "Just go. Ursula is on her way to tell the queen everything. They will return soon."

Lutifah eyed the doors and pulled out a small pouch of herbs from her bag. "Give this to the princess. She will need it for the next few hours to help her sleep."

Ku took the bag of herbs and nodded.

* * *

She stayed outside the room longer than she should have but she went in after she stopped throwing a coughing fit. Cera was still in bed and in a lot of pain. Luckily, she had Arielle to help her and Ku smiled at her companion who was being very motherly-like towards the younger princess.

Arielle sat on the bed, holding her sister's hand and looked over at her handmaid who stood by the doors. She saw a huge handprint around her throat and jumped off the bed to inspect her. She frowned sadly and touched Ku's neck gingerly.

"Who did this to you?"

"Ursula did. She knows everything about Cera and Lutifah. I'm sorry…she was going to kill me, Arielle!"

Cera gasped overhearing their conversation. She began to panic and if she could get out of bed she would. She could only think of what was going to happen to all of three of them now. She knew her mother was going to be furious but she didn't exactly know what her sister's fate was to be.

The commander grumbled. "Well, she was going to find out eventually I guess." She squeezed Ku's hand firmly. "This isn't your fault. Stay clear of this room, Ku. I don't want you to be blamed."

"But Arielle…"

"I'm serious, Ku. My mother is going to be angry when she hears about this. It's best if you go back to my room. You can take the back entrance. Go, go!" she pushed her along and Ku regretfully looked back at her with.

She paced the room and glanced back at her anxious sister. "Don't worry, Cera. Mother's not going to be mad at you."

She slipped on her shoes and raced to the doors. She thought she could perhaps get to her mother before her arrival. She swung open the double doors and her mother stood outside with Ursula standing behind her.

Anastasia glared at her daughter with her fingers laced in front of her body.

"Good evening, Arielle," she says calmly.

Arielle backed away from the doors and bowed her head.


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The truth about Cera is revealed, and Anastasia lashes out at both her daughters. Xena worries that the stress of the empire is clouding her daughter's mind. In the form of a dream, Kreka Khatun comes to Xena, showing her vision of both past and present concerning Anastasia's future as queen.

Chapter 11 –_The Walls have Ears: Part I_

Anastasia stood in the hallway for a few moments and watched her daughter breathe heavily in the doorway, blocking the entryway. She turned to her advisor and asked her to wait outside. Ursula stepped backwards and Anastasia walked inside. Her daughter immediately moved out of the way and then closed the doors whilst glaring at Ursula.

The khatun briefly eyed her sickly daughter sitting up in bed with terrified brown eyes. She slowly turned and Arielle was backed up against the doors and she also mirrored the same expression as her little sister.

"Who do you think you are, Arielle? Who do you think you are to lie to me?"

The commander's heart beat rang through her ears. "Well mother, I –"

"_Sesini kesmek_!" she yelled and her daughter flinched. "I specifically asked you if you knew anything about Cera and Japan and you outright _lied_ to my face! It wouldn't be the first time you've done that. You're the princess of lies! How _dare_ you keep this from me?"

Arielle took a step forward and her mother put up her hand. "I was going to tell you after Cera…recovered."

"You didn't think it would've been wiser to tell me right away? You didn't think that I'd like to know what happened to my own daughter? You have your own daughter. Take care of her instead of getting your handmaid to do all of your work for you."

Arielle's eyebrows rose and she marched up to her mother, looking her dead in the eyes. "You didn't expect her to keep the baby, did you?"

"Of course not but I would still have liked to know! Instead you lied to me and had Ku do all your dirty work for you. Cera could've died!"

"No she wouldn't have. I was here with her the entire time."

Ana smirked. "You would know how such things work, wouldn't you Arielle?"

The princess raised her hand and her mother caught her wrist and slowly bent it backwards. Cera covered her eyes, witnessing this entire argument. At this point she wished she were deaf instead of mute so she wouldn't have to hear them fight anymore.

Anastasia raised her eyebrow. "Have you lost your mind, girl?"

"I was trying to help and you keep insulting me!"

"Then…stop lying to me…" she grabbed her daughter by the hair and reared her head backward. "This is your last warning, Arielle. You are walking on very thin ice with me right now."

The princess smiled. "Oh? What will you do if I don't heed your words? Will you kill me?"

Cera dug her fingernails in her hair watching the two from afar. She began breathing heavily almost to the point of hyperventilating. She closed her eyes and continued to listen to her mother and sister bicker with each other –back and forth, back and forth.

In the midst of the argument a high pitched scratchy scream echoed throughout the room. Arielle and her mother turned to see Cera screaming in bed. They gawked at her with mouths ajar. Cera's voice died down and then she collapsed onto the pillows and stared at the ceiling.

Anastasia ran over and sat on the bed. She held her daughter's hand and inspected her sunken cheeks. Arielle kept her distance but she stood behind her mother, staring at her sister in awe. Cera's eyes were so unfocused and she couldn't hear what her mother was saying as she spoke to her.

"Cera, _tatli_ _kiz_, can you hear me?" she asked for the third time and slapped her daughter's hand.

The redhead princess gathered her eyebrows and the loud ringing in her ears faded and she turned slowly to look into her mother's big eyes. She looked at Arielle who kept smiling despite the argument earlier.

Anastasia had missed her daughter's sweet voice and hadn't heard it since she was five years old. She kissed Cera's hand and kept her big warm smile on her lips while her daughter kept staring at her confusedly.

"Cera, you realized what just happened, right?"

The princess nodded slowly and put a hand to her sore throat. The vibrations of her vocal cords she hadn't used in so long throbbed inside. She had trouble swallowing and she reached for a glass of water which her mother handed to her.

Arielle smiled. "So, you do have a voice after all."

Anastasia frowned at the sound of her eldest daughter; a voice she did not want to hear. She rose from the bed and turned around. Arielle's smile disappeared in an instant. She walked towards her and Arielle took several paces backward.

"I don't want to see you anywhere near Cera. Get out of my sight."

Arielle grimaced.

"_Gözümün önünden kaybol!"_

Cera sat up weakly as Arielle stormed out of the room. She opened her mouth to say something but croaked out incomprehensive sounds instead. She reached outward and then slammed her hand on the bed angrily. She turned to her mother and breathed heavily through her nostrils.

In all the years she'd seen her daughter act as a very sweet girl but at this moment in time she saw such anger in her eyes. She'd never seen that side of her daughter before, not until today. She touched her cheek and Cera smacked her hand away.

"Cera, let me help you. I can stay with you."

The princess threw the blankets off and swung her legs over the bed. She grabbed onto the bed post, refusing any kind of aid. Slowly, she stood up and wrapped an arm around her sore abdomen and made her way towards the doors.

Anastasia saw her daughter struggle to walk and almost to the point of falling over. She grabbed her hand to help her balance and received a glare only to remind her that she was not wanted –a glare that she'd seen before –a glare that belonged to her mother. She didn't know that her sweet daughter could ever possess such feelings.

Cera made it outside of her room and clung to the doorway. Ursula tried to help and she held up her hand, heaving deeply. She had her eye on the end of the hallway and hobbled her way down the hall with determination.

Xena appeared from around the corner and saw Cera walking on her own. She saw her swaying from side to side and then collapse to her knees. She hurried over and wrapped an arm around the princess' thin frame.

Cera tried to resisting and Xena tightened her grip. "What are you doing out of bed?" she asked.

The princess stopped struggling once she heard the soft voice whisper in her ear. She turned to her grandmother and fell into her arms, weeping quietly. Xena raised her eyebrow and wrapped her hand around the auburn haired princess' head.

"Where's Arielle? Isn't she supposed to be with you?"

Anastasia appeared and she stared down at her mother with forlorn eyes. It seemed she was going to receive nothing but mean glares from every single woman in her life tonight. First Arielle, then Cera and now her own mother.

"What happened? I heard a scream and a lot of yelling. And where is Arielle?"

"She…I sent her away."

"You what?" Xena stood and helped Cera stand up. "Ursula, take Cera back to her room."

The shamaness rushed over and took the princess by the arm and walked away. Xena narrowed her eyes and backed her daughter into a corner. Anastasia's eyes enlarged and she slammed herself against the wall.

"You just can't stop, can you? You're always yelling at Arielle and giving her a hard time. I could hear you all the way from my room! I'm two halls down!"

"Why are you defending her? You yell at her too!"

"No!" Xena hissed and got closer. "I yell at her because I want her to do better. It's constructive criticism. It's my job to make sure she commands the army correctly. You have no authority to put her in her place. That's my department."

She poked her daughter in the chest. "It's _your_ job to make sure the empire doesn't fall apart. Whatever Arielle does regarding commanding the army is _my_ territory. Do not overstep your bounds, Anastasia. But I know you weren't yelling at her because of that. Don't forget that you are a mother first and queen second."

"But…she lied to me!" the khatun tried to defend her actions.

Xena put her hand to her daughter's throat lightly. "She's going to do that, Ana, but there is difference this time. She wasn't lying to betray you; she lied because she was trying to protect Cera from _you_."

Anastasia's mouth parted. "You knew…"

"It doesn't matter if I knew or not. Do not keep this up Ana or you will become a tyrannical queen at this rate. Learn to separate your queen duties from your personal life."

"This is also political! Cera has information about Japan and both of my daughters lied to me. How do you expect me to react?"

Xena pinched her daughter's cheeks together. "Rationally. I expect you to react rationally. I know neither _Ellac_ nor Navaz would appreciate the way you're treating their daughters. Go to your room."

* * *

Days after the heated confrontation, Anastasia decided to keep away from her family and remain in her room. It wasn't exactly how she expected that night to end. Now she had both her daughters against her and her mother giving her a lecture like she was a little girl. She couldn't have been more embarrassed than she was at this very moment.

Arielle delved into her duties as commander and put her feelings aside for her mother. She spent four days straight in the field and only came to bed late at night when everyone else was sleeping. She only had a chance to see Aurora when she was asleep at night and when she was awake early in the morning.

Now, she was in the governor's office with Bayan. She proposed her divorce decree and even though Bayan did not object to it, he really didn't like the idea of marrying Sarnai as he still had strong feelings for Arielle.

Gabrielle sat at her desk, reading over all the demands that Arielle wanted in the divorce. She scratched her head and drummed her fingers on the desk in silence. Arielle grew impatient and let out a hefty sigh to grab the governor's attention.

She cleared her throat and held the parchment in her hands. "Arielle, this is a very detailed decree."

"I worked on it for two days. So, what's wrong with it? Are you going to send it off to mother to approve it?"

"Um, I _would_ but there's one problem."

"Problem? What problem?" Arielle said in a frantic tone.

Gabrielle didn't know how else to explain this without infuriating the princess. "Well…there is no doubt that your mother will sign this but you…can't demand to continue to be Queen of Harran. According to the laws of the empire, if you divorce a king, you lose all of your rights and status as a monarch. Your mother had the same thing happen to her when Navaz divorced her. She was stripped of her title as Queen of Balaam."

Arielle laughed sarcastically. "So what you're saying is that if Bayan marries that whore then she becomes queen?"

The governor nodded.

"This is bullshit!" she yelled. "This is all your damn fault, Bayan!"

"I'm aware," he grumbled. "You made that very clear every single second I'm with you."

She slammed her fist on the governor's desk. "There is no way in hell I am letting a Mongolian whore run my tribe! She knows nothing about our empire! She isn't one of us!"

"Neither is Ku and you seem to put her on a pedestal," Bayan snapped at his wife.

Arielle snarled at him. "Leave her out of this. Ku would never betray me."

"Of course not. She sleeps in the same bed as you. Why don't you marry her?" he chuckled light heartedly. "You're still a princess of the empire, Arielle, and you're commander! What more do you want?"

"I want _my_ tribe in _my_ control!" she drew her sword and held it to his throat.

Gabrielle sank in her chair nervously. "Let's not use weapons in my office, please."

The commander lowered her sword and smirked at Bayan who was grateful that he was to be chopped in several pieces.

"Ah, okay, anyway. There is one way," Gabrielle suggested. "You could let Bayan marry Sarnai but you'd still be married to him. There would be two queens of Harran. Kreka had to share her reign with two of Attila's wives."

Arielle snickered. "And where are they now? Oh that's right: they're dead!"

"You have two options. Remain married to him to keep your status or divorce him and hand over your reign to Sarnai. What's it going to be, Arielle?"

The princess folded her arms and briefly eyed Bayan who had no say in any of this. "Send a letter to the Mongol witch. Tell her to come to Pannonia."

Gabrielle puckered her lips and rubbed her chin. "Why would you want that? You sound like you hate the woman."

"I want to meet her."

Bayan scoffed. "Why? So you could kill her?"

"Don't be ridiculous. I'm not going to kill her. She has a baby to take care of. When I meet her I will make my decision. Send the letter, Gabrielle." she nodded and hurried away.

Xena ran into Bayan on her way in. he didn't make eye contact with her and brushed by so he could run off. She smiled at the sight of her wife and closed the doors behind her. Gabrielle tapped the quill pen on her head, looking over Arielle's demands and requests.

"Busy working?"

The governor jumped and half grinned. "I didn't hear you come in."

"I must be doing something right." She sat on her wife's desk and snatched the parchment up. "Arielle's divorce decree?"

"Yes…" the blonde rolled her eyes. "It is difficult to reason with her sometimes. She's still hurt over what Bayan did."

"Rightfully so, Gabrielle. He's lucky he's still alive. Don't you remember when Kreka found out about Kriemhild and Ildico? And how about Dengizich and Leila? That tiny little thing beat up big strong Dengi," she laughed just thinking about it.

Gabrielle nodded. "Oh I remember. Leila was half his size and he was cowering in fear," she recalled. "Why do men do these things to their wives?"

"We'll never know. If Borias ever did that to me, he _and_ his woman would be dead."

"So…he never slept with other women on one of your missions like Attila did? After all, that's how we discovered Ebnedzar was Attila's son."

Xena frowned and leaned down towards her wife. "_Never_."

Gabrielle held her breath while her wife stared her down. Xena then smiled and kissed her forehead and hopped off the desk.

"Anyway, where's this surprise you and Ana are hiding from me?"

"Speaking of Ana, why hasn't she come out of her room?"

Xena stared at the fireplace and laced her fingers behind her back. "I told her to stay there. She wrongfully scolded Arielle."

"Over what?"

She waited for her wife to answer but sat in silence for over a minute. She folded her arms and watched her wife focus on the fire, refusing to speak to her about what happened that night. Gabrielle didn't hear anything about the situation until a couple days later but she was clueless about everything.

"I heard a scream that night," Xena finally spoke. "I found Cera on the floor outside of her room. The rest doesn't matter," she inhaled deeply. "Arielle told me that scream belonged to Cera."

Gabrielle stood out of her chair. "_Cera_? Is she sure?"

"She was there when it happened. I'm pretty sure Arielle wouldn't fib about something like that."

"How is that possible? Cera hasn't been able to speak since she was a little girl."

Xena smiled. "It's either divine intervention or extreme will power. I'll go with the latter."

"This is great news! Why didn't you tell me? Did she say anything else? Has she spoken since? We could get a teacher for her."

"Gabrielle, Gabrielle!" she put her hands on her wife's shoulders. "Don't pressure the girl and no she hasn't said a word since."

"But how great would it be if she could actually talk again? I wonder what she would sound like. Do you think it's possible?"

Xena rolled her eyes. "I have no idea. She's still resting in her room but she did promise to write a report about what went down in Japan."

* * *

_Persia_

Kavad, the son of the late Shah, Peroz and cousin of Balash, was crowned as Shah of Persia a few weeks after the Persian army fled China. There was talk among all of Kavad's four sons, who were grown men and longed for the crown. The eldest son, Kawus, was counting on the crown as he deemed his father was not a strong fit to be a ruler.

The Grand Vizier, Rüzem, ruled the empire by Balash's side and now he was to serve Kavad. Right under the new shah's nose, the vizier confided in Kawus that his father was planning to make an alliance with the Huns. The news was kept a secret from all the politicians but Kawus soon spread this information to his brothers.

Kawus gathered his three brothers, Jamasp, Xerxes and Khosrow, into his private chambers. They all sat on the floor drinking coffee and eating sweets that were brought to them by the servants. Kawus allowed his brothers to sit in silence and enjoy the food and drink.

Xerxes waited until all of the servants left the room and eyed his elder brother. "Why did you bring us here, brother?"

"You have no patience, Xerxes but if you must know, I have valuable information about father."

"I hope it is not more slander," Jamasp chimed in.

Kawus held up his hand. "This comes from a reliable source. I've found out that father plans to make an alliance with the Huns. He will start by writing a treaty to the White Huns."

Xerxes, outraged, tossed the tray of sweets over with a flip of his hand. "We've never been friends with those savages. If father allies with them then he will taint our family's name and reputation. We should focus on our rivals, the Byzantines. Justinian betrayed our grandfather and cousins. He backed out on his deal. Why not attack Justinian instead of allying with the Huns?"

"I'm not one to question our father's intentions, Xerxes." The eldest brother took a pause. "If he decides to go through with this alliance we need to devise a plan to dethrone him."

Khosrow, the youngest of them all, laughed aloud. "And what then? _You_ will take the crown?"

"Do you not think I'm right to hold the title, brother?"

"You do nothing but drink wine and invite women to your bed, Kawus. You already shame our family by participating in blasphemous activities. You're too irresponsible. I would be a better fit for shah or even Xerxes. He's been father's general for five years."

Kawus chuckled at his little brother's arrogance. "We'll see what happens but don't get wrapped up in your arrogance, Khosrow. A soldier told Rüzem that he spoke to the Hun governor and commander, Xena."

"Xena is the one who killed Balash. Why didn't our soldiers behead her on the spot?"

"No patience with you, Khosrow. Listen here, our soldier offered a position to the Hun governor. It will help us. He told her that father will make an alliance with the Huns and asked her to be a spy for us."

"She would never agree to do that."

Kawus nodded. "I know that Huns are very loyal but if we can convince the Huns that we want to be allies, it will get us closer to dethroning father and taking over the Hun Empire. Father will send an ambassador to speak on his behalf. I will convince Rüzem to send…" he scanned his brothers. "Xerxes."

Xerxes lifted his eyes. "Me?"

"You will be our eyes and ears. You are father's favorite. He will send you in a heartbeat."

Jamasp nudged his little brother. "Maybe you can get close to the Hun princess, Arielle. I hear her beauty rivals those across the Steppes."

"You exaggerate. She's probably hideous," Xerxes hissed.

All the brothers snickered.

* * *

_One Month Later_

Xena steered clear of the Adame every time her daughter showed her face to everyone. She knew that Anastasia was hurting inside now that both of her daughters were not on speaking terms with her. Instead of getting herself involved in that mess of a triangle, she decided to go back to what she did best –mentor future soldiers.

Edemen and Issik were under her watchful eye as they trained with practice swords in the field together. Xena cringed as the two kept arguing and hitting each other on purpose instead of working together and learning how to spar. The princes began furiously clashing swords and then started to hit each other in the face.

"Hey, hey!" she yelled and grabbed their arms and pulled them apart. "This is a training exercise. You two act just like your mothers," she mumbled.

"But he hit me first!" cried Edemen.

"If you two don't stop I'm going to punish you by sending you to the stables."

The boys hushed their mouths and stood up straight.

Xena grinned. "I thought so. Now, back to training. No more hitting each other, got it?" she pressed and they nodded their heads.

In the middle of their training session, Navaz and Soran rode into camp which grabbed everyone's attention. Xena paused and Navaz gave a curt nod. She eyed the prince who definitely didn't look like a child anymore. It had been a few years since she'd seen Soran and he was a scrawny kid at the time, but that was no more.

Navaz dismounted his horse and made his over to greet the princes and the woman he once called his mother in law. He smiled and kissed her hand. "Xena, very nice to see you again."

"Always the charmer." She snatched her hand away and Soran approached her who was equal in her height. "Soran. Look at you."

The prince blushed and bowed his head to her. "It's nice to be back in Pannonia. Where's my sister? I haven't seen her in a long time."

"Uh…she's in the field." She pointed at Arielle who was yelling at her men from afar.

Soran nods his head slowly. "Ah, I guess I will catch up with her later. Is everyone inside? I'd like to see them."

"Anastasia is in the foyer with Gabrielle. Csaba and Ernak are in a meeting but I'm sure they'll be finished soon."

He smiles and took off to the Adame. Navaz stood awkwardly beside Xena and briefly greeted the princes while he waited. She folded her arms and eyed the king from head to toe.

"What're you waiting for? Ana is expecting you."

"I must brace myself, Xena. I have not seen her in a year."

"I'm sure she'll be happy to see you especially with all the tension around here."

He frowned and whipped his head around. "What's going on?"

"Trust me; you _don't_ want to open that can of worms."

* * *

Anastasia looked over the report that Cera finally was able to write up. The report was several pages long and she had to work up to reading it all at once. She flipped through the pages going back and forth between the second and third pages while the governor stood beside her, waiting patiently.

"She was a concubine for Prince Senka?"

"Yes that's what she wrote. She was chosen by his wife, Princess Tashibana and his mother, Menokohime. It says that she was able to escape but she held Menokohime hostage. She met Ren at the port in Kusuba and he saved her from the imperial soldiers."

Ana nodded and handed the report back. Reading it over several times was beginning to make her feel ill. She didn't wish to imagine a stranger on top of her daughter, or her being beaten by the harem maids.

"So, Emperor Liu knows Cera was held in Japan as a slave and now the Japanese prince will know that his _concubine_ was in fact a princess." She hummed and folded her arms.

Gabrielle could see that this subject was not well liked and truth be told, she didn't read the entire report either. She was surprised that Ana was able to read it over multiple times.

"Ana, I am concerned about Emperor Liu and Persia more than I am about Japan. China is more powerful than Japan and if they are allies with the Sassan family, things will not bode well for us."

"I understand your concern, Gabrielle. I am sending Ernak back to Mongolia. He will keep an eye on China for me. He wants to bring his wife and children with him but I won't allow it until I know that area is safe."

The governor tucked the Japan report into her satchel. "You know best."

Anastasia sighed. "Lately it seems whatever I do is wrong." She turned to the governor. "My daughters won't talk to me. Cera won't come out of her room for anybody and Arielle ignores everyone except her soldiers."

"Xena didn't tell me everything that happened that night but she did tell me that you scolded Arielle," she cautiously brings up the subject and the khatun gave her a cold cheek. "I know how stubborn you can be. You definitely get that from your mother but one thing your mother learned is to stop being prideful when she was wrong. I think you should…consider apologizing to Arielle."

The khatun scoffed. "She would never accept my apology. If I am stubborn, she is the queen of stubbornness."

Gabrielle put a hand on the tall queen's shoulder. "You know what you did was wrong Ana and that's why you're angry. Own up to it. It'll make your life a lot easier," she says quietly and smiled, gazing into blue eyes that mirrored the queen's mother's so perfectly.

Navaz walked into the foyer and spotted Anastasia from afar. She turned and he gave her a big warm smile. Gabrielle briefly nodded to the king and slowly backed away.

"I will come back later when you're ready to discuss Persia," the governor whispered. "Navaz," she greeted and then made herself scarce.

"Anastasia." he walked over to her and kissed her hand. "Did Soran greet you? He came into the Adame."

She frowned and looked around the foyer. "I must've not seen him come in. I was busy talking with Gabrielle."

He kept smiling and took a step back to take a good look at her. "You look very nice."

"Thank you for coming, Navaz. I know you have your own duties to worry about in Balaam."

"I would never deny a request from you," he winked and she nervously smiled. "How is Arielle doing as commander? She wasn't in good shape when she returned from Balaam."

Anastasia sighed. "Let's not talk about Arielle right now."

"What did she do now?"

She waved her hand dismissively. "How is Safiya?"

Navaz was skeptical of her coyness regarding their daughter but he could see she was bothered by something so he kept his comments to himself. "She's doing well. I asked if she wanted to come but she decided to stay home."

Ana's eyebrows rose, not surprised to hear that.

"Anastasia," he began, "I don't know what is going on but Safiya doesn't like to hear about you at all when you're mentioned. Did something happen between you two?"

"Nothing happened."

He raised an eyebrow. "Ana…"

"Navaz. Nothing happened. Let's just drop it."

* * *

Cera sat on her bed holding a dagger in her palms. She stared at the blade for two hours. The news about Mirac coming to Pannonia did ease her a little bit but she kept thinking about Prince Senka. She had repeated dreams of him arriving in front of the Adame with his imperial soldiers.

The moment she finished writing the report she decided not to leave anything out. She wrote down every single detail that happened to her. The image of Gabrielle's face was burned into her mind as she watched her read the report in front of her. She was horrified and she should be, Cera thought. Cera could only imagine what her mother's reaction was to be. She hadn't told Arielle everything that happened and she was frightened to.

She knew her sister to be a bit of a wild card and she reacted with extreme emotions and passion. Csaba had always been reasonable but Cera wasn't too sure what he'd do if he found out about her time spent in Japan. His behavior had wavered over the years especially after he brutally beat up Bayan five years ago. That came to a shock to everyone although she remembered that night perfectly.

Cera watched her sister suffer and her anger lead to resentment towards their mother. She never thought she'd feel resentment towards her mother. She thought she wasn't capable of possessing those feelings until now. She sensed much change in her mother this last year since Kreka Khatun passed.

She gripped the blade and it cut into her palms. A knock came to the door and she quickly stuffed the dagger underneath the mattress then wiped the blood on a washcloth she used for her face this morning.

Soran entered and she stood up and hid her bloody hands behind her back. "Cera!" he rushed over and kissed her cheeks multiple times. "It's so good to see you're here. Safiya and I came to Kazakhstan to look for you after you were taken. Are you feeling alright?"

She nodded with a big smile. She touched his short hair and her fingers ran down his chiseled jaw. The last time she saw him was at Arielle's senlik and he was just a thin teen at the time. He looked almost unrecognizable now.

He caught a glimpse of blood out of the corner of his eye and grabbed her wrist. He gasped at the sight of a large slit across her palm.

"Cera, what is this? Did someone hurt you?"

She frowned and shook her head.

"I should get the physician."

He head off and she balled up her throbbing fists and opened her mouth slowly. "N-n-o!" she yelled.

Soran paused and spun around at the sound of her voice. "What? Did you…"

* * *

That night everyone turned in early and tomorrow there would be a meeting about Persia. Gabrielle tried her best to convince Anastasia to apologize and even told her wife about the conversation. Xena was not impressed by her daughter's behavior as of late. Disappointed couldn't even describe the feelings she felt.

Xena requested that food be sent to her room as she didn't want to eat in the hall with everyone else. She hardly touched her food and fell asleep earlier than Gabrielle. In the middle of the night she tossed and turned several times in bed, although her constant movements didn't seem to disturb her wife.

She turned over onto her back and creased her eyebrows. Sweat dripped down her face in her slumber and she dug her fingers in the sheets.

_Xena opened her eyes and sprung up from the bed. She looked at her surroundings and they were foreign yet familiar. It was a place she had long forgotten. She got out of bed and slowly approached the curtains of the bedroom and separated them and cautiously poked her head out._

_She was in her old yurt back in the original capital of Pannonia. She stepped out of her room and looked around at the large pillows on the floor, table next to the entrance. She slowly turned her head and saw a thick curtain._

_Breathing in heavily, she treads close to the curtains and pulled it to the side. Anastasia's old room. She raised an eyebrow, wondering what kind of nightmare this was. She walked inside and saw her daughter's clothes laid out on the bed. They were quite small which meant this was a very, very long time ago –a different kind of time._

_She felt a hand grasp her shoulder and she spun around, breathing heavily, yet nobody was there. She wondered how long this nightmare would last and she questioned if Ursula slipped something into her food to make her dream her past life so vividly. A brush of cold air rushed by her and she circled herself._

_Something told her to go to the Adame. She ran outside the yurt and looked at the old Adame. It was a lot smaller than she remembered especially compared to the new home. She made her way towards the Adame and hurried up the stairs._

_She felt like she was being guided and she ended up standing outside of Attila's room. She peeked through the crack in the doors and there was Attila talking with Kreka. A small smile crossed her lips as she saw the two of them._

_Xena's eyes widened and she thought she was dead but then she inwardly hit herself. Dead people can't visit the past. She heard the two monarchs arguing and by the looks of it, the khatun was very upset. She looked around the room and saw a baby in a bassinet on the floor._

"_How could you do this to me?" Kreka said with obvious pain in her harsh words. "You lied to me."_

_Attila pinched his brows together. "I still love you. I don't need to tell you that because you already know, don't you?" he touched her cheek._

_Kreka closed her eyes and sighed. "You betrayed my trust, Attila. I want you to get rid of her and we won't speak of this again." She shoved him away._

"_I do not care about this woman. I didn't even get her name. She means nothing to me. It was a night after a battle."_

"_And what? You could not contain yourself? Did you think I wouldn't find out? She contacted me! Who does she think she is?!"_

"_I will take care of it," he reassured her._

_Kreka folded her arms. "I already did. I gave her a salary for a year. She will never show her face here again and this is over as far as I'm concerned."_

_Xena listened to their conversation and backed away from the doors slowly. She had no idea what the two were talking about and how this was kept from her if this actually happened in her past. She kept backing up and then bumped into something on the floor._

_She turned around and saw Anastasia lying on the floor, this time as a grown woman, in a pool of blood._

Xena jolted awake and inhaled sharply. Gabrielle woke from her wife's abrupt movement and studied her face. She was pale as a ghost and her face and neck drenched in sweat.

"Are you alright? Xena?"

She wiped her forehead and threw the blankets off her body. "Anastasia…" she sprung out of bed and darted out of the room.

"Xena! Wait! What are you doing?" Gabrielle yelled and hurried out of bed and slipped on her shoes to run after her wife.

* * *

She ran up the stairs as quickly as possible and her daughter's chambermaid, Diana, was standing outside the doors. Zelda saw her coming and immediately bowed her head and took a few generous steps back. Xena bolted through the doors into Ana's bedroom.

She ran to the bed and shook her daughter's arms furiously. "Anastasia!"

The khatun opened her eyes lazily in the middle of a deep slumber. She squinted her eyes in the dim-lit room and was a bit taken aback by her mother hovering over her. She sat up groggily and raised an eyebrow.

"Mother? What are…you doing in my room?"

Xena smiled and cupped her daughter's face. "I'm just…glad to see you're alright."

"What time is it? Did something happen?"

Gabrielle finally caught up and entered the room, heaving from loss of breath. She clung to the bedpost and stared at her wife confusedly. "Xena…" she says breathlessly, "what is going on? Why did you take off like that?"

Her wife's cheeks flushed. "N-nothing. I just had a bad feeling."

Anastasia and Gabrielle both shared the same puzzled expression. The queen grabbed her mother's hand. "A _bad_ feeling?"

* * *

Gabrielle brought a glass of water for her wife and sat down in front of the fireplace in the room. It was nearing dawn now and there was no way that she was getting any sleep. Xena thanked her for the water with a simple nod and stared at the fire.

"Are you going to tell me what happened? I've never seen you run so fast out of this room."

Xena sipped the water and puckered her lips. "I…had a dream but," she paused. "It wasn't a dream. At least I don't think it was. Everything felt so real, Gabrielle."

"Care to elaborate? I'm not going to sleep anytime soon."

Xena tapped her fingers on the glass and didn't know how to explain without sounding like a crazy person. But she knew her wife wouldn't shame her or make fun of her as they'd been through a lot together. It wouldn't be the first time she had dreams like this before. They were warnings usually.

"I woke up in my old yurt. It was a long time ago. Ana was a little girl and…I went to the Adame. I saw Attila and Kreka. They were talking in their room and from what I heard, Kreka was talking about a woman whom Attila had sex with one night."

"Ebnedzar's mother?"

She shook her head. "No, she didn't know about that night and that was before he married Cera. This was much later. Kreka said the woman he slept with contacted her. She gave her money to silence her. I didn't know about this. How could I not know? Why would Kreka keep that a secret from me? I knew everything that Attila did. I was always there."

Gabrielle rubbed her chin and sat back on her palms. "Maybe you weren't there when it happened." She suggested and her wife gave a conflicted frown. "What do you think it means?"

"I don't know but…after I listened to their conversation I turned around and saw Anastasia. She was dead, lying on the floor in a pool of her own blood."

Gabrielle blinked several times and gazed at the fire, unsure of what to think of that dream. It definitely explained her wife's sudden departure and scaring Ana half to death in the middle of the night.

"Do you think someone is plotting to kill her?"

"I don't know but someone was trying to tell me something."

Gabrielle took in a deep breath. "Who would send a message like that?"

Xena set down the glass and grabbed her coat and slipped on her shoes. Her wife turned around and sat up on her knees, watching her get ready to go somewhere, somewhere else again. Xena grabbed her kozak and put it on her head and tucked her bangs underneath the headdress.

"Where are you going _now_?" Gabrielle asks.

"I have to do something. Wait here."

"I am not leaving you again."

Xena grimaced. "Fine, you can come but hurry up."

* * *

Arielle briskly walked out onto the field just before sunrise to train her soldiers. She fluffed the veil on her headdress and set it on her head as she quickened her pace. She hoped she wouldn't have to wake up her soldiers as harshly as she did last time. She told them to be awake before she arrived the next time or they'd be severely punished.

As she kept walking up the hill she turned to see her grandmother and Gabrielle heading towards the woods. Her pace slowed to a stop and she stared at the two dark figures treading across the camp. She watched them for a few moments longer and then went on her way to the training field.

Badr ran from the gates and Arielle stopped. He bowed his head before her and put a hand over his chest.

"Commander, there is a Persian Ambassador here to see you. He is Prince Xerxes from the House of Sassan."

She grumbled and looked back at the gates, barely able to see anything but the torches the soldiers held. "Doesn't he want to speak to the khatun?"

"No, commander. He wants to speak with you. I've already inspected him and my men are scouting the area for assassins."

She sighs and nods. "Alright. I will meet with him. Bring him to the field. I don't want my time wasted on Persian politics. I have a lot of work to do."

"Yes, commander." He said and ran back to the Persian waiting at the gates.

* * *

Xena, accompanied by her wife, came to an area just outside of the woods and the encampment. They stopped at a large wooden gazebo covered in vines that lacked flowers due to the winter season. Xena stared at the gazebo for a moment longer and put her hand up to Gabrielle, telling her to stay behind. Gabrielle wrapped the scarf over her hair and looked around to see if anyone was watching.

She approached the gazebo and saw one flower that had bloomed on the vines. The first sign that spring is on its way and very early this year. She stepped inside and stared at the bronze headdress that which used to belong to Kreka Khatun.

After the khatun's death all of wealthiest in Pannonia contributed to build a special place for her. They even bronzed her infamous burgundy kozak and put it on a pedestal. Not even Attila had such a memorial back in the old capital.

Xena gazed at the bronze kozak and could almost envision Kreka's face wearing it in front of her. She smiled softly and felt a bit strange standing in silence.

"I told you to stay out of my dreams," she joked. She cleared her throat. "But I can see that I will never be rid of you," she admits quietly and then looked back at Gabrielle who smiled warmly.

"If what I saw was true and it did happen…why did you keep it a secret?" she asks aloud and kept her eyes on the bronze headdress. "And why would you show this to me now? What is the point?"

Gabrielle kept hearing her wife mumbling and she turned around, trying to avoid eavesdropping. She didn't quite understand why they were here but it obviously had to do something with the dream Xena had. She looked out beyond the camp and saw a Persian walking with Anastasia's elites.

Her jaw dropped and she walked away from the gazebo and there he was. He was heading towards Arielle on the top of the hill. She treads backward carefully.

"Xena…"

She was ignored and she ran over and repeated, "Xena!"

"What!" she spun around.

Gabrielle pointed to the field and Xena stepped out of the gazebo, glaring at a Persian making his way to Arielle's training grounds.


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Persian Prince negotiates peace with the Huns and offers to host Arielle and Farah in his home. Csaba learns about what happened to Cera back in Japan and seeks vengeance for his little sister. The hierarchy of the empire shifts when Xena is brought to a surprise ceremony, organized by her daughter and Gabrielle.

**This is a slow build up for what's to come later. I appreciate the feedback, y'all are awesome. Enjoy :)**

Chapter 12 –_The Walls have Ears: Part II_

"What is a Persian doing here? Maybe Kavad sent someone to kill you?" Gabrielle exclaims and grabs onto her wife's arm.

Xena grunted and shoved her off then walked forward and hid behind a large tree, eyeing the mysterious Persian make his way up the hill with Ana's elites following right behind. She squints her eyes, barely able to see in the dark.

"He isn't here to kill me. If they wanted to kill me they could've done it back in China. My question is: why is he going to speak with Arielle?"

Gabrielle bit her lip and rubbed her cold hands together. "Um, Xena, there is something I should tell you."

Xena turned around and waited for her wife to speak. "Yes?"

"How do I say this…" the blonde mumbled. "Um, so that Persian soldier who translated those documents for us –you remember him right?"

Her wife nods her head slowly then crossed her arms.

"Well, he's the one who told me that Kavad would be crowned as the shah but he also told me something else." She inhaled deeply and almost forgot to exhale whilst staring at her wife's unexpressive face. "He asked me to spy on the empire for Kavad."

Xena slapped a hand over her face. "That's just fantastic, Gabrielle! You couldn't have mentioned this earlier? We could've been prepared before this Persian showed up!"

"Well, how was I supposed to know that Kavad would send someone over?!"

"Forget it. We need to tell Anastasia and Csaba about this. Come on you…" she grumbled and grabbed Gabrielle's arm.

* * *

Arielle stood with her back turned and heard footsteps approaching from behind. She smiled and put away her sword then spun around to face the Persian prince. She was shocked to see that he did not bear the same face as his cousins who were not very attractive. In fact this Sassanian prince was handsome.

His long straight chestnut hair came just above his waist and his beard accentuated his strong jaw and prominent long nose. His eyes were a dark brown and the shape reminded her of ripe large almonds. His strong brow indicated that he had a strong personality.

"Xerxes, Prince of Persia," she says.

He looked at her face in the torchlight fire and his eyes widened. "Yes, commander, that's correct." He glanced around and stared at her youthful face once more. "_You're_ the Hun Commander?" he questions skeptically.

She chuckled and walked a few paces forward. "Were you expecting someone else?" she asks and he lowered his gaze. "Xena, perhaps?"

Xerxes frowned at the sound of her name and that was all that Arielle needed to know that he was indeed looking for her grandmother.

"I'm the commander now. If you've come to see my grandmother, she isn't available."

"Your _grandmother_…?"

She extended her hand. "Princess Arielle of Pannonia. _Hoşgeldiniz."_

Xerxes shook her hand and began chuckling under his breath. "Ah, my brothers have played a dirty trick on me."

"Pardon?"

"Never mind. It's not important. Pleased to meet you, princess. You're famous across the Steppes and widely talked about in Persia."

She grinned. "Am I?" she feigned innocence. "What brings you to Pannonia? Too bad I can't interrogate you since you are royalty. What a shame." She sighs and saw he instantly became uneasy. "Anyway, if you've come to talk politics, you need to talk to Anastasia Khatun. I don't deal with politics."

"Actually, I wanted to speak with you if you have time to listen?"

* * *

Anastasia sat on the edge of her bed, still not yet dressed for the day. Csaba came in the room shortly after he was called and he raced in with his hair a mess and in a robe. Gabrielle and Xena stood at a fair distance from the bed and Csaba ran over to stand beside his mother.

"Why was I woken up at the crack of dawn? More bad feelings?" the khatun eyed her mother.

Xena pushed her wife forward. "Gabrielle has something to tell you."

"Ah…" the governor started with a meek grin, "in China when…me and Xena…went to the Persian camp, I met with a soldier and he asked me to consider being a spy for Kavad. I didn't say I would! I declined immediately."

Ana gasped. "That wasn't in the report! You were supposed to record everything that happened!"

"I know but I didn't think it was important until now."

"What does that mean?"

Xena interrupted. "A Persian is in the training field right now. He's talking to Arielle. We saw them from the woods and that was when Gabrielle decided to relay this information that she kept to herself."

Anastasia pinched her eyebrows together. "Have this Persian brought to me after I get dressed. And what were you two doing in the woods before sunrise?"

"That is not important."

"Mhm." Ana turned to her sleepy son. "Csaba, wake up Farah and tell her to come to my room. We will all have a meeting with Arielle before I see the Persian. Everyone is dismissed," she says. "Except you, Gabrielle."

The governor got a mean glare from her wife and stared at the floor. Everyone left the chambers and she briefly lifted her eyes to the khatun who had a puzzled look upon her face. She chastised herself for keeping that a secret for such a long time but she didn't know it could come of use to them until now. She also didn't know that the new shah was going to send an adversary so fast.

"Ana, I know that I should've told you right away about this. I was going to tell you but I –"

"It's alright, Gabrielle, but don't let it happen again. I'm going to let it slide because you've never made a mistake in the past. But you will be staying for the meeting and write _everything_ that everyone says."

Gabrielle nodded.

Zelda lingered in the background listening to the entire conversation between everyone that was in the room. She laid out the queen's black dress and headdress for the day slower than usual. She needed an excuse to leave the Adame in order to give her daily report.

Anastasia smiled at the uncomfortable governor. "Ursula told me that she finished the kozak for my mother. I'd like to have a ceremony for her soon and crown her as Khanum. You didn't tell her anything, did you?"

"No, I haven't but she's been on my tail. She hasn't figured anything out. Are you going to tell her what the ceremony is for?"

"If I did it wouldn't be a surprise, now would it?"

Gabrielle scratched her head. "Ana, I know you want to surprise her but she doesn't really like parties. What if she doesn't want this position?"

"You're worrying over nothing! She's going to love it! Don't say a word about this to her. I'll handle the preparations. We'll see how this meeting goes with the Persian before I plan the ceremony."

Zelda walked over with the dress and bowed her head. "Your highness. Your dress."

Ana stood up and grabbed the dress from her chambermaid. "You may go get ready for the meeting, Gabrielle. We will meet within the hour."

She nodded and left the room in a hurry. Zelda waited for the petite governor to leave and then followed the khatun towards the baths.

"Your highness if it is alright with you, I'd like to go to the kitchen. I will ask the chefs to prepare your food for the dining hall."

Ana raised her eyebrow at the maid then nodded and walked through the door into the baths.

* * *

It was difficult to go back to sleep once Arielle woke up to train her soldiers. Ku's conversations with Arielle were short in the morning and almost nonexistent at night before bed. She was beginning to regret deciding to stay in the same room as her.

But since she was awake early she needed to get Aurora up and that was also proving to be a very demanding task as the days went on. She struggled to get the little princess out of bed. She stood over the bed and Aurora pulled the wool blanket over her head.

"Come on, you need to get in the bath, Aurora. You have school today."

"I don't wanna go," she mumbled.

Ku frowned and paddled the girl's thigh. "I don't have time for this. Your cousins are going to walk you to school. I don't want you to be late." She pressured. "Aurora!"

Navaz slipped into the room unnoticed and smiled at Ku trying to get his granddaughter out of bed. He walked over quietly and tapped the maid's shoulder. Ku-Ilm stepped aside and folded her arms. There was no way he was going to get her out of bed, Ku thought.

"You should do as she says," he whispered.

Aurora threw the blanket off her head and sprung up quickly. She jumped into his arms and Ku rolled her eyes, annoyed that he was able to get the princess up in a snap of a finger and she struggled. Navaz sat down and adjusted the princess on his lap.

"When did you get here?" she asked.

"I arrived yesterday."

The princess smoothed down his thick beard and looked into his eyes. "Why didn't you come see me?"

Navaz smiled and brushed her hair away from her face. "It was a long journey for me. I had to rest to make sure I had plenty of energy to come see _you_." he poked her chest and she gave him a big bright grin.

"Did you bring me a present?" she hinted.

"Of course but you won't get it until after school. So, you should mind Ku-Ilm and get ready, right?"

Aurora hopped off his lap and snatched the dress out of her caretaker's hand then ran to the bath chamber. Ku sighed and folded her arms, shaking her head at the princess. She then turned to the king and gave a thankful smile.

"Thank you for that. She has been unruly lately since Arielle began training the army."

He understood how demanding a commander's job could be but he also knew there wasn't a way around it. "Arielle is lucky to have so many people here to help her with Aurora. I heard Bayan was here."

Ku nervously nodded. "Yes, your highness. He spends the afternoon with Aurora after school."

"Do you know when he will return to Harran?"

"I do not, your majesty."

Navaz rubbed his beard. "I see." He smiled tersely. "You may tell Bayan that I will be spending time with Aurora after her classes. I'll come back at noon."

She bowed as soon as he walked by her and exhaled heavily after the doors closed. She heard Aurora calling for her and she pinched the bridge of her nose.

* * *

Arielle stood in front of her brother, mother and Farah for the meeting. She removed her headdress and side eyed her grandmother he stood beside her. Gabrielle was gawking at her, ready to write everything down. Her eyes circled around at the three monarchs who anxiously waited for her report on the Persian.

She took in a calming breath before she spoke. "Shah Kavad sent an ambassador to discuss an alliance of peace. The ambassador is his son, Prince Xerxes. I told him to speak with you because I'm not in charge of politics but he insisted on speaking with me."

Anastasia cleared her throat. "And what did he say about the alliance?"

"He…said that he wants to make peace with the White Huns first since they share borders. Xerxes is also his father's general of the Persian army. The reason he wanted to talk to me was because he wants to combine armies and fight Justinian."

"_Justinian_? What about China? Did he mention Emperor Liu? I thought Balash was allies with China."

Arielle shook her head. "He didn't say anything about China but he did say that Balash was unpopular among the Persian Empire. He made a lot of enemies and it was inevitable that he was going to be killed. The shah gives his gratitude to…his cousin's _killer_," she eyed her grandmother who smiled widely.

The khatun licked her lips and folded her arms. "I will go to Persia with you and Xerxes to seal the deal about combining armies. I want to meet the shah face to face. I don't want to be placed in the middle of a trap."

Xena's heart palpitated when she heard that her daughter was going to leave. After that awful dream she had she didn't want her daughter out of her sight.

"No!" she blurted out. And then everyone stared at her. "It's…best if you stay here, Ana. You are in charge of the empire and we need you here. Consider sending someone else in your place."

Anastasia lifted a brow. "Alright…" she muttered. "Then I will send Farah. She knows the language and can sign the treaty without my presence."

Arielle groaned. "_Great_. I'm going to be stuck with beauty queen."

Farah scoffed. "It's not going to as bad as you think, Arielle. We're going to be a great team. This will be my first mission!"

"Just try not to break a nail or something," the commander chided.

Csaba put up his hand. "Okay, enough!" he firmly said and put a hand on his wife's shoulder. "Mother is right. Farah knows the language of the Persians. She is a perfect fit for the mission. I trust you can behave yourself, Arielle."

"Don't worry, brother. I will follow orders. When do we leave?" she anxiously asked.

"At the end of the month. Until then, Xerxes will live in the Adame in one of the guest suites. Anything else to add, mother?"

Anastasia sighed. "No, that's all. I'll speak to the Persian now. You're dismissed, Arielle."

Xena stepped forward, taking her granddaughter's place. "Anastasia, what are you going to do about the Japanese Prince Senka? What he did to Cera should not go unpunished."

Csaba paused and he whipped his head towards his mother. "What happened to Cera?"

Gabrielle dipped the pen in the ink well and wrote the last bit of Csaba's words. She could feel tension rising in the room and lifted her head from the parchment. She witnessed mother and daughter having a staring contest with each other and Csaba's eyes dart from his mother and grandmother nervously.

The khatun uncrossed her arms. She addressed her mother, "I will deal with Japan once we figure out what is going on in China, _mother_. I don't want to start a war with Japan. We're already at odds with China and we don't know if Prince Houfei is in the Tibet area like you said. Xerxes will tell us the truth about Houfei and then we'll decide where to go from there."

"As far as I'm concerned, we're _already_ at war with Japan!" Xena shouted. "They held a princess hostage and enslaved her as a concubine!"

Csaba gasped and stepped in between his mother and grandmother. "Wait a minute! Why wasn't I notified about this? Cera was a _concubine_ in Japan?!"

"That's not all she was, Csaba. She was raped and impregnated by the prince of Japan."

His eyes widened and he turned to glare at his mother. "How could you keep that from me? I'm supposed to know everything that you do! You're not the only one in charge of the empire, mother!"

"Csaba, I couldn't –"

"Where's Ernak? Has he already left for Mongolia?" he asked and grabbed his cloak.

"Csaba!"

He flung the coat over his shoulder and stormed out of the room. Farah stood flabbergasted and suddenly felt sick at the news. She gawked at her mother in law in shock and horror. She soon left after her husband. Meanwhile, Gabrielle tried to write the entire dialogue down but felt like this shouldn't go on record but she was ordered to write down everything, so she did.

Ana huffed and marched up to her calm mother. "That's just great! Now I have all of my children against me!"

"And whose fault is that," says Xena.

"You're _dismissed_."

Xena smiled and bowed her head then turned on her heel. Gabrielle stopped writing and left the pen in the ink well. She hurried away from her desk and didn't bother to look Anastasia in the eye and skipped ahead to catch up with her wife.

"Way to drop a bomb," the governor whispered.

"Csaba has a right to know. He's the king."

"I still think that was not the best way to introduce that subject. He's furious, Xena."

"I know," she laughed lightly. "Japan's going to be in for a rude awakening. I'd love to have a front row seat."

* * *

Zelda returned for her weekly report at Queen Eksama's camp. She missed two weeks because as she figured out quickly, it was hard to get away from the Adame without suspicion. She entered the tent of her queen and greeted her with a curtsey.

Eksama grinned and swung her legs off her desk and approached her servant. "Zelda, I was beginning to think you were dead."

"I'm very much alive, my queen. I have very interesting news for you."

"You do? Spill it."

"A Persian came to Pannonia. He was speaking with the young commander, Princess Arielle. I am not able to witness any of the meetings conducted in the queen's chambers but she seemed disturbed."

Eksama nods her head. "That _is_ interesting. The Persians aren't good friends with the Huns. They will be distracted with this Persian. Is it true about what you said that Attila's son is going to aid the Goths in the spring?"

"Yes, your highness. He will leave in a couple of months after the snow clears."

"Excellent. I will write a letter to my son to move the troops to Italia in the spring. I want the Huns to know exactly who is in charge. I will wipe out Alaric and his army while the Huns are preoccupied with the Persians."

Zelda smiled. "A great plan, your highness. How long will I have to serve the Hun queen?"

"Until I say not to!" Eksama spat. "Return before you're missed. I want you to watch the commander very closely if you are able to."

"Yes, my queen."

* * *

Gabrielle and her wife walked outside and there was Navaz with Aurora in the square. He was teaching how to shoot with a small bow. Gabrielle smiled at the two and looked up at her wife as they walked side by side together. They head in the direction of the king and his granddaughter.

"Why did you tell Anastasia to stay here instead of going to Persia?"

Xena laced her fingers behind her back. "She's the backbone of the empire and she should stay here. Farah is the ideal choice for this mission."

The governor sensed there was another motive to her wife's sudden outburst while ago. "Does this have anything to do with that dream you had?" she asked. Her wife lowered her gaze at the question. "Is that why we went to Kreka's gazebo? Were you searching for answers?"

Xena halted and gazed down into her wife's green eyes. "I don't expect you to understand, Gabrielle, but that wasn't just a dream. It was a warning. Kreka is warning me about something and I don't know what it is but Anastasia's life is in danger."

"The dead can see things that we can't but Xena, you can't keep Anastasia attached to your hip just because of a dream."

"It wasn't a dream! It was _real_! I took a step back into the past! Kreka is trying to tell me something and whatever it is has to do with Ana. I can't let anything happen to her. I don't know what I would do if I lost her."

Gabrielle reached over and grabbed hold of her wife's hand to reassure her that everything would work out. "I believe you and I won't let anything happen to your daughter. I promise."

Xena weakly smiled and squeezed the blonde's hand.

Aurora ran towards them and waved her new bow in the air. "Grandma Xena! Gabby! Look at my bow! Grandpa gave it to me."

Gabrielle knelt down to inspect the bow. "Wow, look at that. Is he teaching you how to use it?"

"Yeah and he will give me a horse too!"

Xena raised her eyebrow at Navaz's sheepish face. "A _horse_, huh? Navaz, I hope you cleared that with Arielle."

"I don't need permission to give gifts to my granddaughter," he says with a charming smile.

It was obvious that Aurora was the apple of his eye and he'd do anything for her. She was his only grandchild and he didn't have the luxury to see her as often as Anastasia did. Despite Ana having four grandchildren of her own, everyone knew that Aurora was her favorite. As expected, Navaz was a pushover when it came to princesses. Arielle got the same treatment as Aurora when she was a child and she was given everything she asked for when she visited her father in Balaam. Aurora was no different.

Aurora tugged on her grandfather's pants. "Can I show daddy my new bow?"

Navaz clenched his teeth together and tried his best to hide his inner hatred for Bayan. He put on a face for the princess. "Of course, _tatli kiz_. I'll meet you at the Adame."

She ran off and he had a huge frown on his face to which his forehead was ridden with creases and wrinkles. Xena nudged his arm to knock him out of his seeping dislike for Arielle's unfaithful husband.

"Bayan is not the best husband but he is a good father," she reminded him.

"Nothing you say will change what I think about him, Xena. I loathe him."

Gabrielle chortled. "Arielle is definitely a daddy's girl."

The king's face softened and he turned to the field to see his daughter training the army. He didn't have a chance to see her yet since he arrived and he lost track of Soran as well.

"When is Arielle done training? I have a gift for her."

"That's not a surprise," Gabrielle muttered and she and her wife gave each other a high-five behind their backs. They both smiled at the annoyed king.

Xena wiped her face of the goofy smile she had. "She's finished at sundown. You must stop spoiling those girls, Navaz."

"I do…not _spoil_ them."

* * *

Xerxes wrote two letters after his late evening meeting with the khatun that were to be delivered by his messenger. He told her everything about Balash's alliance with China which was now void since his father was crowned as shah. He was given a room to stay in which he was surprised that the Huns allowed him to be in such close proximity to the family members.

The khatun told him that he'd be leaving with Arielle and Queen Farah to Persia to discuss the merge of armies. He was anxious to work with the commander and she was everything his brothers said she was. She was stunning which took him for surprise.

"Persian!" Arielle shouted.

He spun around as soon as he gave the messenger his letters. "Princess," he greeted with a warm smile.

She stopped in front of him and took off her leather gloves. "What are handing off to your messenger boy?"

"Ah, a letter to my father and brothers. I'm informing them that I will be returning to Persia with you and Queen Farah as my guests."

"How was the meeting with my mother?"

Xerxes bit his bottom lip. "Very intimidating."

She laughed lightly. "She can be daunting sometimes. I know your father wants to ally with us but it's never been done in history before. Your family isn't exactly _friendly_ towards my people."

"We will have to change that, princess. I am looking forward to meeting Queen Farah. I hear she is very intelligent."

Arielle rolled her eyes. "Yes, she's very smart but she's also the most gorgeous spoiled woman in the empire. Don't pay attention to her if she complains during the journey," she joked.

Xerxes nodded and took a step closer to the Hun princess. "I think you are _very_ gorgeous, princess," he whispered then walked back to the Adame.

Her cheeks flushed bright red and she looked over her shoulder at the Sassanian prince.

* * *

One Week Later

Gabrielle thought of everything to keep Xena out of the Adame. The ceremony was going to happen whether she liked it or not and Anastasia prepared everything in secret with the exception of Gabrielle's and Ursula's knowledge.

Over the last few days Xena grew more and more suspicious as she was given several tasks that involved her absence from the palace. Whatever it was she knew it had to do with her daughter and Gabrielle but she played along and did every task that was given to her.

She had the pleasure of spending time with Cera which technically meant that she was in the Adame but she chose to ignore the scurrying maids and servants around her. She and her granddaughter sat on the floor together playing a game of chess and drinking tea.

"Your brother is going to Mongolia with Ernak and from there they'll go to Japan."

Cera frowned sadly. She didn't want to put her uncle and brother in harm's way. She was still upset at her mother for the way she treated Arielle and hadn't spoken to her in over a month. Her anger refused to subside and she didn't know if she could face her mother after that night.

"That Japanese prince will definitely get what's coming to him," she says and Cera smiled. "Your mother is worried about you. You haven't come out of your room since you came home."

The princess exhaled heavily and moved a chess piece across the board.

Xena sat back and refused to make her next move. Cera stared at her, waiting for her move. "Badr told Arielle that Mirac and his sister are on their way. They should arrive in a few days. I bet you're excited to see Mirac."

Cera blushed and nodded. Although, she was worried about what Mirac would say when he'd hear what happened to her in Japan. She had faith in her sister's words that her husband would always be there for her no matter what but she had doubts in the back of her mind.

"Soran mentioned that you _spoke_ to him," she pried and Cera hid her face with her veil of auburn hair. "Have you said anything since?"

The princess wagged her head.

Xena lifted Cera's chin. "If you have the ability to talk, we will do anything to help you. I'd love to hear your voice again." She says warmly and cupped her cheek.

Cera put a hand to her throat and swallowed deeply. She took in a sharp breath. "M-me…too," she says barely above a whisper.

Xena's eyes widened. She didn't believe it when Arielle said that Cera screamed or said a word. Her suspicions withered slightly when Soran said the same. Now that she heard her speak two words she could finally say that the rumors were true and believable.

Two words wasn't a lot but it was something. Cera's voice was definitely not what Xena imagined it would be. It was scratchy and supple but she detected the same sweet tone that she remembered from when Cera was a little girl.

Overjoyed, she kissed Cera's hands and stared into her brown eyes.

* * *

Arielle padded down the hallway holding her daughter's hand. She wore the black fur coat that her father gifted her. She was not expecting her father to give her daughter a bow and promise her a horse of all things. She'd definitely have to talk to him about that later.

Aurora swung her mother's arm back and forth as they walked together. "When will I get the horse?"

Arielle sighed. "I need to talk to your grandfather about that. We'll see if you can have a horse."

"But grandpa said I could!"

"Grandpa says a lot of things," she muttered.

They stopped in front of one of the guest suites and she knocked on the door. The door opened slowly and Xerxes smiled upon seeing her. His eyes drifted downward to the tiny raven haired princess who stared up at him with big green eyes.

"Princess, I didn't know you were coming by. I'd ask you inside but my room is a bit of a mess."

Arielle grinned. "This is my daughter, Aurora. She wanted to come with me. She's never met a Persian prince before."

Xerxes knelt down and the little princess extended her hand which he gladly received. "Aurora. That's a pretty name. It means dawn of the day."

The commander frowned confusedly. "How do you know that? Do you know Latin?"

"My childhood teacher was from Rome. And your name means lion. A very fitting name for you, princess," he winks.

Arielle half grinned and brushed a strand of hair behind her ear.

"Our governor asked me to tell you that you're invited to a ceremony tonight after sundown."

Xerxes stood up and brushed his hands down his black tunic. "What is the ceremony for?"

"I have no idea but it would be rude if you refuse the invitation."

He bowed graciously. "I will be there. It was a pleasure meeting you, Aurora."

The princess responded, "Very nice to meet you."

* * *

Gabrielle led her blindfolded wife to their bed and gripped her arms tightly then they abruptly stopped. Xena groaned and grew impatient with all the secrecy going on in this household. She also didn't like being led blindly.

"Gabrielle, I don't like this game anymore."

The blonde spread out the black and gold dress with a matching cape attached to it. "Okay you can take the blindfold off now!"

Xena ripped off the cloth from her eyes and stared at the black dress with gold patterns woven in the sleeves and bodice. The sparkly black cape attached to it signified that this was no ordinary gown. She glared at her grinning wife.

"Am I supposed to wear _this_? Have you lost your marbles, Gabrielle?"

She had a feeling this was going to be difficult. There was no way she was going to get her wife to wear this extravagant dress especially in front of a sea of people no less. She held up the dress to her wife's tall slender frame.

"You will look very pretty in it…" she tried to coax her.

Xena looked down at the dress and held the sleeve up against her arm. "It's a gorgeous dress," she said.

A glimmer of hope, Gabrielle thought.

"But I'm not wearing that."

"Come on, Xena! Ursula worked very hard on this dress! You need to wear it!"

Xena folded her arms and lifted her chin. "I don't know what you and Ana are planning behind my back but if it involves a dress then that must mean there's a party. I refuse to wear this."

"Xena!" she screamed and threw the dress on the bed. "You're wearing the dress or else."

"Or else what?" she snickered.

Gabrielle grabbed her wife's arms and backed her up against the wall. "Or else…I'm going to sleep in another room far from you."

"Yeah right."

"Try me."

Xena stared at the seriousness in her wife's eyes and her smile faded.

* * *

A couple of hours later with a lot of talking into, Xena finally put on the dress. She was then escorted by Gabrielle to the large ballroom. The moment she entered the room she was taken aback by the amount of people. Half the tribe was here it looked like. She had to be pushed forward by her wife. Her wide eyes darted from left to right, gawking at all the citizens staring at her.

"Gabrielle…what is this…" she hissed.

"Just keep walking," the governor whispered. She held onto her wife's arm to make sure she wasn't going to make a run for it.

Anastasia stood at the front of the room with Arielle, Navaz, Cera, Farah, Csaba and Ursula. Everyone was just as bemused as the guest of honor was. The only person who had a confident expression was Anastasia and now Xena knew that she was the center of attention which she hated.

She tried to pull away and Gabrielle held her arm firmly. They walked down the aisle and everyone in the room was silent. She furrowed her eyebrows while glaring at her all knowing daughter at the front of the ballroom.

"I'm going to kill you for this embarrassment," she whispered to her wife.

"You can kill me later."

Xena halted in front of her daughter and Gabrielle stepped to the side. She pursed her mouth and looked around at the sea of eyes that bore into her backside. She inhaled deeply and was about to say something but then Ana's hand prevented her.

"Ursula, the box please," the khatun ordered.

The queen's advisor carried a wooden box forward and presented it to her. Anastasia opened the lid slowly and Xena tried to peek inside. The anticipation was killing her. Ana lifted a black headdress out of the box that was adorned with cold coins. She fixed the long veil that extended to the knees, matching her own headdress.

Xena's mouth parted slightly and her entire body tensed when her daughter approached her with the kozak. Anastasia grinned and brushed her mother's bangs backwards and placed the elaborate headpiece on her head.

"I just want to say that you're a very important asset to the empire and to this family," Ana began. "You've served the empire as commander for several years. You always put others before yourself. I know how hard it was for you to pass down your position to Arielle but you are a great mentor to her."

Xena smiled shyly and looked over at Arielle who gave her a glimmering grin.

"And I invited everyone here because you should be recognized for all your hard work."

Xena held her breath and stared into her daughter's scheming eyes.

"I am promoting you and bestow to you the title of Khanum."

Xena's jaw dropped and everyone in the room gasped as soon as the queen announced the unexpected and surprising news. She definitely wasn't expecting those words to come out of her daughter's mouth at all and apparently neither was anyone else.

The silence in the ballroom lasted no more than a few seconds. Everyone began clapping and Xena looked over her shoulder at nearly half the tribe who had beaming faces and continued clapping.

Arielle clapped her hands and leaned over to Csaba. "Great. Now grandma outranks mother. She's going to be unstoppable now."

Gabrielle walked over and grabbed her wife's hand. "_Surprise_…"

Xena turned to her with wide eyes and then Anastasia clasped hands on her shoulders.

"What do you say, mother? Will you accept the position?"

"Um…I don't really know what to say."

"Please say yes," she pleaded. "I'd love for you to work by my side. You have a huge influence in our empire. You'll be the second Khanum in Hun history next to Attila's great grandmother."

Xena felt short of breath and looked at her wife. "You helped orchestrate all of this?"

Gabrielle nodded. "Sorry I had to keep lying to you but you deserve this, Xena. Ana is right; you're a very important part of this empire and family."

She finally broke out into a smile. "Thank you. This means a lot to me but…you could've told me instead of embarrassing me in front of the _entire_ tribe."

Anastasia chuckled. "They accept it, why can't you? Don't let your pride get in the way, mother!"

"Oh I accept," she says with a mischievous smile. "So this means I am above _you_, right?"

The khatun nodded.

Xena eyes her two granddaughters and grandson on the sideline. She pulled her daughter off to the side. "In that case: I _order_ you to apologize to your children," she whispers. "This has gone on long enough. I don't like seeing the four of you at odds with each other."

Anastasia let out a big sigh and eyed Arielle, Cera and Csaba. "They will never forgive me."

"Yes they will. Go on. I'll be here."

Her daughter nods and made her way over to her sulking children. Gabrielle curiously slid over to her wife's side and wiggled her eyebrows.

Xena smirked. "This is the only time I will permit you lying to me."

"You're welcome."

She pecked her blonde wife's lips and squeezed her hand. Gabrielle blushed as if she'd been kissed for the first time. Her worries about her wife refusing the role of Khanum had disappeared. She'd seen Xena happy many times before but this was different. She was more than happy, she was elated and it showed in her eyes and bright face.

Suddenly they were bombarded by children and Xena nearly fell over as the twin princes and Aurora grabbed hold of her legs. She held onto Gabrielle's shoulder for balance.

Edemen, being the eldest and only one in charge of his brothers and cousins. "Hey guys, knock it off! Let go of her."

The smaller children obeyed and took a step backward. Aman grabbed her wrist. "Grandma Xena, will you come dance with us?"

Gabrielle cringed. "Oh, I don't think that –"

"Sure, I would love to," Xena interrupted and her wife's shocked face was something to laugh at. "Come on, Gabrielle. You look like a frightened doe."

She pulled the governor with a strong yank and all of the children cheered and skipped ahead of them to the dance floor.


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After Arielle and Farah depart to Persia, Gabrielle notices something odd about Anastasia's new chambermaid. To confirm her suspicions, she has the maid followed without notifying Xena. Bayan's mistress arrives in Pannonia only to be interrogated by Anastasia and Xena. Late one evening, a fire engulfs the top floor of the Adame while Gabrielle fishes for more information on her suspect.

**Things are beginning to unfold…**

Chapter 13

Arielle, Farah and Xerxes rounded up their belongings and soldiers they were to bring with them on their journey to Persia. Navaz waited in front of the Adame to bid them all farewell. Csaba had taken an early leave with Ernak to Mongolia and they'd send word back in a few weeks once they reached their destination.

Xerxes met with the White Hun king while Arielle was off to the side arguing with Farah. "Your highness, I thank you for signing a treaty ahead of time. My father will is going to appreciate your alliance with the House of Sassan."

"We will see how the rest of the negotiation goes. You take care of my daughter or I will personally –"

"Dad!" Arielle shouted and bumped his arm. "Don't scare him," she whispered.

Xerxes remained composed and tried not to smile or make a sound that resembled laughter. "I will make sure she is well taken care of, sir."

"_Destur! Khanum senin huzurunda!"_

All turned around at Xena who descended down the stairs. She grabbed the soldier who announced her arrival to the entire square and shoved him into the wall. Gabrielle rolled her eyes and slapped her cheek as her wife accosted the poor boy.

"Stop saying that!" she hissed.

"Xena, he is just doing his job," Gabrielle reminded her.

"He doesn't need to announce my arrival _every_ single time." She released him and he cowered in fear of her and backed away then ran into the Adame.

Arielle ran over while she left Xerxes alone with her father and Farah. "Grandma, you know what to do when Sarnai arrives?"

Xena swiped the veil of her headdress away from her face, frustrated by every tiny thing this morning. "Yes, I got it. Don't smoke anything while you're in Persia."

"Like opium? You know I don't like that stuff."

"You've never tried it before and I know they have several dens in Persia. Don't let Farah out of your sight either. I don't want a disastrous report when you return."

Arielle folded her arms. "I'll make sure to keep the beauty queen close to me at all times. I have to go now. We have a long journey ahead of us."

Gabrielle waltzed over to Navaz after she said her goodbyes to Arielle and Farah. She stifled a laugh at his serious expression as he eyed the Persian prince trot away with the two women. He had his eye firmly on the prince and his daughter.

"Are you going to leave so soon?" she startled him.

Navaz turned with a smile. "I will leave in a few days. I asked Arielle if I could take Aurora with me back to Balaam. She's never been and Safiya wants to meet her."

"Well…she's had plenty of chances to meet her."

He grumbled. "Yes. She does not like Anastasia for whatever reason. I've tried to ask both of them but they refuse to tell me what's going on. I don't understand. Safiya didn't have a problem with Ana before but now she does."

Gabrielle swayed back on her heels and puckered her lips. "I'm sure they'll work it out eventually," she said and he sent her a glare. "I mean, whatever it is, I'm sure they can fix it if there is a problem."

"_You_ know what's going on with them?"

Xena walked in just in time and interrupted their conversation to which Gabrielle was grateful. "Navaz, I hear you're taking Aurora with you. Make sure you take care of her."

"Are you implying that I will not take care of my own granddaughter, _khanum_?" he teased her. "Besides, Ku-Ilm is coming with us. It was Aurora's request."

"I trust you but anything can happen. You're lucky Aurora isn't very adventurous like Arielle." She said and slapped a hand on her wife's shoulder. "Well, Gabrielle and I are going to the outskirts of Pannonia."

"Oh? For what?"

"Just go on about your business, Navaz," she turned and Gabrielle quickly followed behind.

* * *

An hour's walk to the outskirts and Xena stood on a huge empty open field. Gabrielle wandered around, observing the lack of trees and abundance of dirt. There was hardly any grass or stalk because of the winter season. Living in the Matra Hills was a lot different than living in Southern Pannonia. The winters destroyed a lot of crops and soil. The only good thing about Assyria and Arielle's connection was the amount of grain and food supply that was sent to Pannonia during the winter.

Gabrielle stepped on the soil and breathed in the fresh mountain air then looked back at her wife who was testing the soil with her bare hands.

"What are we doing here exactly?"

The soil crumbled in the khanum's hands and she shook her head. "Ana wants to build a church. I told her I'd find a good place but this soil is for shit."

The governor snorted. "Maybe we could find a place near the woods? It's closer to the camp anyway."

"Nah, that's too close to the Adame. We need this church built in a secluded area but close enough so people could walk to it. We need to keep looking."

They head further south along the outskirts, far enough away from West Pannonia where all the merchants were. Xena scanned the area and kept digging the heel of her boot in the soil to find solid ground. This area was all marsh and not suitable for building a large structure at all.

Gabrielle was further behind and was too busy admiring the nature around her to notice her wife's cursing and muffled words and grunts. She walked towards a path leading to the markets and paused when she saw Ana's handmaid, Diana, coming out of the thick woods.

She back tracked and waited for the handmaid to be aware of her surroundings. She made sure that Xena was far enough so she wouldn't interrupt her spying. Narrowing her eyes, she hid behind a large tree and waited for the handmaid to come out of the forest.

"Diana!" she yelled.

Zelda jumped and spun around to the sneaky governor. "You scared me."

Gabrielle circled the handmaid. "What are you doing all the way out here? Aren't you supposed to be with Anastasia?"

Zelda nodded. "Yes, governor. I was sent by Ursula to the market. I needed to…buy myrrh."

"Myrrh? What does Ursula want with that? Is the khatun sick?"

"No, governor. Ursula wanted it for Queen Yeter."

Gabrielle tapped the hilt of her sword and studied the handmaid's uneasy mannerisms. "If Ursula wanted an herb why didn't she send one of her shamans to get it for her? Why would she send _you_?"

Zelda smiled nervously. "I…I do not question. I just do what I am told."

After Xena realized that she was ditched by her wife she head backwards, annoyed and agitated. She stopped in front of Diana and Gabrielle. Zelda bowed her head and Xena briefly smiled at the young blonde woman then grabbed her wife's arm.

"What're you doing? I think I found a spot and you left me."

"Diana was buying myrrh in the market for Ursula."

"And? Let the girl do her duties, Gabrielle. We have work to do."

Gabrielle nudged her head at the handmaid and Zelda quickly left to head back to the Adame. She turned and watched the woman leave and then was left by her wife again. She gasped and ran after Xena.

"I think this will be a great spot. It's right in the middle of our camp and the market. This area will bring in travelers from the market square up ahead. What do you think?" Xena said with positivity.

The governor was too distracted and replied, "sounds great, Xena."

"You didn't even look at it!"

"Sorry. Don't you think that was strange?"

Xena eyed the handmaid drifting further and further away from the area. "Diana? No, I don't think it's strange. She follows orders easily."

Gabrielle frowned. "Hmm. But Ursula never asks handmaids to buy herbs for her."

"You're over thinking it, Gabrielle. We should head back and tell Ana that we found a spot for the church. When Farah returns from Persia she will design it but I was thinking that you could help with the design. You've seen a lot of churches in Greece and it's been a really long time since I was in that area. You will know the correct architecture," she concluded and began walking back.

"Gabrielle? Are you listening to me?"

The blonde skipped ahead to catch up with her wife. "Yes; construction of the church. I'd love to help but you know how Farah can be."

"Ah yes," Xena chuckled. "She is a purist. I hope that she will do Ana justice in Persia."

* * *

Oran sat with his mother in her room to have an early lunch together. She kept smiling at him and he was more interested in finishing his food so he could prepare to leave to go back to his palace in the Caucasus Mountains in Armenia.

Ursula took her time eating and placed a hand on her son's knee. "I know you are leaving next month but I would like for Yeter to stay here. Both of her pregnancies were difficult and I don't think this one will be any different. She should be with me in case something happens."

He let out a sigh of relief. "Thank god."

His mother slapped his thigh and he hissed then scooted away from her. Now he was more eager to leave. He didn't have time to deal with his grumpy wife and now he upset his mother. He wiped his hands on a cloth and finished chewing his food.

"It's not that I don't care about Yeter, it's just…she's very mean when she's pregnant. She cussed me out in her language last night! I didn't even know what she was saying and she yelled at me for ten minutes straight!"

Ursula grimaced at her son. "She's carrying your child, _tatli cocuk_. You should be nice to her."

"I try my best to be nice to her, mother. I am very grateful that she is giving me another child. I know having children is hard on her but she's in good hands with you," he assures his mother of his true feelings and Ursula grinned.

Gabrielle entered the room interrupting their lunch. Ursula stood up as did Oran. She felt like she was intruding and attempted to leave.

"I can come back another time..."

Oran gripped her shoulder. "I was just leaving, Gabrielle." he acknowledged his mother and said his goodbyes then left the room. Ursula walked over to her after he left.

"I just got the report that Ebnedzar will leave next month and so will Oran. I have the documents if that's what you've come for."

"Actually I didn't come for those," Gabrielle said with unease. "Xena and I were in the outskirts awhile ago. I saw Diana coming from the market square. She told me that _you_ sent her to buy myrrh for Yeter."

The shamaness frowned. "I didn't send her to buy herbs."

Gabrielle's suspicions about the handmaid had been confirmed and she put on a false smile for the khatun's advisor. "Well, it's not important. Yeter's servants must have sent her."

Ursula was skeptical of that possibility and creased her eyebrows together.

"I hear congratulations are in order," the governor quickly changed the subject. "You are to be a grandmother again."

"Yes," Ursula's face beamed with glee. "Ebnedzar and I are very excited. We will pass out gifts to everyone before Oran leaves."

Gabrielle smiled. "I look forward to it."

* * *

After her brief discussion with Ursula she decided to take action and investigate Diana's trip to the market in West Pannonia. She went outside the Adame where Badr kept guard at the entrance. She made sure no one was watching, especially Xena.

She tapped his shoulder and he greeted her with a curt nod. "Governor, good afternoon."

"I need you to do something for me but this will stay between us. The khatun and khanum will not know about it. Understand?"

"Yes, governor."

She pulled out a bag of coin and subtly slipped it into his coat pocket.

"You will send someone to follow Anastasia's handmaid, Diana, around. I want to know her every move and if something is suspicious I want it reported to _me_. Remember, only I will know about this."

Badr nodded. "As you command, governor."

* * *

Anastasia knelt in front of her granddaughter and fixed the fur collar of her coat. Aurora moaned as she was being coddled by her grandmother. Ku-Ilm stood by to take Aurora to the caravan. Aside from the khatun's worries about the princess leaving, Aurora was very excited to leave Pannonia.

"Grandma, please, I look fine!" she whined.

Ana smiled and cupped the princess' cheeks. "It is a long journey to Balaam. Make sure you stay with Ku, Soran or your grandfather when you get there. Don't wander off by yourself."

Aurora sighed. "Okay…"

"And be very respectful to Safiya. I think she will really like you. You will follow her orders like they're directly from my lips."

"Okay, I get it!" she emits frustration. She reached out and put her tiny hands on her grandmother's face. "Listen to me grandma, everything will be okay! I'll be back soon."

Anastasia smiled and kissed the girl's palms. "Right. You should go. They're waiting for you."

Aurora nodded and Ku grabbed her hand to walk her outside. Ana stood up shakily and waited until Aurora and Ku climbed into the caravan and Navaz passed by them on his horse. She wrapped her arms around her trembling body. Thoughts of her own daughter at that age being sent off to Balaam for the first time rushed in. Arielle too, had no worries and was anxious to go to her other family's home.

She didn't know that she would feel the same way when Arielle left at sixteen and now those same feelings returned when Aurora left her side. Aurora had been with her since birth and it was difficult to let her go back to Harran with Bayan every other month. But this was different. Balaam was far and she'd spend a couple of months there at least.

Tears streaming down her face, she turned and bumped into her mother. She picked up her heavy robes and darted up the stairs, brushing past her mother.

"Ana!" Xena called out and stood at the bottom of the staircase.

Yana rounded the corner and looked in the direction of the khanum's eyes. She approached slowly without Xena noticing and she peered up and saw Anastasia heading to her bedroom.

"She loves the princess very much."

Xena gasped and Yana smiled and gave a curt bow of her head. "Yes…she does. Aurora is in good hands with Navaz. I trust him."

"As do I. His wife was very helpful when she came to Kazakhstan to find Cera."

She took a few steps closer and laced her fingers together. Xena sized up the tall woman and she felt somewhat intimidated by her and it was not easy for her to be intimidated by anyone. She hadn't had a chance to catch up with Yana since she arrived with Mirac last week but from what Anastasia said, Yana was an assertive woman with a sharp mind and tongue.

"My brother told me that Cera has been acting very _odd_ since we arrived. She won't let him touch her as if he has a disease," she smiles eerily and Xena raised an eyebrow. "Now, khanum, what is going on? I know you are all hiding something."

Xena held her breath and kept staring into the chieftess' penetrating eyes.

* * *

Gabrielle scratched her head while looking over the documents sent by Anastasia. She was racked with a headache for a couple of hours and she even thought of quitting and working on the documents tomorrow. There was no way any of this made any sense.

She threw her pen across the desk and glared at the document specifically written by the khatun herself. She exhaled heavily and then the door to her office opened. Badr hurried inside and he waited until the doors were closed before he spoke.

"I sent someone to follow the handmaid like you said, governor."

She sat up and folded her hands together.

"Did you find out anything?"

Badr regretfully gazed at the floor. "She went to the market to buy supplies for the khatun. But governor, I think she knows she's being watched. She is being very careful and avoids the other maids in the Adame."

She growled and leaned back. "Keep your distance from her. I still want to know when she leaves the Adame."

"Yes, governor."

Xena and Yana came inside and Gabrielle waved her hand at the soldier and he retreated. Xena glared at the elite soldier and turned to her wife with utmost suspicion. She decided to let that slide and she allowed Yana to walk forward to the governor's desk.

Gabrielle gazed upon on the Nezak Chieftess confusedly and Xena stood behind her.

"Show Yana the Japan report," Xena ordered.

The blonde's face paled. "_All_ of it?"

"All of it, Gabrielle."

* * *

Eksama paced back and forth in her tent and whacked the dagger against her palm. One of her soldiers briskly walked in and she twirled the dagger in her hand and he clicked his heels together and bowed from the waist.

"Your highness, I have received word that Prince Elemund has set course. He will arrive in Italia in three weeks."

She smiled. "Good. Ebnedzar will arrive a week or so afterwards. The Goths will be crying out for help and the Huns will not be there to aid them. Have you seen Zelda? She has not come to me for her weekly report."

"No, my queen. I did see her in the market yesterday."

Eksama rubbed her chin. "I will be patient although I must say, patience is not on my side lately, Samtas," she chuckled then stabbed the dagger through the wooden desk. "When my son reaches Italia I will return to my home with or without Zelda's report."

He nodded. "What do you want to do with Zelda when we leave?"

* * *

Yana took a few days to digest what was read in the Japan report. She remained secluded in the guest suite to think about what to do with this information. At first when she read what Cera wrote she was sick to her core and the following day anger set in. Now four days later she felt guilt, shame and sorrow all at once.

She could feel the princess' pain from afar. She understood exactly how Cera felt as she experienced something similar except it was too close to home. Cera had family to protect her while Yana did not have the same luxury at that particular time in her life.

She stared at the report as she sat a vanity set then her eyes slowly drifted to the mirror before her. She glared at her exhausted reflection and couldn't help but see her teenage face staring back at her. It was explained to her that Cera hid this information from her entire family, all but her older sister. Now, Yana had wished she confided in someone so long ago.

At least Cera would never have to see the person who defiled her again. Yana closed her eyes and took off her headdress and threw it across the room then buried her face in her hands. Unfortunately, she was not so lucky. She had to see that person year after year even if she tried to avoid it, he was there.

Mirac came at his sister's command and stood behind her. "Yana, you wanted to see me."

Her hands slid down her face and she turned her little brother and pushed the documents towards him.

He frowned and looked at the parchment. "What's this?"

She inhaled sharply. "I want you to read this."

He took the several pages into his hands and watched his sister leave his side. He flipped through the pages briefly and caught a few words about Japan. His mouth parted and Yana grabbed her robe and slipped her arms through the sleeves.

"Where are you going?" he asked.

"To speak with the khanum."

* * *

Xena looked over the document pertaining to Madhiya's demands and requests. She licked her fingers and shook her head then handed the parchment over to her wife who sat opposite her. She was speechless but she was not surprised that the widow of Bleda was as demanding as she was.

"She's insane, right? There's no way that Ana will agree to those terms."

Xena bit into the fried bread and nodded. "I agree but you do know that I have to approve _everything_ that Ana does."

Gabrielle smiled. "I didn't forget. What do you think should be done about Madhiya's demands?"

"Well," she dipped the bread into a cheese spread before continuing, "I think she should've been killed as soon as Attila killed Bleda but what do I know?" she joked. "She is younger than me you know."

"Really? How is that possible?"

"It's possible _because_ she married Bleda when she was fourteen. I was twenty when I came to Pannonia. He was ten years older than I was." she looked at her wife's disgusted face and raised her eyebrows. "He was one sick bastard."

Gabrielle cringed at the thought of a grown man marrying a _girl_. That would've been like Anastasia marrying someone Attila's age when she was fifteen. It was too gross to think about but obviously Madhiya has not been affected by it at all.

"And then she was widowed at fifteen," she added.

Gabrielle shuddered and lost her appetite. "She's been the Yakut governor since she was _fourteen_?"

"Apparently." She wiped her hands on her pants. "Anyway, I think Madhiya should contribute to the empire and that means she needs to show her allegiance to us. She will have to appear before me and Ana in Pannonia. Write her a letter and tell her to come here."

Two quiet raps on the door from the other side interrupted their dinner conversation.

Xena paused and stared at her wife. "News at this hour?" she muttered. "Come in."

To their surprise Yana stepped inside. She closed her robe and folded her arms. "Forgive me for intruding during your dinner."

Gabrielle weakly smiled. "Come sit with us. We have plenty of food." She grabbed an extra floor pillow and set in between herself and Xena.

"No thank you," she put up a hand. "I finished reading the report."

Xena lowered her eyes.

"I gave the report to Mirac so he could read it. I imagine this news will upset him but he should know."

The three were silent for a few moments.

"I…know that the two kings are on their way to Japan. I trust that everyone involved will be _dealt_ with."

The khanum spoke softly but firmly, "I assure you that Csaba and Ernak will do what is necessary. I have complete faith in them."

Yana felt somewhat relieved to hear that but it wasn't enough. She shifted uncomfortably as she awkwardly stood in front of the large doors. She held in her suffering long enough and now that the same thing happened to her sister in law she couldn't keep her secrets hidden any longer.

"My father married me off to a man much older than me. I was a few years younger than Cera is now," she began. "I remained married to him for over thirty years. He treated me like chattel and when I wasn't able to bear him any children he married another woman. She was very young –a girl."

Gabrielle shifted and wrapped an arm around her torso and Xena bit the inside of her cheek, already seeing where this story was heading.

"She gave birth to a girl and named her Nadia. My husband was so upset that she bore him a daughter." She licked her dry lips. "And one night he beat her in a fit of rage. He killed her."

Gabrielle closed her eyes and Xena turned her cheek at the imagery.

"I decided to raise Nadia as if she were my own. I was able to subdue his temper for several years. Over the course of five years, I poisoned him slowly. I made his people believe he was ill and one day, he breathed his last."

She paused briefly.

"But my suffering did not start when I married that man. My brother, who is a year younger than me, accosted me. He cornered me in my yurt and repeatedly had his way with me for several nights until I was married off."

Xena wiped her nose and let out a deep exhale, unsure of what to say. She could tell her wife was more disturbed than her and hid her teary eyes listening to Yana's story.

The chieftess grimaced and titled her chin upward. "So, khanum, I want _reassurance_ that the Japanese prince is gotten rid of so he will not continue to defile young girls. Cera will never see his face again but I still see my brother's face."

Xena nodded, understanding the chieftess' concern.

"I will make sure that Prince Senka no longer reigns over Japan. You have my word on that."

Yana lowered her gaze and let out an unsteady breath. "Thank you." she turned and opened one of the doors.

"Oh, Yana."

She looked over her shoulder at the khanum sitting on the floor.

"Thank you for sharing your past with us. I know how hard that must have been for you. Also, I'm sorry that happened to you. A similar situation happened to my daughter when she was very young. I'm happy to say that the boy who raped her is dead. I killed him myself."

Yana's eyes widened.

"So, if you don't mind me asking…_where_ can we find your brother?"

* * *

Sarnai arrived in the encampment and she felt like all eyes were on her. She gaped at the mass amount of soldiers, yurts and then saw a petite blonde woman waiting for her beyond the gates. Steering her horse accordingly, she trotted into the camp and halted in front of the blonde.

Gabrielle smiled at the Mongolian. "Welcome to Pannonia."

Sarnai nodded nervously and was helped off her horse and cradled her infant son in the carrier strapped around her neck. Her eyes were set on the large wooden palace up ahead and suddenly several men surrounded her horse, belongings and maids that came along with her.

"What are they doing?" she asks frantically.

"They will take your things to the Adame. You and your maids will stay there," Gabrielle tries to put her at ease. "Arielle is not here at the moment so the khanum will be standing in her place."

Sarnai raised her eyebrow and watched the soldiers carry her chests of clothes to the palace. Her maids were soon to follow but stuck close by her.

"Khanum?"

The governor chuckled. "Come with me. You don't need to be afraid. Nobody will harm you here."

* * *

Anastasia stood with her mother in the queen's chambers to meet with Sarnai. They were notified of her arrival awhile ago and now they waited. It was obvious that Ana did not want the Mongol woman anywhere near her home.

"I can't believe Arielle asked this woman to come here," Ana said.

Xena pursed her mouth and adjusted her headdress. "Arielle asked me to question Sarnai to see if she is queen material. At least she didn't order her death," she laughed lightly.

"Mother, that is not funny."

"It is –a little bit," she joked. "Yana is a very brave woman," she started to say, "I can tell that she's very protective of the ones she loves. I like her."

The khatun stared at her very puzzled. "I didn't think you knew her that well to say such nice things about her."

"She came to me a few days ago and told me about her past," Xena sighed. "I promised I'd do something for her and you're going to help me."

"Um…okay. What do you need _me_ to do?"

"Write Sanzhar –he's Yana's brother, and tell him to come to Pannonia then you can leave the rest to me," she smiled at her daughter and Anastasia kept gaping at her.

"I'm not sure I like that face but I'm not going to ask."

Ursula walked into the room with Sarnai walking ahead of her. Xena frowned and looked over their shoulders at guards closing the doors.

"Where's Gabrielle?"

"She had other things to do, khanum. She asked me to escort Sarnai."

"Hmm. Okay fine," Xena murmured.

She stepped forward and smiled at the young Mongolian woman standing before her. She towered over the small girl and by the looks of it, Sarnai was either going to start crying or become mute before this meeting was to begin.

"Sarnai. As we say in Pannonia, _hoşgeldiniz."_

* * *

Badr brought the governor to the very spot that Diana disappeared to. He had a female soldier follow the woman this time instead of a man which proved to be easier because the handmaid didn't suspect a thing. Gabrielle hid behind a tree with Badr and two other soldiers behind her.

"Wait here," she whispered.

He grabbed her arm. "Governor, it may not be safe. I can't let you go alone."

"I think I can manage."

She flipped the hood over her head and crept into the woods, following Diana's footprints. She made sure not to leave prints in the same location and hid behind various trees so she wouldn't be caught. Hunkering, she slithered through the woods undetected and crawled on her knees the rest of the way. She briefly looked behind her to make sure Badr was not following her.

Hiding behind a large rose bush, she peeked through the thorns and saw a tent with two guards posted outside. She was amazed that a tent was pitched so close to the camp and went without notice too. As she waited she finally saw Diana leave the tent.

She dropped to the ground and rolled over to a nearby tree and leaned against it. The handmaid passed right by her and Gabrielle held her breath. Zelda halted in the center of the forest and Gabrielle put a hand on the hilt of her sword.

Zelda looked around and waited a few more moments before she went on her way.

Gabrielle exhaled and crawled back to the rose bush and stalked the tent. She looked for clues to give her inkling as to where the guards were from. They wore red and white robes and one of them had long braided blonde hair. They definitely weren't Huns by the looks of them. They looked to be Goths but she couldn't understand why Goths were hiding in Hun territory. The two parties were allies as far as she knew.

Minutes later she regrouped with Badr and the others. She brushed the leaves off her cloak and picked a few twigs out of her hair.

"There's a tent in the woods. Two guards are posted outside but there might be others."

Badr folded his arms. "That can't be one of ours. What shall we do, governor? Raid the tent?"

"No! I need to speak with Xena and Anastasia about this first. Don't follow Diana anymore and don't harm her until I figure out who is hiding in the tent."

He nodded. "Yes, governor."

Eksama stood on the hillside of the forest and eyed the governor walking back to the Hun encampment with a small entourage of soldiers. She narrowed her brown eyes and crossed her arms. She turned to her trusted soldier.

"Samtas, does Zelda know what to do?"

"Yes, my queen."

She smiled. "Good. I hope the governor saw everything. She will report it to the queen no doubt. We will be leaving by sundown. Prepare my horse, Samtas."

He bowed his head and ran off, whistling to the other soldiers waiting for orders. Eksama bit her fingernail and raised her eyebrow as she kept her eye on the governor retreating to the camp.

* * *

"You are aware that my daughter is queen of Assyria, yes?" Ana asked.

Sarnai nodded. "Yes, khatun. I lived in Harran for two years. I looked after Aurora when Bayan asked me to."

Xena rolled her eyes and didn't wish to hear about Bayan. "Since Arielle isn't here I'm filling in for her and I will make the decision if you are eligible to be queen or not. Arielle wants a divorce and our law says that if a queen divorces a king then she loses her status."

Sarnai's cheeks reddened and she couldn't look the two women in the eye.

"You are lucky that Arielle didn't behead you."

She added, "It was very kind of her to invite you into her home despite your relationship with Bayan."

The girl dropped to her knees and she clutched Xena's black robes. Ana and her mother shared a confused expression together. Sarnai buried her face in the cloth and begged.

"Don't take my son away from me," she pleaded. "I left my tribe to live in Harran. I can't go back. My father gave me to Bayan."

Xena sighed and tapped the girl's shoulder and lifted her up off the floor.

"We aren't going to take your son away from you. What do you mean your father _gave_ you to Bayan?"

She wiped her cheeks and said, "He sold me to Bayan during a raid. I can't go back and if I do, I'll have to live somewhere else other than with my family."

Anastasia rubbed her aching temples. "Bayan failed to mention this to Arielle."

"He doesn't know about it."

Xena glared at the Mongol girl. "How do we know you're telling the truth?"

Sarnai hung her head. "I wouldn't lie to you. I have no reason to lie because I have nothing. I just have my son."

"You can go now. My daughter and I will discuss what to do with you. Ursula, take her to the guest suite downstairs."

Anastasia turned to her mother. "Well, what do you think of her?"

"I think she's a horrified child. She does seem to be telling the truth. She probably cares more about her son than Bayan," she snorted. "That's not hard to do."

"Mother, I meant about her being a queen. Would she make a good queen?"

"I'm not sure but we'll have another meeting when she isn't so terrified of us. She probably thought we were going to kill her."

* * *

Xena sat on the floor eating by herself in her room and entered Gabrielle. She smiled and slapped her hand on the pillow beside her. The governor took off her coat and threw her satchel on the chair by the doors and came over to sit beside her wife.

"Where have you been? I haven't seen you all day."

Gabrielle eyed the bread and reached across the trays of assorted foods and began making herself a plate of food.

"I had duties. You know how busy I can be sometimes. How was your meeting with Sarnai?"

Xena sighed heavily. "That girl is afraid of us. I'm sure she thought she was walking into a death trap when she arrived."

"She did seem pretty scared when I escorted her from the gates."

"Speaking of that: Ursula said you had something to do. What was so important?"

Gabrielle ripped the flat bread in half. "Oh, well, you know, governor stuff."

"Stuff."

"Mhm."

"Don't lie to me, Gabrielle. What were you doing? It's unlike you to abandon your tasks and hand them off to someone else. I hope you're not planning another _surprise_ for me," she said with a hint of malice.

Gabrielle laughed awkwardly. "I promise it's nothing like that. I'm gathering information for a case. I'll tell you about it in the morning. I want to have more information but I don't know if I'll be able to get it…"

"Ooooh, _information_ huh? What are you planning? I love it when you spy on people other than me of course," she took a jab at her wife's secrecy about the khanum ceremony.

* * *

Anastasia complained of a constant headache and was given a serum to sleep soundly. Zelda gave her a large dose of the serum in her nightly tea. Zelda lingered over the bed and tidied the room up before she was to leave for the evening. She eyed the slumbering khatun and loosened the tassels around the curtains around the bedposts and drew them together to shield the sunlight of the morning sun.

She walked over to her bag she carried with her and pulled out a large bottle of oil. She poured the oil on the floor surrounding the khatun's bed. Being as quiet as possible she poured the last bit of oil around the perimeter of the bed and close to the large open windows as well.

Zelda stood back and grabbed a candle and dropped it onto the oily wood floor and slowly the fire spread. She took her bag and hurried out of the room and closed the doors and locked them with a spare key that was given to her once she arrived in the Adame.

She smiled at the guards who passed by in the hallway then quickly made her way down the stairs.

Edemen sleepily came out of his bedroom and he was on a mission to go to the dining hall. He lazily walked through the corridor upstairs and paused when he saw black smoke flowing out of the queen's bedroom.

He gasped and ran to the doors and grabbed onto the large handles and pulled with all his strength.

"_Askerler_!" he yelled. "_Askerler_!"

He coughed and put his foot on the doors and kept pulling on the door handles. The two guards that passed by earlier came running to the prince's side and asked him to move aside. They tried to pry the doors open and Edemen stood back, coughing from the black smoke.

The prince raced down the stairs and spotted Oran laughing as he entered the foyer with a couple of his friends.

"Oran!" he shouted.

Oran lifted his head to the pale faced prince. "Edemen, what's up pal?"

"Fire! There's –there's a fire in grandma khatun's room!"

Oran and his friends rushed upstairs to help the soldiers open the sealed doors. They group of five men repeatedly rammed their shoulders into the doors and now the entire upper floor was covered in thick black smoke.

Ursula came out of her room from the odor. She ran to Ana's room and grabbed her son's shoulder.

"What's going on? Is Anastasia inside?"

"Yes!" he grunted and tried pulling the handles once more.

She took the necklace off from around her neck and pushed the soldiers aside and unlocked the khatun's doors. Oran pulled them open and a rush of smoke poured out from the room. Everyone coughed and he along with the other men went inside the room.

Ursula grabbed the prince and wrapped an arm around his chest.

They didn't have to wait long and Oran ran out of the room with Anastasia laden in his arms. The others were already trying to put out the fire inside.

Edemen pushed the shamaness out of the way and ran to his unconscious grandmother in Oran's arms. He touched her soot covered face and sobbed softly.

"Mother, get all the children off this floor and tell Xena what happened. I'm going to take her to the physician."

Edemen tried to follow Oran and he was pulled back. "I want to go with them!"

"We don't have time for that! We need to get your brothers first." Ursula pressed and he felt conflicted but then went along with her.


	14. Chapter 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A search party is sent out to find the assailant responsible for starting the fire, while Xena oversees the care given to her unconscious daughter. In Persia, Farah notices that Arielle has eyes for the Persian Prince, Xerxes. Gabrielle comforts Xena and reminds her that the empire needs her to take charge.

Chapter 14

Gabrielle waited in the foyer impatiently for Badr and the other soldiers to return. After what happened in Anastasia's room of course she and Xena were alerted immediately. Gabrielle expected her wife to react much differently and possibly rage at the fact that her daughter almost died, but she didn't. Surprisingly, Xena was very quiet and had been in the clinic for the last hour without saying a word.

All of the women and children were told to stay in the women's quarters downstairs until otherwise. Gabrielle thought to give Xena some space but this was different. Xena wasn't a commander anymore. She had a much higher position and if anything happened to Anastasia then she was in charge and so far, Xena had done nothing.

Badr ran into the foyer and Gabrielle walked forward with her arms folded. He bowed his head and took a moment to catch his breath.

"I've questioned the guards who were on shift upstairs. They saw the khatun's chambermaid leave the room."

She nodded. Of course, why didn't I see that before? "Diana. She did this. It was her. Nobody has seen her since the fire, correct?"

"Yes, governor."

"Send out people to look for her. She must have reported to whoever was in that tent in the woods. I'm sure whoever was there is gone now. I need to send people to scout the area."

Badr frowned confusedly. "Excuse me but governor, shouldn't the khanum be giving the orders?"

Gabrielle sighed. "She's preoccupied at the moment. Find Diana. She couldn't have gone far."

He ran out of the Adame and whistled to the soldiers to mount their horses. Gabrielle rubbed her forehead and turned to go to the clinic to inform Xena about the plan. Yana head down the corridor and spotted the governor leaving.

"Gabrielle!"

The governor paused and turned. "Chieftess," she greeted.

"I couldn't help but overhear about the chambermaid. I want to help search the area."

"Oh, we have plenty of soldiers to scout. You don't have to do anything."

"But I want to. The khatun is my family," she says with a warm smile. "My brother will come with me to scout the area. I am no stranger to danger, governor."

Gabrielle tapped her fingers together and stared at the tall chieftess for a moment then saw Mirac marching towards them with Cera by his side. She grinned at the redheaded princess and Cera hurried over to hug her tightly.

"Your mother is in the clinic. You can go see her if you want," she whispered. Cera nodded and looked back at her husband who gave her a curt nod. She left everyone and ran down the hallway.

She stared at the Nezak siblings. "So, you really want to help?"

* * *

Xena sat beside the bed watching over her daughter hoping that she'd wake soon. The physician had several servants to help him while he dressed the burn wounds on the khatun's arms. He stood beside the bed and gently wrapped bandages drenched in medicine around her arms.

Xena eyed the man and frowned then grabbed his wrist. "I can do that."

He immediately backed away and she took the bandages and finished wrapping her daughter's arm. She took a wet cloth and cleaned off the soot on Ana's face.

The physician lingered at the table and began preparing a medicine for the khatun. He was scared to even get close as long as Xena was there overseeing his every move.

"Khanum, I will need to give her medicine soon," he whispers.

"I told you I can take care of her _myself_!" she hissed.

"As you command…" he muttered and took the dirty water basin to dump outside.

Ursula waited by the doors and then Cera rushed. She grabbed the princess' arm and Cera's eyes widened at her mother lying in bed with bandages all over her arms and legs.

"You shouldn't be here," she said and Cera put a hand over her mouth. The only unscathed part of her mother's body was her face. Her face was sparred somehow by Oran's interference no doubt.

Ursula held onto the princess and tried to usher her out of the room.

"Cera please. Come back later. Your grandmother will take care of her. You should be with the other women."

The princess angrily pushed the shamaness into the wall and ran to the bed. Ursula fell to the ground and her headdress fell off her head. Many of the maids came to help her up and she glared at the furious redhead.

Xena peered up at her granddaughter and rose from the chair. "Cera, you need to go. I don't want anyone to come in here."

Cera sobbed at the sight of her mother's condition and tried to approach the bed until her grandmother grabbed her arm and forcefully pulled her to the side. Cera looked into her eyes as she breathed unsteadily.

"Leave before I have to use force."

* * *

In the women's quarters it was difficult for the children to sleep since they were woken up late in the evening. Instead, all of the boys were playing games on the floor while Nisa and Yeter sat on the floor sofa together trying not to fall asleep.

Nisa sighed and looked over at her infant daughter sleeping in a bassinet beside her. She leaned back and turned to the Gokturk queen who was very displeased about her sleep being interrupted. It didn't seem to matter that someone tried to assassinate the khatun or not.

"I can make some tea for you," Nisa offered.

Yeter raised an eyebrow and slowly turned her head to the woman. "I'm fine."

"Well, I heard from Ursula that you aren't feeling very good. You're very pale."

"Yes. I'm pregnant. Leave me alone. I don't need your pity."

Nisa leaned back and stared at the plethora of princes playing games with each other. She couldn't help but notice Sarnai sitting by herself with her two maids and her son in one of the maid's arms. She cocked her head at the petite woman and Yeter exhaled heavily and wrapped an arm over her queasy stomach.

"Why is she sitting over there?"

Yeter looked over in Sarnai's direction and smirked. "She's Bayan's mistress. She probably doesn't want to sit with us."

"I'm going to ask her to come over here." Nisa stood and smoothed out her dress. "Are you sure you don't want any tea?"

"I don't want tea!"

Nisa smiled at the grumpy queen. "Some mint oil then. I'll get some for you."

Cera came into the room with two maids following behind her. She wiped her nose and stared at all of the children with puffy red eyes. Yeter ran her fingers through her long dark hair and noticed the solemn princess standing by the entrance.

"Cera, did you see your mother?" she asked.

Aman and Aladar jumped up and ran over to the puffy-eyed princess. "Teyze Cera! Is grandma khatun okay? Nobody tells us anything," Aman said.

Cera grinned weakly at the twin princes and nodded.

"Do you wanna play with us? Muqan and Utigur are learning how to play with marbles. We are teaching them."

Aladar nodded excitedly and grabbed her hand. "Yeah, sit with us! You never play with us anymore."

Cera sighed and was led to the floor by her two nephews and she sat down with the other two boys who eagerly passed her a bag of her own marbles. She looked behind her at Yeter who sat by herself and she didn't expect to see a smile from the Gokturk but it wasn't a happy smile, it was a sad smile. She knew. Everyone knew except the children.

Nisa walked back over with Sarnai and Yeter glared at the petite Mongol. Nisa gently pushed her forward and it was clear the young woman was fearful of Yeter which was easy. Yeter didn't exactly have a very pleasing face to look at when she scowled at everyone who came within five feet of her.

"This is Queen Yeter of the Gokturks. She's from the Caucasus Mountains," Nisa introduced.

Sarnai bowed her head slightly and Yeter scoffed and crossed one leg over the other.

"Very nice to meet you, your highness," the Mongol tried to appease everyone who she met. She felt like an ultimate outsider here.

"Are you going to stare at me or sit down?"

Nisa rolled her eyes and gripped Sarnai's shoulders. "Don't pay attention to her. She doesn't like anybody," she whispered. "Sit on the sofa. I will get some tea for you."

Sarnai nervously sat down to the Gokturk queen and anxiously fiddled with her dress. "So, have you heard any news about the khatun?"

"Why do you care? You have no status here."

"I haven't heard anything," she says shakily. "I wondered if –"

"No. Nobody has told us anything," Yeter interrupted. She turned to the petite woman. "Listen, I don't care about you and where you come from. I'm surprised Arielle even invited you here. Everyone knows who you are and what you did. Arielle is a _princess_ of the empire. Nisa is being nice because that's just her nature but I won't be nice to you. I don't like you and if Arielle decides to give you her title then don't expect anything from my kingdom even if we are _allies_."

Sarnai's face blanched chalk white and Nisa returned with two glasses of tea and a vial of mint oil. She set the tea down on the low table and felt the tension between the two women.

"Is everything alright over here?" she asks nervously.

* * *

Gabrielle remained outside the steps of the Adame for the remainder of the evening. She closed her coat and breathed out deeply. She hated staying out at night especially at this time of year. Spring was approaching quickly but the cold would not subside for another two months at the least.

Badr trotted up on his horse and she brushed her bangs out of her face and approached his horse. He jumped off and pulled a body off the horse and dropped it on the ground. Gabrielle frowned and kicked the body over with her boot and gasped. It was Diana's body and there had been several stab wounds to her chest and gut.

"She was dead when we found her in the woods, governor."

"Damn," she muttered. "The person she was working for killed her so she wouldn't say anything. That's just great. I've got nothing to tell Xena now."

Yana and Mirac pulled up and dismounted their horses and Gabrielle turned to them. They both eyed the chambermaid's corpse and their jaws dropped. Yana side stepped her brother and grabbed the governor's shoulder.

"We couldn't find anything on the perimeter of the camp."

"Not even tracks? They couldn't have gone on foot."

Yana shook her head. "I'm sorry. Whoever we're dealing with obviously knows what they're doing. Do you have an idea who it could be?"

Gabrielle rubbed her chin and looked back at the deceased blonde woman. "She said she was found by Alaric but I doubt he would send someone to kill Anastasia. We are friends now. We helped him overthrow Odoacer and conquer Italia."

"Are you sure?"

"I'm not sure of anything right now. This has happened before. Anastasia was poisoned but it was by someone in the Adame."

Yana folds her arms. "Usually assassinations are done by those we are close to. I know the khatun might have enemies aside from the Chinese and Japanese but that's clear this has nothing to do with them. It's someone closer."

Gabrielle thought about Xena's dream or more like premonition. She was repeatedly told that Kreka was the one who warned Xena. She refused to believe it at first but after this, she wasn't too sure what was going on or who was behind this. Now she wished that she would receive a similar type of warning from the late khatun. The dream Xena had hardly made any sense to either one of them but it meant something.

She backed away slowly and thumbed the Adame. "I'm going to my office. I have to go check something."

* * *

Arielle and Farah arrived at the infamous Sassanian palace and it was large. Very large. This palace made Farah's home in Banat look like a regular villa. The entirety of it was built out of small blue tiles that were clearly hand painted. The doors of the entrance had to be pulled open by four men and the doors must have been at least thirty feet tall.

Farah gazed up at the tall doors opening slowly and looked over at Arielle who was equally in awe. Xerxes stood in front of them as they all waited for the doors to open. He waited patiently and turned to the women and smiled at their shocked faces.

They head inside the large Persian palace and found themselves in the throne room where Shah Kavad waited for their arrival. Xerxes stared at his older brother who stood by their father with a smug smile on his face.

Arielle had heard of the many wars and adventures with the Sassanians but she never actually imagined their home would be so extravagant. She wondered why her family was never able to conquer this place but now it all made sense. This family was dangerous and they were very powerful. And her grandmother was right; there was always a shah on the throne. They were unstoppable.

She and Farah bowed their heads as did Xerxes. Shah Kavad smiled at his son and the guests.

"Welcome to Persia," he says exuberantly. "I'm pleased to finally meet some members of the Hun Empire and very beautiful ones at that."

Farah raised her eyebrow and Arielle chuckled under her breath. Farah lifted her head and stared at the shah with curious eyes. He didn't look like a tyrant like the other shahs but the man standing next to him did not look the least bit friendly.

"Shah, I'm Queen Farah of Pannonia. I don't want to stay longer than I need to so I think we should talk about our alliance. Anastasia Khatun has sent me as her envoy. Address me as if she were here before you."

Kavad lifts his eyebrows. "Of course, your highness. _Please_, tell me what you have to say." He waved his hand and sat back down.

"King Khushnavaz of Balaam has already signed an alliance and I have it here with me. Your son also spoke to my commander, Princess Arielle, he wants to combine the armies. The khatun agrees but she has some concerns."

Kawus smirked and addressed the queen, "and what concerns might those be, your majesty?"

Farah frowned at him. "The Sassanians and Huns have never been allies. We have been enemies since Attila's grandfather ruled the tribes. She is concerned that you will attack the empire in the future. A past deal with Shah Peroz with a marriage alliance did not work out and it resulted in violence and bloodshed. She fears that this will happen again. Can you give us any assurance that it won't come to that?"

Arielle blinked as she was surprised Farah did a lot of homework before this trip. She was worried that the beauty queen was not going to represent her mother very well but in fact, she was doing better than her mother. Farah was very skilled in diplomacy and it definitely showed here in this throne chamber.

Shah Kavad scratched his beard and was puzzled that the queen was asking such questions. He gave her a smile and adjusted uncomfortably in his chair.

"Queen Farah, I understand your concerns. You have every right to be concerned but I am not my cousins, uncles or father. My cousin, Balash, was disliked by my people. I decided to end this feud between our families. There is no point in continuing to war with one another."

"Words are just words, shah," she persisted. "I need something concrete."

Kawus stepped down and approached the queen and Farah raised her chin. "_Hun_ Queen," he gave a charming smile, "My father does not spew empty words. If you are here to make threats then I don't see any alliance happening between our families."

"Shehzade!" Kavad yelled.

Kawus backed away at his father's command and went stand beside him again. Arielle furrowed her eyebrows at the elder prince and then saw that Xerxes was disturbed by his brother's arrogance.

"Your highness, I will give you my word _and_ my son, Shehzade Xerxes. He will be my ambassador and live in Pannonia. This will give you peace of mind. Is that suitable?"

Farah looked over at Arielle who had an eager smile on her lips and saw the princess eyeing the tall Persian prince. She inhaled and addressed the shah.

"It is suitable. I will sign the alliance documents when you have them ready."

"Excellent. I look forward to hearing from Anastasia Khatun herself. My servants will show you to the women's wing where you will stay for as long as you need."

* * *

Arielle picked at the food that was provided in her suite she shared with Farah. She also was brought several bottles of wine from different parts of the world. She sampled each one in small glasses. As she was enjoying the entire experience she was being given an unpleasant glare from her sister in law.

"Can I help you?"

Farah drummed her fingers on the floor and stared at the huge spread of food across the rug. "Yes, actually. I saw you _looking_ at Xerxes."

"And? I'm not allowed to look at him?" the commander snorted and sipped her third sampling of wine then gave the other undesired bottles to the servants behind her.

"Arielle, don't get any ideas. I'm aware that he is handsome, very handsome compared to other Persians I've seen here."

The princess carefully set down the wine glass and gawked at the queen.

"I'm not interested in him, Farah. He's nice to me, nicer to me than Bayan anyway."

"It's hard for people to be nice to you. You're a handful, Arielle. You always have been."

"I'm not a child and you sound like my mother. She said for you to be her envoy, not to embody her _personality_," she barked.

Farah falsely smiled and plucked a few grapes off the vine and threw one at Arielle's face. The commander gasped and threw it back at her and Farah caught it midair before it hit her dead in between the eyes.

"Watch yourself, Arielle. I don't think we should stay here for a long time. I'd like to return home as soon as possible."

Arielle snidely remarked, "Someone is sucking up to my mother," she joked. "We'll stay for a couple of weeks then we can go home."

"A _couple_ of weeks?!"

"Yeah," she finished off the wine. "I need to scope out the area. I'd like to see what the people in Persia are like. I'd also like to know more about the Sassanian family if we are to be allies with them."

She stared at the doe-eyed queen and laughed.

"I thought I'd go to the market in a couple of days. Wanna come?"

"No, not really."

"Well, grandma said I can't let out of my sight so you're coming. Khanum's orders," Arielle winked and took a swig of the wine while Farah mumbled.

* * *

Gabrielle spent four days in her office going over all the old documents during Attila's reign. Despite everything that happened luckily all of the documents and old treaties had been saved. Her office was now a mess and there were hundreds if not thousands parchments and scrolls scattered on the floor and on the desks.

She hardly slept at all and resorted to napping in her office, determined to find anything in relation to what Kreka mentioned in Xena's dream. Kreka told Attila, according to Xena, that a woman came asking for aid and Kreka gave Attila's mistress money and sent her away.

Gabrielle picked through a box of incredibly old scrolls and then found a box in the back of the room. She took it out and blew the dust off and walked over to her desk. She pushed off the other scrolls and set down the box.

Once she opened it she found of course, more scrolls. She opened each one and they weren't that important. A treaty with Farah's father, one with Navaz's father from decades ago, and one from Kreka Khatun.

Her eyes lit up and she read over it but it was very vague. It was an exchange of funds made with an unnamed person from the Goth territory. Her face contorted and she plopped down in the chair and stared at the old document. It wasn't a fake paper. It had Kreka's seal on it and she signed it.

This could be something related to what Xena dreamt of but it also could be something completely unrelated. She really wished Kreka was alive so she could ask her but unfortunately, she couldn't.

She rolled up the small scroll and stuffed it into her belt then looked around at the mess she had made and groaned. Sleep deprivation was settling in and her adrenaline long left her two days ago.

* * *

Xena was not fortunate enough to get any sleep as she stayed in the clinic watching over her daughter. Four days passed and Anastasia had not woken up but by the subtle rising and falling of her chest, she was alive. She constantly had her eyes on her daughter and changed her bandages three to four times every day and slipped medicine into her mouth.

She didn't allow anyone inside the room and asked for guards to be posted outside. She had no knowledge of what went on outside this space and for once, she didn't want to. She acquired patience over the years and she applied this patience at this very moment. Each day she hoped to see her daughter open her eyes and she'd wait until she was able to witness it.

As she sat in silence she heard commotion outside the room and didn't react to it. She was too tired to but the yelling persisted which became hard to ignore.

The doors swung open and Gabrielle charged into the room. The guards followed her inside and dared to put their hands on her. Xena didn't bother to turn to her wife and put up her hand. The guards let the blonde go and backed out of the room and shut the doors.

The disgruntled governor fixed her blouse and huffed loudly and gawked at her comatose wife.

"That's quite a couple of brutes you got there," she says with some irritation in her tone.

"I didn't want anyone in here."

Gabrielle's stance softened and she stared at the unconscious queen lying in bed with arms and legs bandaged and long hair sprawled across the bedspread. She sighed and placed a hand on her wife's shoulder for comfort.

"Xena, I'm a little worried about you. You haven't come out of this room in four days. You need to rest."

"I'm not leaving until she wakes up."

She pulled up a chair and sat beside the khanum and stared at Anastasia's unconscious state. The silence was a bit unsettling but she knew that Xena couldn't stay in this room forever. There were duties to be done and things to be handled.

"Xena," she began softly, "I understand you want to be with Ana but…"

"But _what_?"

"But…you're khanum. If anything happens to Anastasia then you're automatically in charge. People are wondering when you're going to act. Everyone is just as confused as you are but we really need you. Ana will be fine here. We have the best physicians here to take care of her."

Xena frowned and shifted to stare at her wife.

"I'm staying here with her. Nobody can tell me what to do now. I can do what I want. So, please leave Gabrielle."

Gabrielle pulled out the scroll from her belt and cradled it in her palms. "I found this in my office. I searched for four days to link what Kreka said in your dream to what happened to Anastasia."

Xena stared at her with teary red eyes then peered down at the parchment in her wife's hands.

"Diana set the room on fire. I sent Badr to find her after the attack. He found her dead in the woods. I never got a chance to tell you but Diana is or…_was_ working for someone. I spied on her for over a week and there was a tent not far from here. Whoever it was wants Ana dead and perhaps others too. I don't think she was sent by Alaric."

She presented the scroll and Xena glanced at the handwriting. It was definitely Kreka's handwriting. Nearly perfect and very symmetrical just like everything she did.

"You mentioned that Kreka gave a woman Attila slept with a salary in your dream. I found this and it doesn't have a lot of information. I thought you could give some insight?"

The khanum gently took the parchment and read over it several times with her tired eyes. She was right. There was hardly anything to off from this. All it said was that there was money sent to the Goth territory but that could be anywhere. Visigoths were a big problem during that time but there were others in the areas that were less of a hindrance.

"She…she would never send money to a Visigoth. Theodoric would've been in charge back then."

Xena recalled the timeline in her dream and a baby in the bassinet in the room while Kreka was talking with Attila. It was either Dengizich or Ernak. It had to be.

"Well…who would it be then if not a Visigoth?"

"I don't know."

Gabrielle nodded and placed a hand on the khanum's thigh.

"Xena, I think we need to search those areas. I know Alaric is the only Goth tribe left and if he didn't send Diana, then I don't know who did but…I need you to give the order. I can only do so much with my status as governor."

A tear trickled down Xena's cheek as she laid eyes on her daughter. She crumbled the parchment up and Gabrielle slowly slid her hand off her wife's thigh.

"Please, Xena. I need you to help make decisions. We will find out what happened to Ana, but I need your help." She said and saw her wife's knuckles turn white holding the parchment in her fist.

She added, "if not for me, then for Anastasia. She wouldn't want you to stay here and abandon your duties. You're not a commander anymore. You have the highest status in the empire. Use it."

Xena's hand relaxed and she swallowed. "Alright," she says softly. Turning to her blonde wife with tear stained cheeks. "I will do it."

Gabrielle smiled and kissed her cheek. She quickly got up and grabbed her wife's kozak that was on a chair beside the bed and brushed the beads with her fingers.

"I think you'll need this."

* * *

Xerxes sauntered down the hallway and was grabbed by his brother and shoved into another hallway. He growled and nearly hit his elder brother in the face. Kawus smiled and took his hands off Xerxes.

"What do you think you're doing?"

"I wanted to talk to you. I see that Princess Arielle is very beautiful just as I said. Don't get too close to her."

Xerxes adjusted his collar of his blouse and pulled his long hair back, ignoring his brother's remarks and teasing.

Kawus put a hand on the wall and leaned forward. "You remember the plan, right? Father will ally with the Huns and then we will find an opportune time to attack Pannonia. Then after that we will attack the Nezaks and every other tribe that exists."

"Yes, I know the plan."

"It's good that father is assigning you as ambassador. You will be around those barbarians all day, every day. You will send a report to me directly and tell me everything that goes on over there. We will need to wait for the perfect time to attack."

Xerxes nodded and looked around anxiously.

"I got it. I need to go. I am escorting the princess and queen to the market."

Kawus chuckled and slapped his brother's cheek gently. "Good for you, brother, looking out for women."

* * *

Arielle and Farah waited by the entrance of the palace and Xerxes was seen at the end of the hall. He waved at them and Arielle smiled and waved back then Farah grabbed her hand. The commander shot her a glare.

The more Xerxes was pressured by his older brother to dethrone their father the more he hated the plan. He didn't mind the Huns. They were very kind to him when they didn't have to be. His father had good intentions but he couldn't help but think that Kawus was going to destroy this entire empire if he was crowned as shah.

He stopped in front of them and bowed his head.

"Good morning. I hope I didn't keep you two waiting long. I had some things I needed to take care of."

"We're perfectly fine," Arielle said and Farah rolled her eyes. "Shall we be on our way now?"

"Oh, yes but you must wear these." He snapped his fingers to the servants and they brought over face veils. He presented them to the women and they gawked at him as if he were some foreign creature.

He laughs lightly. "No woman is allowed to show their face in the city. Don't be offended. Every woman wears them, even my father's wife."

Arielle snatched the veil and stared at it strangely. Farah seemed even less enthused about this than she did.

* * *

Xena laid out a map and had Ebnedzar and Oran invited to a meeting in Ana's quarters. She pointed to the Goth territories and eyed father and son who waited for instruction.

"Ebnedzar you will continue your journey to Italia to meet with Alaric. Oran, I know Anastasia told you to go back to your palace but I want you to scout other areas that belong to the Ostrogoths."

Oran nodded. "I will do anything you say."

"Good because I want you to bring explosives with you," she says with a smile. "Threaten the Goths that you will obliterate their homes if they don't allow you to search the area."

He swallowed. "Yes, khanum."

"Do you think that Alaric is behind the attack?" asked Ebnedzar.

She stared at the map and occupied area which now belonged to the Goths. "No, I don't think it was him. I have no idea who is behind this but it's someone in that area. The Franks? I'm not sure. Our main enemies are the Chinese right now and I haven't received a report from Ernak or Csaba yet."

"They are probably still on their way to Japan. I hope they have not been accosted by Emperor Liu."

She hummed. "Yes, let's hope not. You both can go now. Prepare to leave soon and notify me if you run into any problems."

After the two scurried out of the room, Ursula waltzed in with a satisfied smile on her lips. Xena was busy rolling up the large map to even notice the shamaness entering the room.

"I wrote Madhiya and told her to come here as soon as possible. I also sent a few of Ana's elites to retrieve Yana's brother," she says with concern. "Is there a reason you want him to come here?"

The khanum hid her emotions and feelings about that man. "I want to _talk_ to him. I made a promise to Yana. I don't break my promises."

She casually set the map on the far left side of the desk and tapped her fingers on the desk while Ursula idly stood.

"Is there any word on Anastasia's state?"

Ursula smiled softly. "There isn't but she's being taken care of. Cera is with her. I'll let you know as soon as I hear anything."

Xena sighed heavily. "Thank you for helping."

"It's my job to help you. If you need anything I'll be here, Xena."

She nodded. "You still creep me out a little bit," she joked. Ursula smiled at the light tease. "Could you tell Gabrielle to come see me?"

* * *

Xerxes walked through the market and he was recognized by everyone which was unnerving to say the least. He was well known by the public but his two female guests were causing most of the strange stares that went their way. Arielle was too busy eyeing every little thing that they passed by. Farah was not interested in anything and kept her eyes wide and open.

Arielle eyed a jeweler and she wasn't much for buying jewelry but she was just trying to distract Xerxes but that wasn't hard. He looked very distracted since they left the palace.

"Your brother doesn't seem to like us very much," she hinted.

He chuckled awkwardly. "He's a bit of a hot head sometimes. He is hard to get along with."

"Mhm. Your people don't seem to be suffering and are well off," she noted. "Does your family have infinite wealth as well as infinite shahs?"

Xerxes hung his head and kept walking in between her and the queen. "There is more than one House in Persia."

Farah's attention was now grabbed and she shared a glance with Arielle. She listened carefully to what the prince said from here on out.

"More than one? What does that mean? Your family isn't the only one in charge?" Arielle asked.

"There are seven houses, mine is only one of them and at the moment, my family is in control. The most famous house under us is the House of Karen."

"I see," she hid her smile beneath the black veil. "Will I ever meet these other families? Since my family is allying with yours I think we should know the other Persian nobilities, don't you think so?"

Xerxes stopped and then two Huns looked back at him. He was nervous, his hands were clammy and the nape of his neck was sweaty. He didn't like lying to them. They were nice women and their family was kind. They certainly weren't the savages that his brother said they would be. The only thing that was true was that Princess Arielle was a gorgeous creature.

"The other Persian Houses follow what my family decrees," he told them. "I only associate with the other Houses when it's necessary."

Arielle hooked arms with him and continued on their way altogether.

"Perhaps we could invite them over and have _tea_?" she said in a playful tone and then Farah punched her in the middle of the back. "_Ne oluyor be_!" she whispered.

* * *

The governor knocked on the side of the doorframe to alert the khanum who was standing in front of the fireplace. Xena turned and smiled at the sight of her wife and made her way over and grabbed hold of both of her hands.

"Thank you, Gabrielle, for pulling me out of…whatever I was in."

"You don't have to thank me." She kissed the khanum's hands. "Is that why you wanted to see me?"

"Yes and I have a job for you."

"Okay…" the governor laced her fingers in her wife's.

Xena took in a deep breath and looked into the sparkling green eyes beneath her. "When Arielle comes back I still want to be her lieutenant. If we find whoever attacked Ana then I want to be there and I want you there with me."

"You mean…you want to go on a mission? That's my job?"

"Yes…?"

"I don't know why you bothered to ask. I'm _always_ with you, aren't I?" she joked and then got punched in the arm. "Ahh! Xena!"


	15. Chapter 15

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> News of Anastasia's accident reaches Navaz, and he rushes to Pannonia to be by her side. On a stealth mission, Ernak and Csaba lurk in the imperial palace of Japan to assassinate the Japanese prince to defend Cera's honor. Anastasia comes out unconsciousness, and at first, Xena is overjoyed until she hears some unsettling news about her daughter's condition.

Chapter 15 –_Cherry Blossom_

Soran helped his little niece on the horse and set her boots into the stirrups. He placed his hand on the small of her back and gently guided the horse across the field with a slow trot. Aurora smiled and looked back at her grandfather and Safiya who waiting off to the side.

She waved at them and Soran grabbed her hand.

"Hold onto the reins, Aurora. I don't want you to fall off."

"Can we go faster?"

He chortled. "No, not yet. You need to get used to riding a horse first. Your mother would kill me if I let you ride by yourself."

Navaz stood beside Safiya and admired the happiness gleaming in her dark eyes. So far Aurora's visit had been very joyful and eventful. He also was pleased that Safiya really loved spending time with Aurora. Balaam was so different than Pannonia. Balaam was very quiet since it was just the two of them and Soran who was practically an adult now.

In Pannonia there were children everywhere and a lot of commotion happening at all times. He could tell that once Aurora was going to leave that Safiya was going to be very upset and disappointed.

"I see you've taken a liking to her," he mused.

Safiya nods and laced her fingers with his. "She's a very special girl. I'm going to miss her when she leaves."

"You could…always go to Pannonia to see her. She likes you."

Her hand slithered away from his and she folded her arms, glaring at the open field. Navaz sighed, knowing that she would instantly distance herself from this subject. Anything to do with Anastasia she hated.

"Alright Safiya, what is going on with you two? I've tried to ask you several times what the problem is. I asked Ana what's wrong and she won't tell me either. I know you two are hiding something and I want to know what it is!"

"You had sex with her!" she blurted out.

"Ah," his cheeks flushed. "That was five years ago. I haven't done anything with her since then."

"You lied to me! You both lied to me! And that's all you have to say? I don't get an apology?"

Navaz turned and placed a hand on her shoulder. "I'm sorry, Safiya. She lost Ellac and she was lonely. I wanted to make her feel better, that's all. I still love you. I always have. I love Anastasia too, but not like I love you. If you want to leave me, you can."

"If I wanted to leave I would've left a long time ago," she mumbled.

"I should've told you. I'm sorry. It was one time only. I haven't done anything with her."

She lowered her head. "I know. She apologized to me. I didn't accept her apology."

Zolten walked up to them and sensed the tension. He cleared his throat and Navaz turned to him with a forced smile. He pulled out a scroll from his coat pocket and handed it over to his king.

"Word from Xena. There was an attack. Someone tried to kill Anastasia."

"What?!" Navaz exclaimed then ripped the letter from the general's hand. "Is she alright?"

"She suffered minor burns. There was a fire in her room and she's been unconscious for a couple of weeks."

Navaz breathed deeply as he read the letter and his hands shook at this news. He didn't know whether to tear up the letter and yell or keep himself calm especially since Aurora was around. He looked at his wife who seemed a bit concerned.

"Xena asked me to…go to the Goth territory to search with Oran. He'll be there in a week. I won't be able to take Aurora back to Pannonia.

Safiya nudged her head to Zolten and he bowed his head then took his leave. She took in a deep breath and her eyes darted from her husband to the ominous letter.

"I can take her back," she offered.

"You'd do that?"

"I adore her and you have things to do."

* * *

Gabrielle and Xena stood in front of the very nervous Mongolian woman. The three stood in silence for the last few minutes after Sarnai was called into Anastasia's room. Sarnai expected to be berated when she first came here but was pleasantly surprised she was treated very well, except that encounter she had with Yeter a couple of weeks ago.

The governor forced a smile and said, "Are you adjusting well? Are all of your needs met? Do you need more maids?"

"Oh, no everything is fine," she answered softly.

"I'm sorry that we couldn't talk but a lot has happened here. Arielle should be on her way back from Persia and she'll meet with you. We just wanted to talk to you about being Queen of Assyria."

Sarnai nodded in silence.

Xena rolled her eyes and stepped forward, glaring at the Mongol. "I don't think you thought of the consequences and responsibilities that came along with this, Sarnai. Bayan isn't a regular man. He's a king by my daughter's decree. Assyria is under the empire's control and it's clear Arielle doesn't want to be married to Bayan anymore but she also doesn't want to give up her status. You understand that, right?"

"Yes, I understand. I don't think Bayan wasn't thinking about the future either. He lied to her for so long and I pressured him to tell Arielle several times."

"I'm _sure_ you did," she sighed. "Arielle isn't the easiest person to get along with but if you become queen I'm sure you, Arielle and Bayan can make it work. She told me that Aurora really likes you and I think that's why she spared your life."

Sarnai grinned thinking about the princess. She hadn't seen Aurora in a very long time and she wondered when she'd be able to see her but that probably wasn't up for discussion.

She suggested to the khanum, "There's no way that Arielle would allow Bayan to be married to me and her at the same time?"

Xena laughed. "No, not a chance. She's made that clear to Bayan. Arielle gets whatever she wants and she fights for it but she's not willing to fight for her marriage. She immediately wanted a divorce."

"I think you're a nice girl, Sarnai. I just think you're in the middle of something you don't want to be in. I don't blame you. I don't have a problem with you being queen but Arielle will make the final decision. You can go now."

Sarnai bowed her head and left the room. Gabrielle exhaled deeply and swayed back and forth on her heels then stared up at her wife.

"You really think Arielle is going to allow this?"

"Yes, I do," Xena said and fiddled with her fur collar on her coat. "I think she has her mind on other things and she doesn't want to deal with Bayan anymore."

"She's going to be in the same position as Ana and Navaz. They shared Arielle throughout her entire life. Now she's going to have to do that with Bayan and Aurora."

The khanum chuckled and slapped a hand on her wife's shoulder. "I don't think Arielle cares about Bayan. Ana still cares for Navaz. It's not the same. Those two are more alike than they think, but yet they're so…different," she spoke of Ana and Arielle.

"Yeah, she gets her fire from you," Gabrielle snickered.

"Shut up, Gabrielle."

"I never said it was a bad thing! Arielle's a great combination of you and Anastasia!"

Ursula ran inside with a big smile on her face. She got a strange stare from the two and couldn't stop herself from rushing in.

"Anastasia just woke up."

* * *

_Imperial Palace, Japan_

Ernak and Csaba waited outside the palace for days until they found suitable guards that were their size in armor and stature. At the right opportunity the two killed the Japanese soldiers and stole their weapons and armor. They wore black scarves around their faces and were welcomed into the palace without question.

The two stayed inside the palace for about five days, watching and lurking. They had yet to see the prince and weren't able to get close to the harem. They didn't even see any women walking around and figured there was a special wing just for the women and harem much like how their home was.

Ernak went off by himself to search the empty sections of the palace and while he was searching he saw a woman in fine silk robes pass by with a couple of other women tagging along behind. He rendezvoused with his nephew in a secluded area of the palace.

Csaba pulled the scarf from his mouth and stared at his uncle who approached him then led him to a separate hallway so they could talk quietly.

"I saw a woman. She was escorting two women somewhere. Judging by her clothing she must belong to the royal family," he whispered.

Csaba groaned. "I don't like all this waiting around. Stealth missions aren't our specialty, Ernak. We should follow the women. She's probably taking them to see the prince."

"Wherever the prince is, he is heavily guarded. He's not going to be alone."

"I don't care! I want to find him and bring his head back to Pannonia!"

Ernak nodded. "I know you do and we'll find him but we need to be careful."

They stepped out of the hallway and covered their faces. They immediately bowed their heads when a few soldiers walked by and then Csaba lifted his head slightly to see the guest the Japanese soldiers were escorting.

Emperor Liu and Princess Bosi walked together down the hallway and a group of four soldiers followed behind them. Csaba hastily stepped behind the soldiers and pretended to be a part of their entourage. Ernak grumbled and jumped in line. They stuck out like sore thumbs because of their height but luckily there were a few tall Japanese soldiers but not many. Csaba was careful to hide his green eyes from everyone.

* * *

Prince Senka welcomed the Emperor of China and his daughter. The three bowed at each other. Senka offered them tea before they sat down together to have a meeting.

Emperor Liu did his best to keep his composure but he had no desire to meet with the Japanese Prince. He knew the Emperor of Japan was ill and nobody was allowed to see him. He had the feeling that the emperor might be dead and it was kept from the public.

"Prince Senka, thank you for accepting my invitation," he said.

"Of course, Emperor. I would never refuse a visitation from the leader of China. I heard you had a run-in with the Huns. They attacked your imperial city, is that right?" he says with malice and sipped the tea.

"My plan to execute them all failed when my city was attacked. They fled back to Pannonia but I know it won't be the last time I see them. My son is still alive and he has taken over the Tibet Kingdom."

Senka nodded. "How unfortunate for you. I also had a problem with the Huns, or should I say _a_ Hun," he chuckled. "My mother was kidnapped by the princess. You would know that since you received a letter from their queen."

"Yes, I did. I think we should join forces, your highness. We should wage war on the Huns as soon as possible. The Persians are no longer my ally even though their shah was killed by Xena."

"Xena! I've always wanted to meet her. I must say her granddaughter was quite a cherry blossom. She's very pleasing to the eye."

Csaba frowned and almost lunged forward to attack the prince head on until his uncle pulled him back.

"Not now, Csaba," he hissed. "You'll blow our cover."

"He raped my sister!"

"He will get what he deserves but you must be patient. This information is very valuable to us."

Csaba couldn't stand to look at the prince and his smug of a smile. He felt sick to his core and the only thing keeping him from strangling the prince was Ernak standing by his side. That and he had other plans in this palace aside from killing Prince Senka.

"Look at him. He doesn't even care that he raped Cera. He is bragging about it!" he whispered.

"What did you expect? Look, Cera is my niece; she's my brother's daughter. I'll do anything for her but you need to keep yourself in check or you'll ruin this for the both of us. I don't want to get killed because of your ill thought actions. I'd like to go home to my wife and children and I'm sure you would too."

* * *

Xena waited patiently in the clinic as she stared at her daughter. Anastasia wasn't fully aware of her surroundings as her entire body had been pumped with medicine and herbs over the last two weeks. She asked for nobody to come in the room except for Gabrielle and the physician. She also requested someone to come help them take Anastasia to the baths which luckily there was a room beside the clinic.

Gabrielle smiled at the queen and Anastasia kept looking around as she was still lying down. Her arms were glued to her sides and she didn't dare to move her legs either. The longer Gabrielle gawked the more she realized Anastasia had no idea what was going on.

"Can she…hear us?" she whispered.

Xena kept eyeing the door and turned to her wife. "She's just in a state of shock. It'll wear off soon."

Mirac showed up and hesitantly approached the bed. His eyes widened at his mother in law who was in a strange comatose state. He did his best not to stare and he cleared his throat and smiled over at the khanum who was patiently waiting for him.

"Mirac," she wrapped her arm around him. "You're a strong man. I need you to carry Anastasia to the baths. I'd ask Bayan to do it but I don't like him."

"Yes khanum, I'll do it."

The physician removed the sheets and Mirac readied himself and gently scooped his arms underneath the khatun's body. Anastasia's eyes drifted over to him and he stared at her for a moment but it didn't look like she was staring at him, at least not directly.

Gabrielle bit her nail as Mirac lifted Ana out of the bed and her arms fell limp. She studied the look on the queen's face and noticed something strange –stranger than what she suspected when Ana was to wake up.

* * *

In the bathhouse Xena took off her headdress, coat and belt. Mirac's face paled as he held the queen in his arms. He eyed Xena as she was taking off her boots and stockings as she sat on the bench.

"Should…I…should I leave?"

The khanum frowned and tossed her boots to the side. "I'm not getting naked in front you, boy."

After she took off all her heavy robes she was left in a tight black dress and descended into the hot water then stretched her arms outward. Mirac walked over and knelt on his knees and slowly let Anastasia into the baths with her dress on and bandaged covered arms and legs.

Xena grabbed onto her daughter and set her down on the marble bench within the bath and looked over at Mirac, instructing him to leave with just a glare. He bowed his head and then nearly bumped into the governor on his way out.

Gabrielle closed the doors and sat on the edge of the bath, staring at Ana's strange-looking expression while Xena took the bandages off her arms. She kept staring at Ana's wandering eyes but she didn't appear to be looking at anything, at least not anything she could see.

Xena was too distracted with caring for her daughter to notice Gabrielle's odd gawking. She slipped the gown off her daughter's shoulders and eyed the mild burns on her shoulders. She grabbed a cloth and gently squeezed the hot water over her skin.

While she continued to wash her daughter's skin and then pour water over her head, Gabrielle sat off to the side, observing.

"You'll feel better after the bath, I promise," she whispered.

Anastasia said nothing but her mouth parted slightly as she felt the cloth touch her face, almost as if she wasn't expecting it. She stretched her arm out and tried to find her mother's face and instead touched her shoulder. Her fingers traveled upward and finally her fingertips glided along her mother's chiseled jaw.

Gabrielle lowered her gaze at her wife's oblivion and Ana's fear written all over her face.

"Xena, I…I don't think she can see you," she muttered.

The khanum frowned and whipped her head around. "What are you talking about?"

"I mean, she can't _see_ you. She physically can't."

"She's not blind Gabrielle."

The governor sighed and then Xena looked back at her daughter's eyes filled with emptiness. She dropped the cloth into the water and cupped her daughter's cheeks, staring directly into her eyes.

"Anastasia? You can see me, can't you?" she asked and her daughter's eyes swelled. "Can't you?"

Gabrielle stood up and thumbed the doors. "I'm going to get the physician…"

"Ana? _Tatli kiz_…" she murmured and wiped the tears away with her thumbs. She kept staring into her daughter's eyes but there was nothing.

"Mother, I…I can't see," Ana croaked out.

Xena's lips curled and she wrapped her arms around her daughter's slender frame and sobbed quietly. She opened her blurry eyes and stared at Gabrielle who brought the physician in to look at her daughter.

"Get out," she ordered.

Gabrielle frowned sadly. "Xena, he's just here to help."

"I said get out!"

* * *

She led the physician out of the bathhouse and closed the doors quietly. She saw the worried look on his face. She put him at ease with a hand on his shoulder.

"Is there anything that you gave her to cause this?"

He stammered, "governor I –I would never. All the medicines I've used are safe. I would never."

"Alright, calm down. Relax," she reassured him. "Perhaps you could find out what happened before the fire? Did Diana give her something? Did she ingest something harmful?"

"I have no idea, governor. I can have her room searched if you want. I'll double-check all of the medicines in the clinic but I assure you that I gave her nothing harmful."

She nodded.

"When she's back in bed I can try to pry information out of her but I doubt she'll remember. Oran found her unconscious in her room, so it's unlikely she'd remember something from two weeks ago."

"I need to put medicine on her burns," he whispered.

"Xena can do that. I don't think she's going to let anyone come near her but I'll let you know if I need you," she informed him and he walked down the hall back to the clinic. "Wait!"

He turned at her call.

"If you tell anyone about this I'll kill you."

He put a hand over his chest and bowed his head. "I won't say a word, governor."

* * *

_Ravenna, Italia_

Alaric sat inside the military fortress with his boots propped up on the desk. He tossed the documents he was reading to the side and reached for a glass of wine. Before he took a sip the loud war horns sounded outside and he swung his boots off the desk and sat stilly for a moment.

There was screaming outside and loud horse hooves that rattled the fortress. He looked at the wine and it swished gently in the glass. He grabbed his sword and ran over to the balcony and a horrible sight of hundreds of horsemen rode towards the city over the grassy hillside.

His men at the edge of camp who sounded the horns tried to run but were trampled by the large horses stampeding their way down the hill. He grimaced and looked at the flag waving in the air which was carried by the frontline horsemen.

The Goths were in a fit of panic and tried to load their catapults before the invaders rode into their camp. Alaric turned on his heel and stormed back inside.

Gal, one of the commanders of the army ran inside and took off his helmet.

"Sir, the Gepids are invading."

The king nodded. "I'm aware. Get the men to their horses immediately and try to hold them off as long as possible. I don't want them to come into the fortress."

"Yes, your highness."

Alaric growled and slammed his fist on the desk. "Eksama…" he growled.

* * *

_Imperial Palace, Japan_

Ernak lingered in the hallway and Csaba hid in the next hall. They were on lookout for the last few hours and it'd been days since the meeting between Prince Senka and Emperor Liu. Ernak peered from around the corner and saw Princess Tashibana hurrying down the hall. He covered his face and nodded to Csaba.

Tashibana passed by the corridor and Csaba grabbed her and pulled her into a dark hall with his hand wrapped around her mouth. She screamed and tried to escape and he shoved her into in the wall and brought her arms over her head.

"Where is the harem and Prince Senka?" he questioned.

He removed his hand and she let out an ear piercing scream. He slapped her across the face and put his hand back over her mouth. Ernak stood guard and looked around to see if any soldiers were around and he nodded to Csaba.

"You're going to take us to the harem. The prince is expecting a woman tonight, isn't he?" he hissed.

She refused to answer and he pulled out a dagger and held it up to her throat and she panicked.

"Isn't he?!"

She bobbed her head up and down vigorously.

"Take us to the harem or I'll slit your throat. Got it?"

The three walked down the hall into the red room and as soon as the doors were opened Princess Tashibana screamed.

"_Huna_!" she yelled.

All of the harem maids scattered and Ernak sighed then closed the doors behind them and locked them. He grabbed the princess by her robes and shoved her onto the floor. He sat on top of her and whipped out his dagger and hiked up her kimono.

"Where is he?" he whispered in her ear. "I'll cut you in a place you don't want to be cut."

Her eyes widened and she pointed to the far left side of the room. Csaba watched her hand and then ran in that direction. Ernak waited until his nephew left and then he slit the princess' throat and let her bleed out on the floor.

He got up and took the scarf off his face and saw the horror in all of the concubines' eyes. He wiped the bloody dagger on his pants and heard guards yelling from the other side of the doors.

"Where are the Hun women?" he asked calmly.

Everyone gawked at him with fearful eyes.

"Huna! _Where_ are they?!" he shouted.

The harem maids backed up against the wall and looked over to a secluded room on the far side of the harem chamber. He marched across the room and sheathed the dagger into its holster.

He kicked open the door and saw three young Hun women sitting in a corner together. They immediately cowered in fear and he sighed and pulled out his sword and they covered their eyes. Slowly, he made his way over to the women and twirled his sword around so the sharp end was facing away from them.

"_Ben kral Ernak. Seni kurtarmak icin buradayim_," he spoke in a soft tone.

The women lifted their eyes, recognizing the language. They stared at the crest on his sword and all three of them smiled from ear to ear.

"_Anastasia Khatun gönderdi beni…" _he sheathed his sword and extended his hand.

* * *

Csaba ran down the hallway and was met with two men guarding the prince's room. He charged right for them and drove his sword in one of their chests and kicked the other into the wall. He withdrew his sword from the Japanese' soldier's body and then sliced through the other soldier's throat.

He opened the double doors and saw Prince Senka smoking opium on the floor with a young woman who appeared to be of Chinese descent. The concubine gasped and stood up then grabbed her robe and covered herself.

Csaba wiped the blood off his blade and ripped the scarf off his face. "Prince Senka…" he snarled.

The prince stood slowly and backed away. He eyed the katana on the wall and Csaba saw the direction he was looking in.

"What…do you want?"

The Hun king sauntered across the floor, gripping the sword tightly. "You raped my sister –my _little_ sister _Cera_. You remember her."

Senka smiled briefly then ran to grab the katana. Csaba ran and sliced through the prince's backside. Senka cried out in agony and then dropped to his knees and palms. Csaba knelt down behind him and yanked his head backward.

"You should know better than to wage war with the Huns, Senka," he hissed. "And you should've never allied with Emperor Liu. My people will destroy your kingdom and China's."

"Hun –"

Csaba slit his throat and the prince choked then wrapped his hand around his throat. Csaba's lip curled in a snarl and he grabbed Senka by the hair and finished the job by decapitating his head from body. He held the prince's head, dripping with blood and looked into the lifeless dark eyes.

He frowned and stuffed the prince's head into a bag then ran out of the room.

He met up with Ernak back in the red room. He held up the bloody bag with a big grin.

"I have the prince's head."

Ernak raised his eyebrow at his nephew's grim excitement.

"_Fantastic_. I have the Nezak women. We need to leave. Our men are waiting for us outside and there's a ship waiting for us at the port. It won't be long before the guards figure out what happened."

"I guess this means we're officially at war with Japan and China."

Ernak sighed. "Your sister better be ready for that. Let's go. _Hadi_, _hadi_!" he yelled at the Nezak Hun women behind him to run ahead of them.

* * *

Anastasia opened her eyes and saw a sea of black. She sat up slowly and struggled to use her arms for support. She tried to find the cup of water beside the bed and reached out into the open and her fingers felt the bedside table. She searched for the cup of water and instead of grabbing it, she knocked it over and the silver cup fell to the floor.

Xena woke up to the crash and she jumped out of the bed beside her daughter's and stared at the spilled water on the floor. She knelt down and picked up the cup and stared at her daughter's blank eyes.

"I'll get some water for you," she says softly.

She filled up the cup with fresh water from the silver pitcher and sat on the edge of the bed. Anastasia wiggled her fingers, trying to find her mother's hand. Xena crinkled her eyebrows together and grabbed her daughter's hands and helped her wrap her fingers around the cup.

Ana drank the water after trying to find her mouth for a couple of moments. She set the empty cup in her lap and sighed heavily, relieved that her thirst was quenched.

"Mother, I appreciate you staying with me," she began.

Xena sensed there was more. "I'll always be here for you."

Ana nodded and reached to touch her mother's hand. Xena moved closer and gripped her hand firmly.

"But I want you to leave."

Xena's mouth parted and she scratched her head. "Ana, please I –"

"I'm not doing this to be mean. I love you, and I thank you for helping me. You always help me but…" she trailed off. "I want to see my grandchildren." She caught herself and added, "I want…to _talk_ to them. I –I miss them and Cera. I can't see them but I want to talk to them. Please?"

Xena inhaled sharply and covered her teary eyes. Anastasia listened and heard her mother whimpering.

"Don't –don't cry, mother," she advised and smiled warmly. "You never cry. I'm not deaf you know. I can hear you at night. Don't cry because of me. The physician said this might be temporary. I just want to talk to them."

Xena wiped her eyes and stared at her blind daughter. She was sort of grateful that her daughter wasn't able to see her face, puffy eyes and reddened nose from sobbing for days on end.

"I will…bring them to you. Cera has been teaching at the school again."

Ana grinned. "Good, I'm glad to hear that. I know she loves art."

Their hand grip tightened and Ana lifted her eyes, staring blankly at her mother.

"I also want to know what is going on in the empire. After I talk to the children, I want you to tell me everything. I hope you've been running the empire in my absence?"

The khanum faintly smiled. "Yes I have. I'll tell you everything later."

* * *

Late in the evening, Gabrielle came to her bedroom and hung up her coat then turned around and surprisingly saw her wife sitting on the floor in front of the fireplace. There was a tray of untouched food and a glass of wine nursed in Xena's hand.

She sat down on the floor pillow and eyed the food then her wife. "I hope you weren't waiting for me to eat?" she tried to make conversation.

Xena gave a brief smile and then continued staring at the roaring fire. "Where have you been?"

"I…was in Ana's room. I was searching for anything that could've caused her blindness. I haven't found anything by the way."

Her wife slowly nodded her head.

"All of the children are still in the clinic visiting Ana. I don't know if they will go to sleep," she chuckled lightly. "They've been keeping her busy for hours. You know Farah's boys are very talkative."

"They are."

The two sat in silence and then Xena turned away and sobbed under her breath. Gabrielle set down the bread and listened to her wife's soft whimpers. She crawled across the floor and sat beside her.

"Don't do this, Xena," she whispered. "Don't do this to yourself. This isn't your fault, my fault or anyone else's fault. You heard what the physician said. It could be temporary! He's working very hard to find a cure. I talked to him yesterday."

"_Could_ be!" she spat back. "But what if it's not?"

The governor rested her head on her wife's shoulder. "Then we will deal with it like we've dealt with everything else. We thought Cera was going to die when she was little and her throat was slit by Boareks but she didn't! She recovered and she's alive. She has a really wonderful husband and people who love her. She has learned to adapt and if Ana…can't ever see again then she will adapt too."

Xena wiped her eyes and had a raging headache. She barely had any sleep for the last two weeks, especially the last few days. She was tired of crying and she couldn't remember any time in her life in which she shed so many tears, at least not all at once.

She lolled her head to the side and Gabrielle smiled up at her. She kept gaping and Gabrielle pulled away and quirked her mouth to the side. She leaned in close and cupped her face and planted a kiss on her lips.

Gabrielle's eyes widened and then reacted to the kiss slowly and tried not to give a toothy smile. She tasted the remnants of the wine and then just as she was about to wrap her arms around her wife's neck, she felt their lips separate.

She opened her eyes and wiped the corners of her mouth.

"W-what was that for?"

Her heart palpated and she felt her stomach churn at the sight of the khanum's crystal blue eyes glistening in the fire-lit room. She put a hand over her chest and felt almost breathless.

Xena smiled. "I just wanted to remind myself that I enjoy _seeing_ your face every day."

"Maybe you should remind me more often!" she eagerly said and Xena rolled her eyes playfully.

She then saw the sadness settling in and grabbed her arm.

"Hey, we've been through a lot and we'll get through this too. You're never alone here."

Xena's face contorted and she felt tears coming on again. "Gabrielle, I –"

"No." she put a finger to her wife's lips. "Don't. No more thinking about it. We can go to bed if you want. You must be exhausted."

"I…don't want to go to bed. I just want to sit here for awhile."

The blonde nodded and cuddled up close to her and pecked her wife's cheek.

"Then I'll sit here _with_ you."

* * *

Due to Farah's persistence she, Arielle and Xerxes returned to Pannonia sooner than anticipated. Everyone in the camp waved at them as they passed by on their large black horses. Xerxes received a lot of strange looks from everyone but he tried not to let it bother him. He hated his time in his homeland with the princess and queen.

His father was adamant about the alliance which was a good thing but he kept thinking about what his brother planned to do in the future. He felt like a traitor of his father and the Huns. He liked Arielle and Farah as well as the rest of their family. They showed kindness to him without questions asked. He hoped his brother would change his mind once he saw what a great ally the Huns are.

Arielle dismounted her horse and ran up the stairs to greet everyone but as soon as she entered the Adame she felt heaviness. It was also quiet, too quiet. She entered the foyer and the guards greeted her. She looked around and then her mood dampened at the sight of Sarnai and Bayan standing together, chatting.

Xerxes and Farah followed in after her and they too felt a strange atmosphere. Farah looked up at Xerxes who tried not to look her in the eye.

"I will talk to the khatun and make arrangements for you. I've built a suite designed for politicians. It's on the opposite end of the palace so you won't be around the family," she told him.

The Persian prince smiled.

"You're very kind, your highness. I've enjoyed my time spent with you and the princess."

Her eyes darted to Arielle and back to him. "Don't go near Arielle."

"I wouldn't dream of it. I'm an ambassador to your people that is all."

Sarnai stopped talking with Bayan as soon as she saw Arielle approaching. She'd never laid eyes on her before and she didn't have to, to know who she was. It was obvious. She looked like the khatun and khanum. Tall, dark curly hair, fair olive skin, big blue eyes, lean muscular frame and a grimace on her face that could scare anyone.

"Your highness…" she addressed her and bowed her head.

Arielle examined the small framed Mongol woman. She arched her eyebrow and folded her arms. Not too tan, not too fair, very thin, smaller than Gabrielle, small eyes and a heart-shaped face. She looked at Bayan and chuckled out loud.

"You left me for _this_?"

Bayan narrowed his eyes. "You don't need to insult her, Arielle. You're the one who invited her here."

"And I was expecting something else…" she laughed and circled around the nervous Mongolian. "I'm not impressed Bayan but she seems _sweet_. I guess you like her for a _reason_ if you've been with her for two years."

"Your grandmother talked to her and said she would be a good fit for queen. We're waiting for you to make the final choice and where is Aurora? I thought you were going to pick her up on your way back from Persia."

The princess shrugged a shoulder.

"My father is taking her back. My decision." She sighed and stared at the petite woman. "She can be your queen. I'll sign the papers tonight then you can be on your merry way back to Harran."

She began to walk off and he grabbed her arm forcefully. She snapped her head around with a harsh glare. Xerxes watched the exchange between the two and couldn't keep his eyes away from Bayan's hold on her.

"What about Aurora? Can't I take her back with me?"

"Fuck you, Bayan. I sent her away with my father for a reason. I didn't want her to be here when your mistress arrived. She'll _never_ live with you again. She's staying here with me and she will never know about _your_ son. Got that?"

She yanked her arm away and he tried to grab her again and she shoved him into the wall.

"Don't touch me," she growled.

"You can't do that, Arielle. She's my daughter too!"

"Then you should've thought about that before fucking _her_," she shot a glare towards Sarnai.

She stormed down the hall and was about to make her way up the staircase until Xerxes called her name. She paused with a smile and turned around.

"Are you going to let him talk to you like that?" he asked.

She treads down the stairs and cocked her head. "Why do you care about my relationship with Bayan?"

"I…I don't. I just don't like the way he speaks to you."

"What're you going to do? Beat him black and blue?" she scoffed.

Xerxes' relaxed his eyebrows. "If you ask me to I will."

She pursed her mouth and pat his shoulder. "That's kind of you. I might take you up on that offer later." she winked and ran up the stairs.

She walked by her bedroom and then smiled at the doors to her mother's room across the way. She walked over and knocked on the door but received no answer. Instead of waiting, she opened one of the doors and her jaw dropped at the empty room.

The walls were blackened, the wooden floor was destroyed and it smelt of soot and old oil. She backed out of the room and bumped into the railing of the balcony. Breathing heavily she ran back downstairs, searching for anyone who had answers.

She grabbed a maid by the arm. "My mother! _Where's_ my mother?!"

"She's in the clinic, your majesty…"

* * *

Xena stood at the end of the bed telling Ana everything that had happened in the last few weeks. Gabrielle recorded the conversation as she would in Ana's room. In the middle of their conversation Arielle burst through the doors.

Xena stopped conversing and blocked the bed. Arielle tried to get by and she kept side stepping her.

"I want to see her!"

Anastasia lifted her head at the sound of her daughter's voice. "Arielle?"

"Mom!" she yelled back with tears in her eyes.

She pushed her grandmother aside and ran to the edge of the bed. She grabbed hold of her mother's hand and then looked at the bandages on her arms and then looked at her mother's face. The tears held for a moment and she sniffled.

"Mother?" She spun around. "What happened? _Who_ did this?"

Xena looked over at Gabrielle and kept her mouth shut.

"I want to know!"

Ana squeezed her daughter's hand. "My room was set on fire by my chambermaid. She was sent by someone to kill me. Your grandmother has people looking for whoever was behind this."

Arielle wiped her cheeks and she kept staring at her mother's eyes confusedly.

"My father. Did you tell him too? Does he know?"

"I told him, Arielle," Xena finally spoke. "I sent him to scout the Goth territories with Oran."

The princess leaned inward and waved her hand back and forth in front of her mother's face but got no response –no reaction or eye contact. She looked back at the governor and khanum.

"What's wrong with her?"

Silence.

"Gabrielle?" she asked and the blonde slumped in the chair. "Grandma?"

Xena smiled weakly then Arielle turned to look back at her mother. Anastasia reached out with her other hand to find her daughter's face. Struggling a bit, she furrowed her eyebrows and Arielle sat, frozen and very still.

Her eyes wide and horrified as she watched her mother reach out blindly. She finally grabbed her mother's hand and nestled her cheek into her mother's palm.

"I'm fine, Arielle. The burns aren't even that horrible so I'm told," she says with a crooked smile.

"You…you can't see me."


	16. Chapter 16

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Arielle returns from Persia with some very useful information. The only ally of the Huns in the west is murdered, and Anastasia realizes that the empire isn't running smoothly without her to guide everyone. Fed up with her grandmother's overbearing demands, Arielle turns to Prince Xerxes for solace. Navaz and Oran embark on an excursion to Goth territory and meet the woman responsible for all the pain caused in their family.

**This story moves at a slower pace compared to the others but be mindful that shit is about to go down lol. We have conflict with China, Japan, Persia, Tibet and the Gepids. There's a lot going on so I don't want to cram a lot in the early chapters. Later the Byzantines will reappear but not for awhile. Just thought I'd give y'all some info at this point in the story.**

**Good luck and thanks for reading :)**

Chapter 16 –_A Heavy Burden: Part I_

The family physician tried several serums on the khatun's eyes and after several attempts and failures; he had found something that could work. Every day for the last two weeks he gave her multiple drops but advised that she continue to stay in bed. He wasn't entirely sure that the serum was to work completely but as time went on, he hoped it would.

Anastasia was tired of lying in bed for days on end and hadn't seen anything outside the clinic walls. She had several visitors throughout the day and she never tired of visitors. The last few days were especially exciting because she could partially see, although everything was extremely blurry and she wore a black sheer veil over her face to block the harsh sunlight or any light for that matter.

Gabrielle stayed with her this morning and watched the physician cautiously as he dropped a few drops of the serum into Ana's eyes. Now they would wait and she knew Ana was very anxious and didn't want to stay in bed for another minute.

The khatun sighed heavily and stared at the black veil shielding her eyes.

"You know Gabrielle, it was scary to wake up and see nothing but darkness. I never want to experience that again but it seems I'm still in the dark."

"Your vision could possibly return to normal but the physician said to wear the veil at all times especially if you go outside."

Anastasia scoffed. "If I _ever_ get out of this bed. Where's my mother? She didn't come to see me this morning."

"She…she's having a conversation with Arielle."

"A _conversation_ or an argument?"

The governor chuckled. "You know how they are. They both want their way at the same time."

"Those two should learn how to compromise."

The doors opened slightly and Safiya came inside with Aurora holding her hand. Gabrielle smiled at the two and waved at them to come over. Aurora had a concerned look on her face and she was glued to Safiya's leg as they made their way over.

Anastasia laced her fingers together and continued, "I really don't like being out of the loop. Arielle is probably running the empire without me and I have no control over it. My mother is in charge yes, but you know how Arielle is. She thinks she knows everything!"

Safiya cleared her throat and Ana sat up slowly and narrowed her eyes, trying to make out who was at the end of the bed.

"Anastasia," she announced, "I brought Aurora with me. She was very worried about you."

The khatun grinned and sat up straight and saw the small outline of her granddaughter. "_Benim prensesim_!"

Aurora walked over to the bed and Gabrielle helped her up. She stared curiously at the black veil and tried to see her grandmother's blue eyes beneath it. She leaned in very close and Anastasia felt her breath and pulled away slightly.

"Why you wearing _that_?" she asked.

"Because I need to. Just for a little while." She grinned and reached for the princess' hand. "Tell me about your trip to Balaam. Did you like it there?"

"Uh huh. Soran taught me how to ride a horse and grandpa gave him to me but he says the horse will stay in Balaam. When I go back I can ride him again!"

Anastasia raised her eyebrow and wasn't a bit irritated she couldn't look Safiya in the eye. In fact, she was surprised Safiya was here after secluding herself for five years. Perhaps she wasn't here on her own free will but Navaz insisted she come with Aurora to Pannonia.

"A horse…" she muttered. "I hope you told your mother about this."

Safiya butt in, "We haven't gotten a chance to see Arielle yet. I thought we would drop by to visit you first."

"I see."

* * *

Arielle took off her headdress and scratched her scalp, glaring at her grandmother. She tried to set the kozak down until Xena grabbed it and placed it right back where it was supposed to be. She puckered her lips into a pout and let that slide.

"Okay grandma, I have this plan. I think you're gonna love it!"

The khanum folded her arms, unimpressed already. "Let's hear it then, oh wise one."

"Cute. Anyway, Xerxes told me there are seven houses in Persia! Sassan is only one of them! Can you believe it? Of course you can't because you didn't even know that. Ha!"

"What is the point, Arielle?"

"My plan is to go to the houses. He mentioned that the House of Karen is the second largest in Persia. We should befriend every single royal household just in case this alliance with the Sassanians doesn't work out."

Xena approached the commander and stared her down. "What makes you think it won't work? Did you see anything that could cause doubt?"

"I'm just thinking ahead. I think Farah did a great job negotiating with Shah Kavad. I didn't like Shehzade Kawus. That's Xerxes' brother if you didn't know."

"I read the report," she said flatly. "What is the point of meeting the other Persian houses?"

"Oh yeah!" Arielle snapped her fingers excitedly. "We should invite the Karens here. The entire family could come here so we could get to know them. We'll make them feel welcome. I'm going to run this by Xerxes later to see what he thinks."

That struck odd in Xena's mind and she clicked her tongue on the roof of her mouth.

"Why would you need to talk to Xerxes? He's just our ambassador."

Arielle's cheeks turned a bright pink. She could feel the heat radiating off her skin and tried to act like she wasn't embarrassed but knew she couldn't hide anything from anyone in this house. She sometimes hated living with so many people. Privacy here was hard to come by but at least everybody had their own rooms far apart from each other.

"He's Persian…so I thought he could give some advice."

"Mhm," Xena said unconvincingly. "You want to have a party for the Karens, is that right?"

"Hey I didn't think of that. Great idea grandma. I mean…khanum," she teased. "I'm going to see mother later tonight. Xerxes and I are going to train the army together. He wants to know our techniques and strategies."

She added, "So you'll organize the party?"

Xena laughed. "I don't organize _parties_. Who do I look like to you?"

"You are in charge, aren't you? Unless of course, you're too proud to do it."

"Watch yourself, girl."

The commander planted a hand over her heart. "I am not a _girl_, grandma. I'm a woman. If you don't want to do it then I'm sure Farah would love to. She loves throwing extravagant parties; Banat style!" she exclaimed whilst wiggling her fingers. "I need to get to the field. We'll talk later."

"Hmm. Oh wait, you know Aurora is home."

Arielle beamed. "I will see her first then go to the field or maybe I could take her with me."

"Arielle!"

"_Kidding_. Where's your sense of humor?"

* * *

Gabrielle drew the curtains after Safiya left with Aurora. Anastasia pulled the veil back on top of her head and shielded her eyes from the sunlight from the large windows until all of the curtains were drawn. Gabrielle ran back to the bed and gawked at Ana's eyes.

They were not the pretty blue that reminded her of her wife's eyes. They were cloudy and almost white. Anyone who would stare at her would probably be horrified at the sight of her eyes. Anastasia looked around the dark room, unable to make out anything but shapes and dark figures.

"I want to sit out on my balcony."

Gabrielle cringed. "Ana, the physician said to stay inside."

"I know what he said but I've been locked in here for a month without sunlight. I just want to sit outside."

The blonde sighed and pulled the veil back over Ana's face to shield her sensitive eyes. Ana swung her legs over the side of the bed and tried to find her black flat shoes and Gabrielle knelt down and helped her slide her narrow feet into the flats. She then held Ana underneath the arm and tried to lift her off the bed.

Xena came in and rushed to her daughter's side. "What are you doing?" she panicked.

"She wants to sit on her balcony," Gabrielle informed her. She glared at her for a few moments and her wife sighed.

Xena then grabbed her daughter's other arm and hoisted her off the bed. She and her wife guided the khatun towards the balcony and drew the curtains back. Anastasia felt the sun's warmth against her body and she never knew how much she missed the sun until it was taken away from her.

They assisted her onto the balcony and eased her down onto one of the cushioned chairs. She exhaled heavily and her heart beat quickened from the walk from her bed to the balcony. She clutched the armrests and felt the breeze barely graze her skin beneath the dark veil.

Xena and Gabrielle stepped away and stared at her with concern.

"Do you want us to sit with you?" the khanum asked.

"I think I can manage sitting here by myself. I want to be left alone for awhile."

"We'll be inside your room if you need us."

Ana nodded and smiled, enjoying the fresh air and sun beaming against her. Gabrielle and her wife slowly backed away back into the bedroom to allow Anastasia have time to herself.

Xena couldn't take her eyes off her daughter and crossed her arms. "Did she have the eye drops this morning?"

"Yes. How did your meeting go with Arielle? Any news?"

Xena rolled her eyes and turned to her wife. "She is in a much better mood since Bayan left with Sarnai –too good of a mood if you ask me. She wants to have a party for the House of Karen. They're an important family in Persia. Apparently there are six other houses aside from the Sassanians."

"That's…interesting. Why a party?"

"She says she wants us to have a better understanding of the Persian families. I don't think it's a bad idea but it's strange that she is eager to have a party for them. Could you imagine?" she cackled, "the Adame filled with Persians!"

The governor smirked. "That would be a sight to see. Where is she now?"

"In the field with Xerxes. She asked _me_ to organize the party which I'm not going to do. I'll leave that to Farah."

"I bet you could organize a great party if you really wanted to," she teased her wife.

Xena ignored the jest and kept staring at her daughter. "What if she's stuck this way forever, Gabrielle? Is she going to wear that veil over her eyes every day until she dies?"

The blonde bit her bottom lip and grabbed her wife's arm. "Like I've been saying for the last month; if she remains in this state, we'll be here for her and we'll deal with it. She's alive and that's all that matters."

"I wish it would've been me instead of her."

Gabrielle's eyes drifted to the floor and smiled faintly. "I love you, Xena."

The khanum slowly turned her head and grinned. "I love you too."

"Are you two done talking about me? I can still hear you," Ana said from afar. "My ears work just fine."

She drummed her fingers on the armrest and inhaled the fresh air then turned her head to the women as she was staring directly at them with her veiled eyes.

"I think you should organize the party, mother. You're filling in for me and I don't want Farah to do your work for you. Prepare a _grand_ party for the Persians."

* * *

_Ravenna, Italia_

Ebnedzar arrived to the place he was supposed to govern and remain as King Alaric's commander but when he came to the old Roman province there was death surrounding him. He halted the small army he had with him and gawked at the hundreds of bodies laid across the field.

He trotted forward hesitantly and could smell the rotting flesh so he covered his mouth with the scarf around his neck. As he got closer he could see birds eating the faces of the Goth soldiers and he turned away and stared at his men who were also very disturbed.

"Spread out and look for any sign of life!" he ordered.

A few of the frontline men dismounted their horses and went to search on foot. They walked in between the corpses and tried not to gag in the process.

Ebnedzar shook his head and rode to the Roman palace which was covered in blood. He made his way round to the front of the palace to a large tree and looked up to see even something more horrific than the field. There were five men hanging from the largest tree branch.

He sighed heavily and hopped off the horse and walked towards the hanged men and waved his hand to a soldier nearby.

"Cut them down and burn the bodies."

He stared at the hanging bodies above him for a moment longer before entering the fortress. Upon entering there were guards scattered everywhere, blood all over the walls and the floors. He hadn't seen something so heinous before. He gathered this attack had taken place awhile ago due to the smell of the rotting bodies and the blood had since dried.

He pushed open the door to the throne room and gawked at a body which hung from the door frame and closed his eyes to take a moment for himself. He tried to ignore the smell but it was nearly impossible.

As he walked through the chamber he saw Alaric's arm hanging off the armrest of a chair. Ebnedzar cleared his throat and covered his nose and mouth from the stench. Slowly, he circled around the desk and gasped.

Alaric was strapped to the chair with a sword impaled in his throat. His eyes were wide open and maggots infested the wounds on his arms, legs and cheeks. Ebnedzar had never felt so ill before seeing dead bodies.

He saw a necklace hanging out of the deceased Goth king's mouth. He shook his hands and reached forward and grabbed the necklace and yanked it out of Alaric's mouth. He gagged at the blood and maggots infested necklace.

He picked the maggots off the necklace and held it in palm. His eyes widened at the Hun pendant attached to the necklace. He also wore the same necklace around his neck that was given to his mother by his father.

"Sir, we didn't find anyone alive." A soldier shouted from the other end of the room.

Ebnedzar grazed his fingers along the pendant and closed his hand into a fist.

"Sir?"

This was an attack strictly made by people connected to Attila's clan. This person somehow got a hold of this necklace and tried to make a mockery of the entire clan. That was Ebnedzar's best explanation for this massacre.

He slipped the pendant into his pocket and turned to the soldier.

"Gather all of the bodies and prepare a ceremonial fire for them. I need to send a letter back to the capital."

"Are we going to remain here in Ravenna?"

Ebnedzar frowned. "Yes. This is our base but I want to send scouts to surround the area. We need to find out who attacked the Ostrogoths."

* * *

Arielle sat on the floor with Ku as they shared a meal together. The commander smiled at the Assyrian woman and Ku chuckled softly and kept picking at the tray of food.

"I missed you when I was in Persia."

Ku raised an eyebrow. "Didn't seem like it. You've been with Xerxes ever since you came home."

"Are you jealous?"

"Who said anything about being jealous? I just notice things."

Arielle shrugged a shoulder and licked her fingers. "We're training the army together. He's very observant and takes orders easily. Although I can see why; he's a general for his father's army. I'd love to be general of an army one day."

Ku rolled her eyes and wiped her hands on a napkin. "You don't like being commander?"

"No, don't get me wrong, I love being commander plus I get on my grandma's nerves all the time. She gets so mad when I do something different than her! She still wants to control me but now she can't," she snickered. "Ever since she became khanum she has to be in control of the empire while my mother is recovering."

The handmaid nodded and wiped the corners of her lips and stared at Arielle who was grinning at her while drinking a glass of wine.

"How is your mother?"

"She's doing better. I saw her this morning but she doesn't want anyone to look at her. I feel like I am back in Persia, surrounded by faceless women!" she joked but saw Ku didn't find it amusing.

Ku lifted her glass to her mouth and subtly said in a muffled voice, "We should be careful who we allow to serve the queens in this household."

Arielle lowered her wine and stared at her friend. "What does that mean? It's obvious Diana was a spy for someone. She tried to kill my mother."

The Assyrian sighed and folded her hands in her lap. She knew that this was going to come to light but she didn't expect it to remain dormant for so long. She was just as disturbed as everyone else in the home over what happened to the khatun but she kept her mouth shut for several months now.

"Diana isn't the only maid that tried to harm a queen in this house, Arielle."

"Go on."

"While you were in China, myself and Queen Farah's maids were taking care of the children while they were sick. The queen was trying to have another child but Gurda prevented that. She kept giving the queen oleander tea for a long time, probably a month or so. The queen fell ill and I knew Gurda was poisoning her…I even threatened her that I'd reveal her."

Arielle's eyes enlarged and she jumped up off the floor.

"Ku, how could you keep this a secret?!"

"I thought your mother would've figured it out! She had everyone questioned but Gurda lied!"

Arielle grabbed her sword and headdress and Ku struggled to stand up.

"Arielle! Wait!"

She spun around and grabbed the handmaid's arm. "That woman is in charge of caring for my nephews and she poisoned my brother's wife! Who knows, she could do it again! Stay here."

* * *

"A party!" Farah cheered.

Gabrielle sighed and couldn't help but smile at the queen's gleeful expression. She set a parchment of all the instructions given by Xena on the desk and Farah immediately read them over and stared up at her.

"I love parties! How many people will be coming?"

"I don't know how many members are in the House of Karen but I assume it's a lot. Xena wants you to divvy out the funds for the party. She said nothing lavish but make sure everyone's needs will be met. Also, this is a political party so none of the children are invited."

Farah nodded and reached for her pen and began jotting down some notes and ideas. She also grabbed a few other documents that held the records for the funds within the treasury. She crossed out a couple of logs that had been fulfilled since Oran and Ebnedzar left.

"I will need Arielle to come see me and tell me how much she spent in Persia. She didn't send me the report."

Gabrielle grumbled. "I'll make sure she gets that information sent to you. When will I be able to tell Xena about the dispersed funds? She wants it ready as soon as possible."

"I can have it to you by tonight if I don't have any _interruptions_." Farah smiled and waved her hand for the governor to leave her be.

* * *

Arielle charged into her nephews' room and Gurda was busy dressing the twin princes for bed. The boys turned around and smiled at their aunt. They ran over to her shirtless and dressed in their willowy black pants.

Gurda stared at the sword the commander was holding and held the princes' blouses in her hands.

"May I help you with something, princess?" she asked.

Arielle looked down at the princes and smiled warmly at them. "Grandma khatun wants to see you two."

Aman folded his thin arms. "But we already saw her!"

"Well she wants to see you again," she said, desperately trying to get them to vacate the room. "There's kanafeh…" she bribed them with desserts.

The boys gasped and darted out of the room. Arielle arched her eyebrow and approached the nervous maid. She swung her sword and Gurda dropped the blouses and ran to the other side of the bed. The commander's sword sliced through the mattress and goose feathers flew up in the air.

Xena walked up the stairs after visiting her daughter and then the shirtless twin princes ran right by her. She stood in the middle of the stairs and tapped on the railing and looked over her shoulder at the princes running down the steps. She sighed and proceeded upward. She wasn't in the mood to question what was going on.

She walked down the hallway and then heard loud screaming from the other side of the hall. She paused and then saw Gurda running out of the princes' bedroom and Arielle chasing after her with a sword.

The maid ran right by her and Xena leaned up against the balustrade as Arielle raced by her.

"Arielle! What the hell are you doing?!"

The commander ignored her grandmother and caught up with the maid right before she was to make a run for it down the staircase. She smiled and shoved Gurda forward and the maid tumbled down the stairs.

Xena spun around and watched in horror as the maid's body rolled down the stairs and then collapsed onto the wooden floor in a contorted position. Blood slowly seeped from the head wound. Xena gawked at Arielle with wide eyes.

Gabrielle came from the treasury room and stopped at the foot of the stairs where Gurda lay. Her eyes drifted upward to see Xena with the same look of shock and Arielle breathing heavily at the top of the stairs.

* * *

Now that the khatun's room was inhabitable for the time being, Xena gathered Arielle, Farah and Gabrielle in the next available room which was Farah's chambers. Farah had to put a hold on her work to come up to have an impromptu meeting which she had no prior information of.

Arielle stood in front of the three women with not a care in the world and even a bit of a smirk on her face. Her grandmother was less enthused and sent nasty looks to her. The four stood in silence for awhile until Xena decided to speak her mind.

"What were you thinking? You can't go around killing people, Arielle!"

"I couldn't just stand by and let her live! She deserved it!"

Farah interrupted, "what is going on here? Who died?"

Gabrielle whispered in her ear, "She pushed Gurda down the stairs."

The queen gasped and glared at her sister in law. "How could you?! She is my most trusted chambermaid! She takes care of my boys!"

"Farah, she tried to kill you. She was the one who poisoned you with oleander tea. Ku told me what happened. Anyway, why are you angry with me?" she addressed the khanum. "Gurda almost killed my brother's wife, our empire's queen, my nephews' mother!"

Farah smiled and put a hand over her heart. "You did that for _me_?" she said and Xena glared at her. The smile on her face disappeared and she looked the other way.

"That still doesn't excuse what you did, Arielle. If you came by this information you should've told me and we could've handled it another way. You can't just swing your sword mindlessly at people," Xena told her.

"I didn't use my sword," the commander spat back. "And if Ku knew about it then surely Ramora knows too. She and Gurda were friends. She should be punished too."

"We need to question her first but leave that to me. Do not _ever_ do that again."

Arielle grimaced. "You would've done the same thing if you were in my position."

She bowed her head and then backed away from the women then stormed out of the room. Xena ran her hands down her face and then walked out. Gabrielle smiled briefly at Farah then followed her wife.

"She's right you know," Gabrielle said.

Xena paused. "_What_?"

"If you were still acting as commander you would've killed Gurda no questions asked."

"I didn't ask for your insight, Gabrielle."

The governor frowned and approached the khanum cautiously. "I've seen you kill people for less, Xena. You killed your right hand man in Troy because he made a simple mistake. You didn't let him explain and you killed him. I remember."

"Tanranus?" she scoffed. "He deserved to die. He was no good at his job."

"I could go on but your list of kills is endless. Arielle did the right thing and it's been kept a secret for a long time. Gurda lied to Anastasia. She would've been found out eventually and you know what would have happened? Ana would have ordered her to be beheaded in the square."

Xena laughed mockingly. "I see you're always going to take her side, Gabrielle. You always defend Arielle even when she's wrong."

"I am not taking sides! I'm just pointing out that she's right!"

"And I'm _wrong_? I'm always wrong apparently. Arielle is a spoiled princess and it's clear she can do no wrong in your eyes."

Gabrielle gasped. "Don't turn this on me! I do not defend her when she's wrong! She's been in the wrong plenty of times and so have _you_!"

"You always take someone else's side besides mine! You defend Anastasia when she talks back to me and now you're doing the same with Arielle."

She waved her hand and hurried down the stairs.

"I do not! Xena!"

* * *

Arielle immersed herself in her work in the field, brutally training her men and women to death. Xerxes stood by her as she yelled at the exhausted soldiers carrying heavy logs over their heads for several minutes. She made them do drills of holding the logs above their heads then dropping to the ground to do pushups until she said otherwise.

This exercise lasted for over an hour and Xerxes rubbed his trimmed beard and felt bad for the soldiers. They were drenched in sweat and some of them could barely keep up. A few of them dropped to the ground in the back line and Arielle raised her hand for her army to rest.

She walked through the lines of soldiers and came to two of her men passed out on the ground. She grabbed the animal skin on her belt and squirted water in their faces and the two men opened their eyes.

"Did I say you could stop?" she yelled. "Get up!"

The Persian prince covered his eyes as he watched her berate the soldiers. They could barely stand up and everyone else was heaving and wheezing from the hot sun beating down on their faces.

"Commander!" he yelled.

Arielle spun around, glaring at the prince.

"Call a break. They need water and rest for now."

She marched up the hill and then looked back at her soldiers. She nodded and everyone collapsed onto the ground and moaned loudly. Rolling her eyes she walked further up the hill and Xerxes went after her.

"Princess," he called out while running to catch up. "Princess, you don't seem like yourself. You've been training these soldiers to death for the last week."

"Why do you care?" she snapped.

He lowered his eyes and then she turned to him and sighed.

"I'm sorry. I'm not in the best of moods. I had an argument with my grandmother earlier this week."

"You shouldn't argue with your family. They are your backbone," he advised. "She's a very smart woman. I'm sure what she said isn't really what's bothering you."

She half smiled. "Everything she says bothers me. I should've just stayed in Harran and never came back home."

Xerxes furrowed his eyebrows. "You mean stay married to Bayan? Then you wouldn't be commander."

"That's true but at least I wouldn't be yelled at all the time. You know, I left Pannonia because I wanted to have a place of my own. Bayan and I formed a tribe together in Harran then I became Queen of Assyria. Now I have no husband and I'm no longer queen yet I am commander to my mother and brother's military and I'm stuck in Pannonia. Funny how that works, huh?"

"Sometimes you need to take what life gives you. Not everything is going to work in your favor, princess."

She nodded and had heard all of this before from her mother, her grandmother, Gabrielle, her father, her brother. She was really sick of hearing the same things over and over. She wondered if it was ever going to stop.

"I still want to be someone important one day. Being commander for my family's empire is nice for now."

"You don't want to remain commander?"

She raised an eyebrow with a sly smile. "Not forever. My grandmother was the best commander in the world and nothing I do pleases her. I'll never be good enough for her or anyone else."

"You speak boldly about the khanum, princess. You really believe she doesn't have any faith in you. It's a shame, really."

"What do you know? You don't know her like I do. You're a general for your father's army! I'd love to be general! That's the highest rank anyone could ever have in the military!"

He chuckled. "Everything comes with a price, princess."

"Sometimes it pays off."

He put a hand on her shoulder and she gaped at his hand. "Be nicer to your grandmother, princess. She is your superior and is more experienced than you. If you are respectful towards her then she will respect you back. Life is not a one sided mirror."

* * *

In the afternoon a messenger from Ebnedzar's camp delivered a message directly into Xena's hands. She immediately went to see her daughter and inform her of horrible news. For once, she didn't know what to do but she certainly didn't want her daughter to stress even more than she needed to.

Ana listened to her mother read the message aloud and sat in silence for a couple of minutes. She sighed and tapped her fingertips against one another.

"Alaric is dead," she said aloud softly. "What the hell is going on outside this room!" she yelled.

Xena flinched.

"Arielle killed Gurda, Diana was found dead in the woods and now our only ally in the West is dead! What the hell are you doing, mother?! My entire empire is going to shit and you're just allowing this to happen!"

"Anastasia, I have no control over this."

"I ordered you to be thorough and you're too busy clouding your damn mind on Arielle and fighting with Gabrielle! If you had been more careful then none of this would have happened!"

Xena frowned and felt hopeless at this point. She was not on speaking terms with her wife or her granddaughter and now she angered her sickly daughter as well.

Anastasia swung her legs out of bed and stood up slowly. She could barely see but she could see enough to get around. She wrapped her hand around the bedpost and reached for her tall walking cane and made her way to the door as quickly as she could.

"Where are you going? You can't leave this room!"

"I'm going to put an end to this. Don't try and stop me."

She pushed open the doors and the guards bowed their heads, surprised to see her up and walking. She made her way down the hallway and all of the maids immediately moved out of her way. They gawked at her veiled face but fell silent.

She made it into the foyer and all the conversation ceased when she arrived. Xena was a few feet behind her and saw the strange looks on everyone's faces. Anastasia walked outside the foyer and the sun hit her eyes and she closed them shut.

"Arielle!" her voice carried across the field.

The commander and Persian ran towards the Adame and up the stairs to greet her. Arielle fearfully stared up at her mother from a few steps below.

"Mother, why are you out here? Shouldn't you be resting?"

"I want you to stop this," Ana began, "Stop this argumentative attitude with your grandmother."

"But mother, she –"

"I don't care what either one of you said!" she raised her voice and Arielle bowed her head. "Learn to get along or I will strip you of your title. I don't want anyone coming to me and telling me a 'he said, she said' story."

She turned around and exhaled heavily.

Arielle frowned. "Aren't you going to talk to her too? She thinks she's right all the time."

The khatun looked over her shoulder and even though her eyes were shielded, her daughter backed down and felt the glare upon her.

"I will deal with her."

Xena waited for her daughter in the foyer and folded her hands together in front of her body. She watched her struggle to walk towards her and then Ana halted a mere foot away from her.

"_Stop_ arguing with her," she warned. "I'm tired of it. I don't have enough energy to deal with you and Arielle. You're both hard headed and stubborn. You two are going to kill me."

The khanum stood firm and had nothing to comeback with. The two stared at each other for quite some time and the maids lingered in the hallway, staring at them intensely. The tension in the foyer heightened.

Anastasia finally broke the stare and slowly tread back to the clinic.

"Now, let's talk about this situation in Ravenna." She told her mother and then halted. "Are you coming?"

* * *

Gabrielle hated being at odds with Xena but sometimes it was difficult to appease her. Aside from going to sleep angry at one another, she wasn't willing to talk to her and obviously Xena felt the same way. She knew that her wife was never going to apologize. Even the two had been on non speaking terms; Gabrielle was able to get a lot done which included the disbursement of funds for the Persian party.

Farah also sent invitations to the House of Karen which would probably reach them within a couple of weeks. Gabrielle wasn't present for the meeting between Ana and Xena but she was given information about Alaric's death and attack in Ravenna later in the day.

She searched for her wife for the remainder of the day and asked around the Adame but nobody knew where she was. She didn't dare go to Arielle and ask her whereabouts. Instead, she decided to venture outside and after walking around the encampment she finally found her.

The blonde governor stood at a fair distance from Kreka's gazebo and there Xena was, standing inside of it. She took in a deep breath and walked over and stopped a couple of feet away from the gazebo.

Xena's eyes were fixated on the bronzed headdress and she twirled the necklace that Ebnedzar sent along with the letter, in between her fingers.

"I…I've been looking for you everywhere."

Xena hadn't heard her sneak up and wiped her wet cheeks.

"No matter how long you stare at the thing, it's not going to talk back," she joked.

Xena turned with a weak smile then looked at the kozak.

"Ana's condition isn't going to improve. She's going to remain that way for the rest of her life."

"That's not true. She could –"

"Gabrielle!" she hissed, "Don't try to tell me otherwise. I know it's true and so do you. Stop trying to make me feel better with a bed of lies and false encouragement."

Gabrielle sighed and stepped inside the gazebo and looked at the bronze kozak. She then looked at the necklace in her wife's hand and then her eyes widened. Suddenly she felt very uneasy standing before Kreka's headdress.

"She tried to tell me but I didn't listen. I haven't been focused lately. My mind isn't clear. I didn't pay attention to what you said about Diana. I should have been more careful. I'm too worried about Arielle making mistakes to notice anything. I also don't want to make a mistake being in the position that I'm in."

She lifted her eyes and smiled softly. "Being in charge of an empire is difficult. I don't know how Kreka did it for so long. It's no wonder she was so rude to everyone."

Gabrielle cracked a genuine smile for the first time this week since their argument.

"It killed her," Xena said and gripped the pendant tightly. "This empire killed her, Gabrielle. It was too much for her."

"Where is this coming from? Are you going to give up being khanum?"

"No. I'm just going to pay attention more. Kreka was trying to tell me something in that dream and I didn't understand it at the time but now I do."

Gabrielle puckered her lips in confusion and her wife waved the necklace in her face.

"Attila has another heir. Only the children of Attila wear this necklace."

"So…what you're saying is…this person is trying to kill Anastasia? Are you sure that this person didn't steal the necklace?"

"Gabrielle, Attila never gave out these necklaces to just anyone. When Ellac was born he had one made for him. He did the same for Dengizich, Ernak and Ebnedzar. This belongs to yet another child of Attila and I need to know who it is."

The governor scratched her head.

"But…but if Kreka knew, why keep that a secret?"

"She was probably in denial. She didn't know how much her husband slept around obviously. Whoever this is left the necklace for a reason. It was found in Alaric's mouth. He wants us to find him. He wants to be found."

* * *

_Old Visigoth Territory_

Oran and Navaz traveled through Ostrogoth territory and their search was uneventful. The two didn't want to come back empty handed so they went further north into Visigoth territory and most of the place was deserted aside from a few buildings that were mostly destroyed from Alaric's takeover.

They walked together with their horses following behind them and men emerged from tents. They got rude glares from the men and Navaz kept his eyes straight forward as did Oran.

"Something is off about this place," Oran whispered.

"Don't pay attention to the lurkers. We are travelers. They don't know who we are."

They continued to walk down the dirt path and then a thin woman with wild curly red hair emerged from a large building at the end of the road. She put up her hand. Oran and Navaz stopped in the middle of a large square and more men appeared from out of nowhere. Navaz put a hand on the hilt of his sword, ready to strike at any moment.

"Who are you? You're trespassing," she said loudly.

Navaz took his hand off his sword and smiled at the young woman. "We're travelers. We're looking to trade with Goths. Do you happen to be Goths?" he tried to sound ignorant.

The woman laughed and the men around her joined in. She put her hands on her hips and sauntered over to them and sent a tantalizing smile towards Oran.

"We're not Goths. We're Gepids and you're not from around here by the looks of you."

"He said we are travelers," Oran reiterated.

Eksama came out of the large building and all of her subjects bowed their heads. She frowned and folded her arms.

"Austraia!" she yelled at the red haired young woman. "Step aside."

She did as told and backed away from the travelers and Eksama smiled. She approached Navaz and Oran and sized them up from head to toe.

"You two have very posh coats. Rabbit fur. Very nice." She mused. "You aren't Goths neither Franks. Oh wait, let me guess, you two must be Huns!"

Navaz narrowed his thick brows together. "Who are you?"

"Eksama, Queen of the Gepids. It's mighty bold of Queen Anastasia to send you to this area. I knew someone would come looking for me but I didn't know it would be this soon."

The two Huns' faces paled and then they reached for their swords. Eksama was quick to notice and she held up her hand and the men surrounded them with spears and blades. Oran's eyes darted from left to right and knew if he and Navaz tried to attack, they'd be dead in seconds.

"If you behave I won't cut off your limbs. Would you two like to have a meal with me?" she offered with an eerie smile.

Navaz and Oran looked at each other.

Eksama laughed and put a hand on her hip. "I'm not going to kill you. Come, come." She waved her hand to her men and the weapons were lowered. She walked off back to her abode.

"You must excuse my granddaughter. She can be very forthright."

They followed the queen and Oran glared at Austraia as he walked by her.

"Who the hell is this and how does she know the khatun sent us?" he whispered.

"I haven't the slightest clue," Navaz answered.


	17. Chapter 17

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Navaz makes a risky decision to bring their new enemy, Eksama, to Pannonia to talk of compromise. After Csaba returns and sees his mother's horrible condition, he revokes Arielle's title of commander and bestows it upon Xerxes. With Anastasia's condition worsening, Xena conjures up a plan for Arielle to take her daughter's place as Khatun.

**We're approaching a big change that will affect the empire. The pace is picking up in this chapter. Stay tuned ;)**

Chapter 17 –_A Heavy Burden: Part II_

_Gepid Kingdom_

Navaz and Oran sat on the floor inside of the huge Gepid fortress. A few male servants set down three silver platters filled with food, loaves of bread, dessert and tea. Oran eyed the servants and they paid no mind to him. He and the White Hun king stared at the room filled with cages of exotic birds. Navaz had no plan to stick around this place for long but he also knew he wouldn't escape easily with all the soldiers standing outside.

Eksama walked in and pulled her braided auburn hair behind her shoulders and sat down opposite the Huns. She smiled at them and crossed her legs. She was trying to read their faces but they both had stoic and unreadable expressions.

She gestured to the spread of food.

"Eat please," she told them.

They stared at the food and she reached across then ate out of their separate trays with a spoon. Oran arched an eyebrow and then decided to eat some of the bread only to be polite.

"I'm not going to poison you two. I wouldn't dare poison Huns in my own home." She drank some of the tea. "So, your queen sent you here, right?"

Navaz cleared his throat gruffly. "We're traveling. I wasn't aware that the Gepids occupied Visigoth land now. You look too young to be a grandmother," he tried to shift the conversation.

"Oh, so _kind_ of you," she feigned innocence. "I'm not one to play games, Hun. I know you're not travelers given by your clothing and weapons tied at your belt. So let's stop with the games and tell me why you're here."

Oran tossed the bread onto the plate and answered the queen, "A woman was found dead at the Pannonia camp. She was said to have been sent by King Alaric. We were asked by Anastasia Khatun to search the Goth areas."

Navaz sent a glare to the young khan and then turned to Eksama who had an eerie smile on her lips.

"_Khatun_, huh?" she chortled. "I see many things have changed in the last few years. I do hope that your khatun is well."

"Why would you ask that?" Navaz asked.

"I am only concerned for her health. Do you suspect that the Goth king has something to do with the woman's death?"

The Hun king narrowed his eyes. "I believe we should be on our way, your highness."

Eksama stood up with them and folded her arms. "You aren't leaving my camp, Huns. Guards!"

Her men rushed into the room and surrounded the Huns. Navaz inhaled deeply and Oran was ready to draw his sword but Navaz grabbed onto his arm to prevent him from doing so.

"I'd like to meet Anastasia Khatun and you're going to take me," she ordered.

Oran spat, "I don't know what you're planning but we aren't taking you anywhere near Hun territory!"

"Is that so? Who are you to talk to me that way?"

"I am the grandson of Attila and son to Ebnedzar!"

Navaz growled, "Oran! _Sus_!"

Eksama's eyes grew and she clicked her tongue against her cheek. "_Grandson_ of Attila. What a coincidence! I too have Attila's blood among me."

The two frowned and looked at each other confusedly.

"Austraia!" she yelled.

The young redheaded woman, who accosted the king and khan outside, ran into the room and approached the queen. She stared at the two Huns and smiled at Oran. Eksama grabbed hold of her shoulder and pushed her forward.

"My granddaughter, Princess Austraia, is the great granddaughter of Attila. You two are cousins."

Oran's jaw dropped and Navaz gawked at the girl. Eksama stepped in between her men and met face to face with Navaz.

"You _will_ take me to your khatun and for reassurance of my safety, I will keep the grandson of Attila in my home," she said firmly.

* * *

Aurora sat on the khatun's bed in the clinic, listening to several stories that Anastasia told her over the last half hour. She was so invested in the stories and watched her grandmother's hands animate the tales with exaggeration.

"And then what happened? Did the Romans leave?"

Ana held up her hand. "Almost but they came back with a horde of horses…"

The princess gasped. Xena stood off to the side and smiled at the girl's enthusiasm. It was the only thing to keep Aurora's mind off the chaos around here and with Arielle's continual absence in the field, this was the perfect distraction.

"_Destur! Csaba ekselanslari!"_

Aurora whipped her head around and stood on the bed with her arms stretched outward. Csaba smiled at her and wrapped his arms around her in a bear hug. He looked at his mother in bed with a forlorn face. He couldn't see her face beneath the veil and only received the news of what happened upon arrival.

Xena grabbed Aurora's hand. "Go to your room with Ku-Ilm."

"But I wanna stay!"

"You can see Csaba later. Go on." She nudged her head to Ku and the maid ran over to grab Aurora then ushered her out of the clinic.

Csaba sat on the bed and kissed his mother's hand. He tried to remove the veil and she grabbed his wrist firmly. He sighed and kissed her hand once more. Moments later, Ernak and Gabrielle entered the room. Ernak gaped at the khatun and it saddened him to see her in such a state. She was his childhood friend and brother's wife. Now she would never be the same person she once was.

"Anastasia, I am sorry that this happened to you," Ernak spoke.

She smiled and nodded her head. "I am fine and lucky to have several people here to run the empire without me there," she gave a nod to her mother.

"Mother, we will find out who did this to you. I swear they will pay for what happened," Csaba promised.

"Your grandmother has that covered but enough about me. Tell me about Japan."

The two kings happily smiled and stared at the women in the room. Ernak bowed his head and snapped his fingers to the men who trailed behind him. They walked up and dropped a heavy bag onto the floor and Xena frowned, staring at the bag.

"We have the head of Prince Senka. His wife was also killed by my blade," he told everyone.

Gabrielle cringed in disgust and could smell the rotting decapitated head from afar. She hid behind her wife and covered her mouth.

"Cera will be glad to hear that," Xena said. "But I sense you have more news to tell us."

Csaba nodded and said, "Emperor Liu came to see Prince Senka. They have allied together and will attack us. I don't know when but the prince's death will delay his attack. He is probably forming an army as we speak. He would have been notified of Senka's death not long after we left the palace. China is also no longer allies with Persia."

Ana exhaled deeply. "Excellent. We have Persia on our side now and they have a huge army. Gabrielle, write Shah Kavad and tell him we need him to fight the Chinese."

Xena interjected, "But we have another problem. Alaric is dead. The entire base in Ravenna was destroyed. Ebnedzar is stationed there and he arrived after the fact. He is scouting the area to find out who attacked the Goths."

Ernak frowned and rubbed his beard. "This is not good. We are losing allies left and right. But it is good that Persia is on our side. If the shah helps us with China then we can focus on the west."

"There's one more thing."

She pulled out the necklace from her pocket and Ernak looked at it confusedly. She dropped it into his palm and he studied it. His face had confusion and doubt written all over it.

"That was found in Alaric's mouth after he was killed. Whoever ransacked Ravenna belongs to your father's clan."

He inspected it to make sure it wasn't a fake pendant. He then pulled out the necklace from beneath his blouse and compared the two. Shaking his head he turned to Xena who stared at him sadly.

"My father has another heir?" he says in disbelief.

* * *

_Estakhr, Persia_

Kawus stood in the royal gardens enjoying the scenery surrounding him. A messenger dressed in all black robes with a mask covering his face, approached him. He smiled and the messenger knelt down on one knee and presented a letter encased inside a metal tube.

He thanked the messenger and popped open the metal case and pulled out the parchment. He read over the letter and then stormed back into the palace with his two guards following behind. Making his way into the large tiled palace he halted at the women's wing and waved his hand at the guards.

They stayed behind and he entered through the large double doors and marched down the long hallway to the very end. He was met with two female servants guarding the doors and they bowed their heads. He knocked on the doors and the servants opened them slowly.

Kawus entered and bowed his head. "Mother."

The Persian queen, also known as Shabanu Sambice, sat at her vanity and turned around at her son's presence. She grinned and stood slowly and flicked her long wavy raven hair behind her shoulders.

"Shehzade," she greeted and held out her hand.

He pecked her hand and then handed the letter to her. "A message from Xerxes. He writes that Anastasia Khatun is partially blind due to an attack in the Hun palace. She remains in the clinic for almost two months now. Her mother is in charge of the empire. They've also invited the House of Karen to Pannonia for a gathering."

Sambice raised an eyebrow and walked over to a candle then held the letter over the flame. She watched the parchment burn slowly and dropped it into a silver bowl.

"Pity," she says unconvincingly. "I am not sure we can trust Xerxes. Your father is keen on keeping a peaceful relationship with the barbarians and we all know Xerxes is his favorite son."

Kawus thought the same as his mother. "Xerxes has agreed to be on our side, mother. When the time is right we will overthrow father and I will take his place."

"One can only hope, shehzade." She turned and cupped his cheek. "As much as it pains me to say, you are not your father's favorite son. He has three other sons to take your place and Xerxes is the first choice despite him being younger than you. Consider asking for forgiveness and earn his trust."

"One can only hope, _shahbanu_," he said icily.

* * *

Arielle walked to the east side of the Adame and it was very quiet here. Nobody lived in this section apart from guests and politicians. Yana and Safiya resided in this area secluded from everyone else but they were allowed to roam the Adame freely due to their status in the family.

Xerxes on the other hand was not given such freedom. Outside his suite he had guards posted and Hun soldiers were posted at either end of the hallway as well. Arielle approached the doors and knocked rapidly. She took a step back and stared at the Persian guards intensely.

The prince opened the door and then gave a grand smile and bowed his head.

"Princess, this is a surprise to see you."

"There's a meeting we have to attend. My brother and grandmother are in charge of the meeting. I thought you should be there because you're our ambassador."

He disappeared into his room and came out wearing a black turban with a veil. Arielle raised her eyebrow and stared at his empty holster.

"Aren't you forgetting something?"

Xerxes frowned and inspected himself. His hands roamed down his chest and hips.

"Your sword, Persian."

His cheeks flushed and he ran back in to retrieve his sword. He then returned and shut the doors behind him. Chuckling softly, Arielle shook her head and walked down the hallway with haste. He caught up to her and held the turban with a hand as he ran towards her.

"I trust that you mended things between you and the khanum?"

"You mean like _apologize_? She doesn't hand those out like candy."

"Then maybe you should take the first step and apologize. Be the bigger person, princess."

* * *

Gabrielle stood outside the Adame as soon as she was notified of Yana's brother's arrival. She waited with Badr by her side and watched the Nezak trot through the gates. She saw a figure out of the corner of her eye and turned slightly and gaped as Chieftess Yana walked across the field.

She made eye contact with her younger brother and inhaled deeply. She hated to meet with him tried to avoid it but sometimes it was inevitable. She folded her arms and felt herself trembling lightly.

"What is the khanum going to do with him?"

Gabrielle awkwardly scratched her arm and then pulled the chieftess aside. "Xena told me to take him to the armory. After that, he's in her hands."

Yana's light eyes widened in fear. "Is she…she going to kill him?"

"I wouldn't go near that room if I was you, Yana, and I can't guarantee his safety either. If you want to change your mind I could –"

"No," she replied firmly and raised her chin. "She can do what she wants to him. Just make sure that Mirac doesn't see him. I don't want him to know that Sanzhar is here."

Gabrielle nodded and waved her hand to Badr. He walked over to the Nezak on horseback and yanked him off and threw him to the ground. Yana crinkled her eyebrows and turned away as her brother tried to wiggle his way out from the soldiers' holds.

Sanzhar growled and punched a soldier in the face and drew his sword. He gaped at his elder sister for aid.

"Yana! Why do you stand there idly?!"

The governor grimaced. "Cooperate with us and no harm will be done to you."

He was kicked down to his knees and the sword knocked from his palm. Badr tied his arms behind his back and still, he struggled. Yana turned her back and hastily walked back to the Adame.

"I have done nothing wrong!" he spat. "Yana! _Kardeşim_!"

She stopped in the middle of the stairs, listening to his cries and pleas. She looked over her shoulder with teary eyes and locked eyes with her brother. At that moment she knew she wasn't going to see her brother after today.

* * *

Csaba began the meeting with the problem in China and Japan. He was told that Gabrielle delivered the letter to the shah several days ago and it would possibly arrive within a couple of weeks. Due to Arielle's attack on the imperial city in China there was no way the emperor could've recovered in such a short amount of time, but China was a large place with many resources at hand.

"Alright, from the conversation between Liu and Senka, they spoke about Prince Houfei who has control over the Tibet kingdom. Emperor Liu is clearly fearful of his son taking over the empire and wants him gone."

Xena raised an eyebrow and saw discomfort on Xerxes' face. He didn't even try to hide it.

"Xerxes, will your father be able to combat the Chinese? I know you have a large army," Csaba said.

The Persian prince raised his head and eyed the khanum briefly. "Yes, my father will send troops to China. My brother, Jamasp is standing in my place as general. He will lead the army during my absence."

"Good," Csaba smiled and directed his attention to Arielle. "Little sister…"

Arielle grinned. "Yes?"

"I know you are anxious to be in the field fighting with the Persians but I want you to stay in Pannonia. Since mother is out of commission you will be in charge under the khanum."

Xena and Arielle whipped their heads towards the king.

"_What_?" Arielle alleged.

"You aren't just a commander. You're a princess too and since you're the oldest you are second in charge if something happens to mother. Looks like you didn't pay attention while Gabrielle and grandma were mentoring you to be queen," he chuckled.

The commander's face paled. "But I thought Farah would be in charge? She's your wife. Doesn't that mean she will take mother's place?"

"She is my wife but she's not related to us by blood. You're next in line to be queen, Arielle. Did you forget that?"

"_Sikme_!" she shouted.

"Watch your mouth, Arielle," the khanum warned. "Looks like you and I will be spending a lot of time _together_," she said with a shimmering smile.

Arielle groaned. "What about the army? Who will train them?"

Csaba stretched out his hand to the Persian. "Xerxes will be in charge of our army. He is a general and is very experienced. I'm sure you don't have a problem with that do you, Xerxes?"

The prince bowed. "No, your highness. I will do anything you command. I am honored to be in charge of your army."

"_Bu saçmalık_," the commander uttered under her breath.

Xerxes smirked at the princess' foul mouth and nudged her arm. She nudged him back and hid her smile. Xena watched the two interact with one another but Csaba remained oblivious. She narrowed her eyes at the way the two behaved around each other and how often they spent time together. For someone who was so hardheaded Arielle was taking this shift in power very well.

"We will wait for Oran's and Navaz's report about the areas they're scouting. You're dismissed," the king told his sister and Persian prince.

Gabrielle entered the room just as the two exited. She briefly acknowledged Csaba and then hurried over to her wife. She rose on the toes of her boots and whispered into her ear.

Xena smiled and casually adjusted the veil on her kozak and turned to her grandson.

"I have some business to take care of. Make sure to visit your mother. She missed you a lot when you were away."

"I visit her every day. I hope she will recover."

She pinched his chin. "It is unlikely, Csaba and she knows that."

* * *

Xena swung the doors open to her bedroom and threw her kozak onto the bed then went to her wardrobe. Gabrielle closed the doors and stood behind, watching her wife strip herself of her heavy black robes and put on her corset dressed with silver chains.

She dug deep into the wardrobe and pulled out her kozak that she wore religiously as a commander. With a big smile she set it on her head gently and turned around to the nervous governor.

"How do I look?"

"Terrifying," she says flatly. "I am used to you dressing like a noblewoman now. You look different in your commander attire."

"I wore this in China. It hasn't been that long."

"But you aren't a commander anymore. Why are you dressing like this?"

Xena pulled out her sword and inspected it. She figured it needed sharpening so she sat on the bed and grabbed a stone from her bedside table. Of course only she would have that nearby, the blonde thought.

"I want Sanzhar to be scared of me. I don't look scary in my khanum robes and veil."

Gabrielle sat down beside her. "I disagree. You are a different kind of scary," she jests. "You have a lot of power now! The clothes only add to that."

She paused and listened to the stone ride against the dulled blade.

"Yana was outside when her brother arrived. She looked very…disturbed and sad even."

"He's her brother. Of course she's going to have an emotional attachment to him but she's been protecting him for too long. None of her brothers or sister knows what happened to her. I'm sure he has raped other girls. People like him don't deserve to live in peace and prosperity."

Gabrielle let out a heavy. "You can't kill all of the rapists in the world, Xena."

"But I can kill the ones I find. Yana deserves to have peace. You agree?"

"Yes, of course."

"Good then you won't have a problem when I kill her brother. Don't let anyone into the armory, especially Arielle. She has a key."

* * *

Mirac entered his wife's room and Cera looked up as she was painting on a large parchment whilst sitting on the floor. He knelt down and kissed the top of her head then looked to the balcony where Yana sat alone.

He sat down beside the princess and kept staring at his silent sister.

"What's wrong with her?" he whispered.

Cera lifted her hands and signed, "_She's been that way for hours. I tried to talk to her but she wasn't responsive."_

"That's unlike her. I hope nothing is wrong," he said quietly more to himself. "What are you working on?"

"_You will see_." She winked and dipped the paintbrush into the ink well.

He thought watching her paint was very soothing and missed seeing her smiling face after being apart for awhile. When he read that report his sister gave him he was devastated but he knew that he shouldn't bring up the topic unless Cera did first. He grew anxious the longer he stayed in Pannonia and was eager to get back to his tribe. Staying here for a couple of months was very stressful and he longed to see the mountains of his homeland.

"Cera, I wanted to ask you this but ever since the accident with your mother…" he trailed off and she set the brush down, listening attentively. "I was wondering when we will be able to go back to Kazakhstan."

"_I will not leave until my grandmother says so. My family needs me here," _she said with a sad smile.

He sighed and nodded. "Alright, I will stay here with you until we are able to leave." He tried to touch her hand and she flinched slightly. "Cera, why do you shy away from me? I won't ever hurt you. I love you."

She refused to look him in the eye and he said, "I know what happened to you in Japan."

She paused and lifted her eyes to gape at him. Mirac emit a warm smile and grabbed her hand.

"I just want you to know that I'll always be here for you and if anyone ever hurts you I'll make sure they won't live to see the next day. If it was up to me I would've gone to Japan with your brother to kill Prince Senka myself."

Tears streamed down her cheeks and she smiled and kissed his hand. Mirac wiped the tears from her face with his thumb and cupped her cheek.

"My sister Inzhu lost all of her children when the Alps attacked our camp," he told her and Cera's mouth parted. "Do you think I could invite her to Pannonia? I'm sure she'd love to spend time with all of the children here. I don't want her to fall into a deep depression."

Cera nodded and signed, "_Your family is my family and they're always welcome here_."

* * *

Xena slapped Sanzhar across the face and blood spat out from his mouth. His head lolled backward and she cocked her head, staring at his beaten face; blood trickling down his neck and bare chest. He coughed and spat out a molar.

She grinned and looked at the variety of weapons surrounding her. It had been a very long time since she tortured someone and she did it without notifying both the kings and khatun. But now that she didn't have to report to anyone she had free will to do what she pleased.

She grabbed a large scimitar and Sanzhar was barely able to lift his head. He heaved and stared up at her with one eye, the other swollen shut. She grabbed him by the hair and reared his head backward.

"Are you ready to apologize?"

He grit his teeth and licked his bloody swollen lips. "W –why should I? You'll kill me anyway."

"Maybe not. I am not the woman I once was, Sanzhar," she emit a frightening smile and held the blade to his throat. "You aren't willing to apologize for what you did to your sister?"

He spat in her face and she closed her eyes for a brief moment. She inhaled heavily and wiped the saliva off her cheek and eyebrow with the back of her hand.

"Alright have it your way," she muttered.

She took a step back and let go of his hair. He glared at her and she stood silently then raised the blade in the air and she let out a loud cry then swiped the blade downward and chopped off his left hand. Sanzhar screamed in agony and tears were flowing freely down his face.

The retired commander felt a surge of energy through her body and her heart raced seeing the man in such pain. Her eyes grew wildly and she picked up his decapitated hand and set it on his lap.

"Are you…ready to apologize _now_?" she hissed. "I can do this all day. I will chop you up into little pieces but you will live. What will it be?"

Sanzhar sobbed and his entire arm shook. He stared at the stubbed limb and then his own hand in his lap. He remained quiet for too long and Xena raised her sword to chop off the other hand.

"Stop!"

She lowered the sword.

"I…I will apologize to Yana…" he says breathlessly.

"An apology means nothing if you aren't able to recognize what you did was wrong. Do you believe what you did was wrong?"

He slowly lifted his chin and relaxed into the chair and had a hideous smirk on his lips.

* * *

Gabrielle waited outside the armory patiently. She heard the door open and backed away. Xena walked out and took her gloves off and slipped them into her belt. Gabrielle clamped her hands together, dreading the worst.

"Tell Badr to get rid of his body. He will not be missed on this earth," she instructed.

The governor's eyebrows lifted and her eyes widened.

"Are you…going to tell Ana about this?"

"I will. I gave him plenty of chances, Gabrielle," she set a hand on her wife's shoulder for reassurance. "He was not apologetic but I did my best to make him repent."

The governor sighed lightly. "Yana will be more at peace now I suppose. How are we going to explain his death to her father? He will find out eventually."

"I'll leave that up to you," Xena said with a smile. "Make something up. You're good at that and your writing skills are impeccable." She paused seeing the solemn face her wife bore. "I really tried, Gabrielle. He's not worth dwelling over."

"I…I'm just thinking about Yana's family. They will never know the truth."

"Maybe it's better that they don't."

* * *

Arielle leaned up against the side of the Adame, picking at a wheat stalk she picked earlier. Xerxes stood with her and they didn't speak for awhile. He had a smug of a grin on his face and she elbowed his arm.

"Why are you grinning like an idiot?" she mused.

"I get to be in charge of _your_ army," he teased. "And you get to be queen of your mother's empire. Isn't that what you always wanted?"

She shrugged a shoulder. "This is not exactly how I imagined it would be. Usually you have to wait until queens die to take their place. It feels wrong to be in her shoes when she's very much alive."

"Your system of queens is very confusing, princess," he went on, "In my empire we only have one queen. She is called Shahbanu. Our current shahbanu is my father's wife, Sambice."

She crinkled her eyebrows. "Is she your mother?"

He laughed. "No, she is the mother to my eldest brother, Kawus. My mother is one of my father's concubines. My two other brothers also have different mothers. My father has a large harem in the palace."

Arielle hated hearing that word 'concubine' ever since Cera's time spent in Japan was relayed to her. She didn't like the idea of having multiple women in one household that belonged to one man. She was glad that the laws were different here and that men weren't allowed to marry several women unless they were kings and even then the queens had to agree to the wives. Kreka Khatun was the only exception as she didn't approve any of Attila's wives he married without consent.

"Did I say something to upset you?" he grabbed her hand.

She looked into his dark eyes and then slipped her hand behind her back and looked the other way.

"No. I was lost in my own thoughts," she explained with a false smile. "Do the princes also have access to the harem?"

Xerxes shifted uncomfortably. "Yes, all of the princes have their own harem."

Arielle threw the wheat stalk onto the ground and folded her arms. "Do _you_ have a harem?"

"I…was given a harem on my sixteenth birthday," he said and noted that she seemed disturbed by that. He explained further, "the only reason the princes have harems is to produce heirs to the throne. That's all."

"I see. Do you have several sons and daughters?"

He chuckled. "No, I don't have any children but my brother, Jamasp has one son and my other brother Khosrow, has three sons. Kawus and I are without heirs so far. I don't really like spending too much time with my harem."

"That explains why the Persian Empire has a never ending line of people to take the throne," she mumbled.

"Your daughter is a beautiful girl. She resembles her mother."

She smiled at his not so subtle flirting and flattery.

* * *

Anastasia sat with her mother and Gabrielle on the balcony within the clinic. She just received the news of Yana's brother and tapped her fingers on the glass of tea. The three sat in silence and waited for the khatun's response.

"I'm not going to say what you did was wrong but I will say this mother," Ana began, "that little fight you had with Arielle makes you look like a huge hypocrite. She killed Gurda because she was protecting Farah and now you go and do _this_ without telling me."

Xena frowned. "Arielle is a commander and everything must be reported to you or me first. I am no longer a commander. I don't need to report to anyone but myself."

Ana smiled beneath her veil and nodded. "Fair enough. You win this round, mother."

"I _always_ win."

"Mhm." She slipped the glass beneath the veil and sipped it gingerly. "Csaba told me that Arielle is taking my place. I want you to watch over her, _Gabrielle_," she pressed.

The governor paused and lowered the glass from her lips. "Me?"

"You know all of the laws in the empire and she listens to you more than she does with me and my mother. I will assign you to be her advisor. Ursula is loyal to me and you two will have to correlate with each other."

Xena and her wife shared a nervous glance.

"Does the khanum approve?" she asks.

"Better Gabrielle than me," Xena snickered and her wife elbowed her arm. "Gabrielle and I will oversee Arielle as regent. She does irritate me a lot of the time but I completely trust her to fill your shoes, Ana. God knows she's had plenty of training."

"Ursula told me that there's unrest in the tribe. I haven't made a public appearance in a long time and there's a rumor spreading that they think me to be dead."

Gabrielle witnessed the sadness cross her wife's face. She'd seen that face all too often over the last couple of months after the attack.

"We need to suppress the rumor immediately. If the people think their queen is dead then there could be a rebellion," Gabrielle said. "I could send out an announcement saying that you're in good health."

Xena scratched her neck anxiously and loosened the collar. "I don't think that's going to work. They need to see her in person."

Anastasia raised her hand to quell their conversation. "I will have to make rounds in the square."

The governor didn't like that idea at all. Anastasia was not in good health and it would be too noticeable if she went around the camp with a cane and her entire face covered. The public was never going to believe something like that and all her time spent in the tribe, making public appearances from time to time was vital.

When Kreka fell ill in the last few years before she died, the people were very concerned and the news of her death caused a huge disturbance as they weren't informed of her illness until it was too late. Even though the late khatun was loved by everybody, her condition remained a secret and the people almost rioted before the news of her passing because she stopped going outside. Gabrielle didn't want the same fate for her wife's daughter.

"That won't be necessary, Ana."

Xena narrowed her eyes at her wife. "And why not?"

"I have an idea."

* * *

Three days later, Arielle was now sitting in a chair while several maids tended to her. She felt like she was their doll and they were having a good time dressing her up. Her eyes were focused on her grandmother and Gabrielle who stood in front of her, watching the entire process.

A hot hair iron was heated on a bed of coals and then Ku grabbed the iron by the handle then sectioned off parts of Arielle's hair. She ran the hot rod through the princess' curly locks and a cloud of steam released from the iron.

She shook her ankle rapidly as her nerves settled in. She kept staring at the gold and black sleeves covering her tattooed arms. This gown belonged to her mother and it was ornate and only fit for her mother and no one else. The pointed shoulder pads extended beyond her shoulders and the cape attached dragged on the floor.

Gabrielle coaxed the princess into this plan of hers, not sure if it was going to work or not. She walked over to the very nervous commander and put a hand on her knee.

"You're going to be the de facto khatun. We went over this several times, Arielle. You don't need to be nervous. We're just going to make a public appearance and you need to pretend like you are your mother."

Arielle nodded and before she could say anything, a maid stepped in front of Gabrielle and began painting Arielle's lips with a muted color of lip stain.

Xena tapped her cheek as she looked at her granddaughter who was beyond uncomfortable. "Gabrielle, I don't know if this is a good idea. People know what Arielle looks like."

"She's going to be wearing a sheer veil over her face but her eyes will be exposed. She is the same height as Ana. It's going to work as long as she doesn't give herself away. We'll be there with her when we walk around the campgrounds. You'll see."

* * *

Hours of preparation on Arielle's appearance and they walked out of the Adame together. She almost retreated and ran back in until Gabrielle and Xena grabbed her arms and forced her to walk with them. Badr and two other elites followed behind them.

Everyone looked their way and Arielle tried to remain calm but all she saw were eyes, too many eyes. Her heart beat rung through her ears. She almost had to be dragged along as her legs stiffened at the amount of people surrounding her as if they were inspecting her.

"I'm going to vomit," she whispered.

Xena tightened her grip on the princess' arm. "You'll be fine. You're supposed to be the _khatun_," she hissed. "Act like one and stop clinging to me."

Arielle cleared her throat and finally let go of her grandmother's and Gabrielle's arms and walked forward with her hands laced together in front of her. She gave several head nods while passing by people and they didn't seem to notice that she was posing her mother as de facto khatun.

A little boy ran up to her and she stopped abruptly. He presented her with a few flowers and Arielle smiled at the boy.

"Khatun, we are happy to see you alive! My family was worried about you."

She accepted the bundle of flowers. "_Teşekkür ederim. Tanrı sana parlasın_," she thanked him and cupped his cheek.

Xena stuck by closely and watched everyone's reaction. She leaned in to her wife and whispered, "Surprisingly, this is working."

"I told it would. Have a little faith in me, would you?" she teased.

* * *

A couple days after Arielle made an appearance as de facto khatun, Navaz arrived with Eksama in tow. He convinced the soldiers at the gates to let her through since she was his guest, which was a lie. Oran was left in the Gepid kingdom due to Eksama's orders. He was now a hostage and everything determined on how this meeting was going to go.

They made up to the Adame and Eksama eyed the large wooden palace and hopped off her horse. She began marching her way up to the grand staircase and Navaz ran over and grabbed her arm.

"You can't go in unnanounced. I will go in and alert Anastasia Khatun that you have arrived," he told her firmly.

The Gepid queen snatched her arm away and glared at the Hun household.

"Tell the khatun that I demand a private meeting with her. I won't wait outside forever."

Navaz nodded and whistled to the soldiers. Immediately they surrounded her and her horse. Eksama grimaced and tried reaching for her sword.

"No weapons allowed while talking with the khatun, your majesty," he said with a smirk then ran up the stairs.

* * *

Ursula walked towards the clinic with a fresh basket of linen and the White Hun king ran after her. She turned and smiled. "Your majesty," she greeted warmly then looked over his shoulder. "Where's Oran?"

He breathed heavily, "where is Anastasia? I need to speak with her."

"She's in the clinic. Come with me, I will take you to her."

Together they hurried down the corridor and he burst through the doors. It was the first time he had seen Anastasia since he heard she was attacked. His heart stopped when he saw her in bed with a mound of pillows behind her. Her face was covered in a thin black veil and he feared that her face had been severely burned but he was glad to see she was no longer unconscious and seemed responsive.

Ana sat up in bed and stared at the dark shadowy figure. "Who is it?"

Navaz slowly approached the bed and continued staring at her with distress. He sat on the edge of the bed and Anastasia tried to make out who it was. His hand slowly came close to her face and she felt him touch her face and she pulled away.

He grabbed the veil and slowly lifted it to expose her face. He smiled when he saw her unscathed face but was a bit off put by the cloudiness of her eyes. Anastasia raised her eyebrows and blinked, trying to make out his blurry face.

She struggled and blindly extended her hand and felt his strong arms and then grabbed his large hand. Her fingertips grazed against his skin and she grinned brightly.

"Navaz."

He kissed her hand. "_Güzel hanim_." He kept gazing into her eyes. "I was very worried about you when I heard what happened. I wanted to come see you."

"I'm alright. If you're wondering about my eyes because I can sense you're staring –I can't see you."

His smile faded. "You're blind?"

"Not completely. Anyway," she brushed it off like it was nothing, "Why have you come? Did you find anything during your search?"

Navaz had a hard time adjusting to what she just said but he tried to ignore it and remained focus. "I…I brought someone with me. Her name is Eksama. She's Queen of the Gepids and demands an audience with you but I can see…that is not optimal."

"You will need to discuss this with my mother. I won't be any of use to this queen right now. Where's Ursula?"

"Right here, khatun," the shamaness stepped forward.

"Take him to my mother. She will explain everything to him." she ordered and squeezed his hand. "Don't worry about me, Navaz."

* * *

A brief meeting was held by the court was held in Arielle's room. Gabrielle sat at a desk and wrote down everything that Navaz explained and it was quite a lot and she paused a few times while he spoke. This was not news that anyone wanted to hear.

"Eksama claims to have a granddaughter who has Attila's bloodline. The princess is supposedly the great granddaughter of Attila but I wouldn't believe her. She has no proof. She's also holding Oran hostage in her fortress as an exchange for her safety here."

Xena sighed and adjusted her kozak.

"We received a necklace with the clan's symbol engraved in it. Ebnedzar found it in Alaric's mouth," she said and he looked puzzled. "Alaric is dead and Ravenna was ravaged. This Eksama woman might be the missing piece in this puzzle. Her granddaughter is probably part of Attila's line."

Arielle nodded in agreement. "And she is probably behind the attack on mother."

Navaz narrowed his dark eyes. "That explains what she said. Oran and I were inside her fortress and she asked me how Anastasia was."

"Then she did it! She sent Diana to attack my mother!" the commander shouted. "I want to arrest her and then I will torture her."

Xena grabbed the princess' shoulder. "No, Arielle. We need to play her game. We will give her a private meeting with Ana."

"But how? Anastasia is in no condition to talk to anyone," said Navaz.

The khanum smiled deviously and looked at her heated granddaughter.

"_She's_ not going to do it. Arielle will pose as de facto khatun."

Arielle's face chalked. "Are you fucking kidding me?! Oh no, grandma, no! I am not qualified for this. I can't do it. I nearly puked the first time. I can't. Please!"

"She doesn't know what your mother looks like! You will do this, Arielle. You wanted to be queen and now's your chance. Put your years of training to good use."

The princess looked to her father with pleading eyes, begging not to be put in such a complicated situation.

He gave a curt nod. "Listen to your grandmother, Arielle. The empire is in your hands."

* * *

Eksama's weapons were confiscated before entering the Hun home. She was escorted to the throne chamber and the guards left her to stand in the center of the empty room. The doors closed and she glanced around at the high ceilings, large wooden columns and three chairs in the back of the room. She figured that each one belonged to a royal family member.

There were a few swords strapped to the wall above the thrones and she studied the shape. They were very old swords and probably hadn't been used in decades. Patiently, she waited for the khatun to make her appearance but she took it all in.

The Adame. She thought it would look different but she knew this wasn't the original home of Attila. This was built a few years ago. But that was all she knew. She longed to meet the Pannonian clan for years and it wasn't until both her husband and mother died that she could fulfill that dream.

Doors on the left side of the room opened and Eksama's eyes darted in that direction.

"_Destur! Anastasia Khatun senin huzurunda_!"

Arielle stood in the doorway for a couple of moments longer than she should have. She closed her eyes for a second and took in a deep breath to gather herself. Her eyes shot open and then she marched into the room, heading towards the row of thrones.

She turned to the tall auburn haired Gepid queen and smiled then sat down slowly in her mother's chair. She felt the weight of the headdress weighing her down. Everything she wore was extremely heavy or perhaps she felt like the entire empire was the weight and it all came crashing down on her.

Eksama bowed her head curtly. "Khatun," she greeted.

Arielle gripped the armrests to ease her tense body.

"Welcome to Pannonia. _Hoşgeldiniz_."


	18. Chapter 18

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eksama reveals a very important bit of information about herself to the clan that could change everything. Arielle drudges up an old campaign plan from her mother's commander days and thinks to put this old plan to use. Trapped in Eksama's home, Oran comes to learn more about his new estranged cousin. Xena, worried about her daughter's future, enacts Arielle as a de-facto ruler for the time being.

Chapter 18 –_A Heavy Burden: Part III_

Both khanum and governor lurked outside the throne chamber with their ears pressed against the doors. There was a long pause after Arielle greeted the Gepid queen. They listened intensely and then heard the queen speaking softly.

Gabrielle pressed her entire left cheek against the door and grunted.

"I can't hear anything!"

"I can't either with your yakking!"

The governor stepped aside and crossed her arms. "I don't think this was a good idea. It was one thing for Arielle to make a public appearance as de facto khatun but for her to hold a meeting with another queen…she's never done that _alone_ before."

Xena sighed. "Gabrielle, you and I have mentored Arielle for years on how to be a queen. She's not going in blindly. Would you rather Ana conduct the meeting? If Eksama sees that she injured Anastasia then that gives her the satisfaction she's looking for. Now, can you be quiet? I am trying to listen."

"Still don't think this is a good idea…" the governor mumbled.

* * *

Arielle stared at the Gepid queen with a deep frown. She desperately wanted to lock the woman in the armory and give her a very cruel punishment for what happened to her mother. But she couldn't do that and had to tread carefully. It was very hard for her to contain her emotions. She considered this a test, a very huge test.

Eksama smiled and shifted her weight, staring at the de facto khatun. She studied her face and by the rising and falling of her chest, she sensed the khatun was angry or very nervous.

"You look too young to be a khatun," she said.

Be patient, Arielle told herself.

"We're not here to talk about me. I understand that you are holding Oran hostage. You also said you have a granddaughter who is related to Attila. Is that true?"

The auburn haired queen nods her head slowly. "Yes, that's true. I have no reason to lie about that. As for the grandson of Attila, I have him a hostage as a promise that I will not be harmed here."

Arielle smiled briefly and pulled out the necklace from her pocket and waved it front of her face. "This was found in King Alaric's mouth. Does this look familiar to you?"

Eksama's smile widened. "Yes."

"You do realize that this pendant is specifically for the heirs of Attila."

"Of course I know that because the necklace is _mine_."

* * *

Anastasia marched down the hallway with her tall walking cane. Navaz followed after her and tried to help her but it was clear she could walk fine on her own. Her mother and Gabrielle turned at the sound of the cane hitting the wood floor and gaped at the veiled queen making her way over.

She stopped at the close doors and Xena stared at her faceless daughter.

"Open the doors," she ordered the guards standing by.

"We can't do that. Arielle is in a meeting with the Gepid Queen," Gabrielle said.

The khatun banged her cane on the floor. "_Açmak_!" she yelled.

Gabrielle looked to her wife who curtly nodded. Both stepped aside and the guards grabbed the handles and opened the doors. Arielle, sitting in her mother's throne, drifted her eyes towards the large doors opening and stood up immediately.

"_Destur! Anastasia Khatun senin huzurunda_!" one of the door holders announced loudly.

Eksama looked with a raise of her eyebrow at the doors and then Anastasia passed through the doors and Arielle bowed her head, breathing heavily through her nostrils. Eksama's eyes darted from both women, one unveiled and the other veiled. They wore identical clothing and were the same height.

She chuckled and folded her arms. "You sent someone in your place, khatun? I knew there something fishy about this meeting."

"My daughter is my regent but I was told of your arrival and all that happened. You wanted a meeting with me and here I am."

Ana lifted the veil up over her head and narrowed her cloudy blue eyes at the Gepid Queen. Eksama grinned at the sight of her.

"You sent a woman to kill me and it obviously didn't work. And while you were at it, you killed King Alaric. Why? Why are you here and what do you want from us?"

Eksama approached the khatun and Arielle stepped forward and drew her sword. She smirked and took a step back, knowing that she was unarmed she didn't want to die here without a fair fight.

"The Goth king should've told you about me. I openly threatened him and he didn't believe me. I told him I was going to speak with you and I am. I have fulfilled all what I told him. He thought I wasn't serious about attacking his camp but he's dead now. As for you…"

She eyed the necklace in Arielle's hand and then looked at the khatun.

"That pedant belongs to me. My mother gave it to me before she died last year."

Anastasia scoffed. "You are not a child of Attila, Gepid Queen."

"Oh? Why don't you ask Kreka Khatun. But oh wait, she's dead, right? She knew of my existence."

* * *

Gabrielle pulled her ear away from the door then gasped and turned to her wife. "Xena, your dream. That was what Kreka was trying to tell you! Could it be true then? Is Eksama an heir?"

Xena felt suddenly ill and she clutched the collar around her neck and leaned against the wall. This was different than when Ebendzar came to Pannonia and revealed he was a son of Attila. It wasn't the same. Eksama deliberately attacked the empire's queen and allies. Ebnedzar didn't want the throne at all but he dealt with shady people and sketchy business transactions which ultimately lead his people to become refugees.

This woman was a different ball game altogether.

"She wants the throne."

Gabrielle frowned and listened at the door again. "But she can't take the throne."

"Yes she can, Gabrielle. If she kills off the queens, she can. If she is who she says she is then she is the rightful heir and queen to the empire. The only reason Anastasia became khatun was because of her marriage to Ellac. If Attila had a daughter then she'd be khatun right now. Eksama is here to claim what is rightfully hers."

The governor gawked at her wife and kicked the wall. "What are you saying?! She can just waltz in here and take over the empire? She tried to kill Anastasia!"

"Gabrielle! I've seen this happen before. Remember, Bleda killed his uncle to become king then Attila killed him and he became king. Eksama is doing the same thing but her plan failed."

"Well…well we can't let her! She has no right to do that. She's already a queen. Why would she want the empire?"

"Why wouldn't she?" Xena scoffs. "The empire is powerful and has a lot of land. Eksama wants that. This is not good, not good at all."

* * *

"I'd think wisely, khatun," the Gepid queen told her. "We could be enemies or we could be friends."

Arielle frowned and held the sword up to the redheaded woman's throat. "You tried to assassinate the empire's queen. You are not our friend."

Ana intervened and put a hand on her daughter's arm. The sword was lowered and the princess took a generous step backward but not without keeping her eye on Eksama.

"My daughter is right. You sent someone to murder me. Why would I want to be friends with you?"

Eksama's brown eyes flared and she pursed her lips. "Because I am the _only_ daughter of Attila! I have rights to the empire just as his sons do. By law, I am allowed to take the throne and you, Anastasia _Khatun_, are not of my father's blood. You have no right to be khatun as long as I am alive."

The khatun lifted her chin and blinked her eyes slowly.

"I will return to my kingdom but I will continue to hold Oran as my hostage. I will come back for what is mine, Anastasia."

Eksama stormed towards the doors and pushed them open, knocking the guards off their feet and they fell to their knees. Arielle breathed out heavily once the woman left. She sheathed her sword and put a hand on her mother's shoulder.

Anastasia's head hung and she fell back into the chair.

"Don't listen to her, mother. She can't take the throne. She's crazy."

* * *

Ernak sat with his legs crossed and fingers tapping against his cheeks. He was told that the theory about another heir was in fact true. He didn't know what to think or what to say. He was surprised the first time when Ebnedzar showed up but at least he was a Hun entirely. This woman was not a Hun. She was a Gepid, essentially a subset of a Goth.

He was surrounded by the khanum, governor, khatun, two kings and princess. He had completely forgotten they were in front of him as he was lost in thought.

"I have a little sister," he said aloud. "A fucking crazy sister."

He picked up the wine glass and threw it across the room. Everyone ducked their heads and Navaz looked behind him at the wine stained wall and cleared his throat, adjusting his collar.

"She looks a little bit like Cera," the white Hun king alleged. "Her granddaughter also has red hair. Her name is Austraia."

Ernak grunted. "She cannot have the throne. She tried to kill my brother's wife. She can't. I won't allow it."

"We should be very cautious from now on, Ernak. She said she will come back and claim what is hers. I don't think she was bluffing about that," said Gabrielle.

Xena nodded. "She's right. Eksama wants the crown and she is entitled to it. If she is willing to reason with us she could rule as de facto khatun and –"

"No!" he barked. "She will not be _anything_ in this empire! That is my final say!" he stood up and glared at the circle of monarchs. "Let her come," he added then left the room.

Arielle awkwardly shifted and felt a bit strange still dressed in her mother's attire. After Ernak's outburst nobody said a word and sat in silence. It was obvious he was very upset finding out he had yet another sibling but it was due to Eksama's monstrous behavior that ticked him off.

She turned to her grandmother. "Can I still act as de facto? I can handle everything for mother. I'll conduct all of the meetings and sign documents."

Xena raised a suspicious eyebrow and turned to her daughter who fiddled with the trim of her dress.

"That is a huge responsibility, Arielle. If you decide to continue to act as regent then you can't be a commander anymore. Are you willing to renege on your oath?"

The princess sighed but she did not hesitate. "Yes. I'll resign as commander. I'm not sixteen anymore. I can be queen. I can do it," she begged.

The khanum was about to reply until Anastasia held up her hand to interrupt. "Once you take on this role, you can't turn back. You can always resign as commander but you can _never_ resign as a queen. Are you sure you want to do that?"

Arielle smiled. "I will be your eyes and ears, mother."

Xena grabbed the princess' hand. "You better not screw this up, Arielle. I can't deal with your tantrums anymore. This is very serious. Gabrielle and I will be overseeing you and I swear to god if you –"

"Grandma, I understand! I see how serious this is and I am willing to do whatever you two say. It'll be different this time."

* * *

As Arielle's first duty as queen she took it upon herself to tell Yeter about Oran's situation and Eksama. Ursula was told by Csaba and the others that her son was being held captive by the Gepid Queen and ever since then she locked herself in her room.

She knocked on the Gokturk's door and heard a soft voice from the other side. She opened the door and Yeter turned around, brushing her hair in front of the mirror. Arielle gave a weak smile and closed the door behind her.

"Arielle, what can I do for you? You don't normally pay me visits," she remarked.

"How are you feeling?" she asked and Yeter grimaced. "I hope your baby is healthy."

The Gokturk set down the brush and started braiding her hair. "Why are you here?"

Arielle stepped forward, coming closer to the queen. "Yeter, I'm here to tell you that Oran isn't coming back home any time soon. He's being held captive in the Gepid kingdom by Queen Eksama."

Yeter's mouth parted. "W-what do you mean he's not coming back? Are you going to bring him here? Why is he being held captive?"

"We're dealing with a very sensitive situation. Eksama revealed that she is Attila's daughter and she is holding Oran to assure her safety. I promise we will get him back."

She was surprised to such concern on Yeter's face. She always thought that Yeter and Oran didn't get along very well; at least that's what she was told. But she guessed after spending several years together that they two had a mutual relationship now and cared for one another.

"If you need anything don't hesitate to ask. I can assign Ku to be at your service. She is great at taking care of people," she offered. "Well…I have to go but let me know if you –"

"Just leave, please," Yeter said and sat down on a chair and put a hand to her forehead.

* * *

Two weeks after the meeting with Eksama, Arielle was overwhelmed with the amount of tasks she was handed. She was stuck in the governor's office, signing document after document. It was strange to be reading over documents like her mother used to do. Being a queen wasn't exactly very exciting all the time but she knew that since she was a girl when she began her training.

Gabrielle slapped another parchment on the desk and the young queen jumped.

"Sign here."

Arielle signed her name and then the paper was flipped over and Gabrielle pointed to the next blank space.

"And there."

She sighed and signed her name.

The governor looked at the fragile state of the princess turned queen and pointed to the bottom of the page.

"And here too."

"For god's sake," she mumbled and signed her name then slammed the pen on the table. "Is that it? Am I done?"

"We're finished with these but you have an entire stack to go through," the governor said and Arielle gaped at the large pile of documents. "You've now signed your rights away to Xerxes to take your place as commander. This is your last chance, Arielle. Are you sure you don't want to change your mind?"

"I'm sure," the queen nodded. "Does this mean I will be queen _and_ de facto?"

Gabrielle scrunched her face and rolled up the signed documents and stuffed them into one of her shelves. She replied, "You are de facto khatun but you're a queen now too. That doesn't mean you have the same power as your mother. You still have to do everything she says because that's what a de facto role is. Also, your grandmother has a higher rank than you."

Arielle rolled her eyes and sank in the chair. "She will _always_ have a higher rank than me. So I have to do what she says too?"

She chuckled, "Don't think of it as that. You two will be working together a lot now. Think of her as your equal. Work together. I know it's a hard concept for you to grasp."

She finished putting away the papers and slapped her hands on the queen's shoulders. Arielle flinched.

"You're free to go. I have other business to care of."

Arielle nodded and stood up. Before she was about to leave she turned around and gazed at the shelves filled with treaties dating back to forty years ago and some probably even older than that. Her head cocked to the side and Gabrielle waited at the door for her.

"Actually Gabrielle, I think I want to stay here for awhile and read some of these documents. Can I do that?"

The governor was surprised but she didn't argue. "Sure, just make sure to put them back in the order in which you found them when you're finished."

* * *

_Gepid Fortress_

Oran was pulled by two Gepid soldiers into Eksama's fortress. They handled him roughly and threw him to his knees while holding onto his arms. Eksama sat on a lavish sofa with one leg draped over the armrest while snacking on a tray of fruit.

"Oran, so good to see you again. I hope my men have been treating you well? Plenty of food and water?" she asked.

The young khan frowned and refused to say anything. He pushed the soldiers away from him. He didn't like being manhandled especially since he was not a slave or commoner. He stood up and laced his fingers together, glaring at the queen.

"I met your khatun although I was duped when I first arrived. She sent her daughter to stand in for her as regent. She was obviously too ashamed to show her face to me."

"Anastasia Khatun fears no one and she will have your head on a platter soon."

She laughed and waved her hand to the soldiers to leave. She swung her leg off the sofa and hopped onto the floor then approached the young Hun. She met him face to face, barely leaving any room between the two of them.

"You should watch what you say, Oran. I am going to claim the crown and if I have to kill every single queen in the empire then I will."

He chuckled at the thought. "I wish the best of luck to you, your highness."

"I don't need luck. My son, Elemund, is in Italia right now. I'm sure your father must've found him already if he's a good scout like his father once was," she smiled deviously and his face turned a shade of white. "I'd love to meet my older brother."

"Your…_brother_?"

She nods. "I am the daughter of Attila and you're my nephew. Don't think that I won't take care of you, Oran. You're my family after all." She paddled his cheek.

* * *

Today was Friday and that meant Ku-Ilm was given a day of leisure to do what she pleased. She didn't have to watch over Aurora or tend to any of Arielle's commands. These days off had been ignored since she arrived in Pannonia but Arielle reinstated the same rule they had in Harran shortly after she became de facto khatun.

Aurora was being looked after by Xena while Arielle was busy with her new duties as queen and de facto khatun. Most of the day the princess spent in school and then she had an archery lesson with Navaz then she was able to visit several people in the Adame including Anastasia who was always eager to see her.

As the day was nearing an end she was inside Xena's room eating rice pudding and explaining everything she did during the day. Xena listened intently to the princess' hectic day.

"And then after I saw grandma khatun I went to see Princess Maria," she said.

Xena nodded. "You like the little princess, don't you?"

Aurora swallowed a large spoonful of the pudding. "Uh huh. _Cok, cok, cok güzel_! She's the only princess, besides _me_ of course."

"Of course."

Gabrielle passed through the doors with a wary look. Aurora smiled and waved her hand at her to sit down with them on the floor.

"Gabby! Tell me about your day." She pat the large pillow beside her.

"I don't think you want to hear about my day, princess. It was kind of boring." But Gabrielle went and sat down anyway and greeted her wife with a big smile. "What have you two been up to?"

Xena lounged backward on her elbow and nudged her head at the princess. "Aurora has been telling me about her day. She's a very busy princess. But I'd like to hear about _your_ day…" she hinted at her wife.

"Well, all of the papers of Arielle's resignation were signed today. I think she was kind of upset about giving her role away after she worked so hard for it but she seems serious about her new position as queen."

Aurora gasped. "My mommy is a queen again?"

"Yes, princess. Queen of the entire empire."

The girl's jaw dropped. "Wow! Will she spend more time with me now?"

"I think so but she's a little busy right now. I'm sure she'll see you tomorrow morning," she reassured her then turned to Xena and whispered, "I've been notified that the House of Karen is making their way across the border. They will be here in a few weeks."

"Good. We'll be ready for them. Eksama must be back in her home by now. I'd like for Yana, Cera and Mirac to return to Kazakhstan. I don't want them to be here if Eksama comes back with her raging wrath upon us."

Gabrielle nodded. "I'll tell them tomorrow. What about Navaz and Safiya? Do you want them to stay?"

Aurora's ear perked up. "Safiya is leaving? I don't want her to go! I like her."

Xena grinned and caressed the princess' cheek. "I'm glad you like her_, tatli kiz_. She's a nice lady. Maybe she can stay but Navaz has to go back to Balaam. He needs to be there in case something happens."

"You're expecting something to happen?" asked the blonde.

"Eksama really ruffled everyone's feathers, especially Ernak. We should all be on alert."

Aurora spooned more of the rice pudding into her bowl and Xena furrowed her eyebrows then grabbed her tiny wrist.

"I think you've had enough of that. You're never going to go to sleep if you keep eating that stuff."

"But Ku always gives me dessert before bed."

Xena and Gabrielle looked at one another and then shook their heads at the princess.

"Are you lying to me, Aurora?"

"_Me_? No, grandma khanum," she smiled cheekily. "Just one more bowl. Please?" her long eyelashes fluttered.

"Don't give in to her, Xena. It's a trap."

"You're right, Gabrielle. I don't like it when people to lie to me. You know what happens when people lie to me?" she whispered and the princess wagged her head. She sent a smug look to her apprehensive wife. "They don't get desserts for an entire month."

Gabrielle released a sigh of relief and Aurora gasped.

"A _month_!" she exclaimed.

Xena bobbed her head. "That's right. So, no lying, got it?"

Aurora put away the bowl of pudding and sighed heavily.

* * *

The following morning Arielle left the governor's office after spending all night reading and looking over old treaties, war proclamations and documents left by her mother, Kreka Khatun, Attila and her grandmother. She took a few documents that she thought were pertinent for her future as queen.

Without sleep her mind was completely wired and lack of sleep didn't seem to bother her. She ran into her father who had just left the clinic. She assumed he was visiting her mother. She waved her hand and Navaz stopped with a smile.

He admired her attire which was that of her mother. The black dress, heavy cape and large headdress served her well. She really did look like a queen and she no longer looked like a princess or a little girl anymore. It was a bit scary to see her dressed like that and he always imagined she'd remain his little princess forever in his eyes.

"Father, I'm glad you're still here. I wanted to speak with you," she said.

"About what? Have you been awake all night?" he noted the dark circles under her eyes.

She pulled out a large parchment from beneath her arm and unrolled it then presented it to him. Navaz leaned over and inspected the parchment. It was a map of the entire empire but it was marked in several places. He remembered that map very well. It had been a long time since he laid eyes on it.

"The White Hun Campaign," he mused, nodding his head. "Why do you have that?"

"I want you to tell me what this is. I read in the archive that mother was in charge of this campaign. I've never heard anything about a White Hun Campaign."

* * *

They regrouped in her bedroom for a more private setting. Ku-Ilm was up early and served them both juice, tea and a light breakfast. After Ku left the room to take care of Aurora, the two stared at one another. Navaz was reluctant to talk about this campaign but it was obvious that Arielle wasn't going to let this one go.

"Your mother designed a campaign while she was pregnant with you. She was the commander of Balaam at the time but due to your grandmother's worries and concerns that your mother was not experienced enough, she convinced your mother to allow her to be commander."

Arielle nodded, not surprised at all to hear that. Her grandmother liked to be in control of everything.

"Your grandmother became the Commander in Chief and your mother remained commander. She wanted to control all of Persia and the lands extending beyond that. She held several meetings with Zeno and his right hand, Anastasius."

"But what happened? This campaign failed because we don't have control over Persia."

Navaz sighed. "After she gave birth to you she resigned as commander and your grandmother took over again. Kreka Khatun also served as a commander for awhile. Everyone moved back to Pannonia and your mother reinstated the campaign against Persia."

Arielle frowned confusedly. "Mother resigned as commander and still continued with the campaign?"

"No. She resigned for awhile but when you were two, she was crowned commander again and fought the Sassanians. I worked with her and we won Persia but that dream of hers fell apart. After she had your sister, she gave the role of commander back to your grandmother. That campaign was never put back into action after the Sassanians made their comeback."

Arielle looked at the large map and saw her mother's dreams that were never fulfilled. They didn't have control over Persia but at least the House of Sassan was their allies now and Odoacer's empire fell apart. She never realized how much her mother did during her short reign as commander.

Now she understood why her mother was not keen on her decision to take the job as commander. It was a difficult job and not everyone could do it. Her grandmother was commander on and off throughout her life.

"I never knew mother was so ambitious. I know why she wasn't very excited for me to be commander now."

He smiled weakly. "It's a huge responsibility but now you're a queen. That's an even bigger responsibility. Your mother had a tough time being queen and commander. She didn't want the same fate for you."

"I understand everything now. Grandma was so hard on me and now I know why. I'm so stupid," she grumbled.

"You're not stupid, Arielle. Don't ever say that about yourself." He said and kissed her cheek.

Arielle blushed. "Thanks for explaining this to me. I have to go talk to grandma and Gabrielle now."

"Maybe you should get some sleep," he suggested.

"Sleep is for the weak, dad!" she said as she ran out of her bedroom.

* * *

Xena soaked in a hot bath and rubbed oil into her long hair. Gabrielle was still asleep and it had been awhile since she had time to herself to think. She never liked to wake up Gabrielle and she learned her lesson not to do that again after she nearly got hit in the nose.

She reached behind her and grabbed a soapy cloth and ran it across her bare slender toned arms. She rubbed the cloth against her neck and exhaled deeply, enjoying the peaceful atmosphere.

"Grandma!" Arielle shouted.

Xena's eyes shot open and she grimaced. "God dammit," she whispered. She rung out the cloth and kept cleaning her arms.

Arielle slid across the slick marble floor and then sat down next to the baths. "Grandma, why didn't you tell me mother had a campaign?" she asked and presented the large map.

"Where did you get that?"

"I found it in the archives in Gabrielle's office. How come you didn't tell me? Mother could've had so much land!"

Xena rolled her eyes. "Arielle, I am trying to enjoy this bath and you're ruining it for me. You came all the way over here to tell me about this?"

"No, listen. I want to reinstate this campaign. I want to expand the empire and you're going to help me –you and Gabrielle."

The khanum's jaw dropped and gawked at her granddaughter's eager facial expression. "I beg your pardon?"

"I want to do everything that mother couldn't do. I'll be the best queen the empire's ever had. I will make the empire the most powerful entity in this world. Xerxes will be my commander. You and Gabrielle can be my mentors and guide me through everything. You two have taught me so much and I want you to stand by me. Will you do it? Please?"

Only two weeks into her position as queen and she wants to do _this_. This wasn't exactly what Xena had in mind for today's agenda. So far she had woken up early and decided to have a peaceful bath and that was ruined. Now she was hearing what she thought she'd never hear before.

"Arielle…I…what…have you lost your mind?"

"I've never had a clearer mind! Will you do it? Will you help me?"

"Well Arielle, you know I will always be there for you but I –"

"Great! I'm going to talk to Farah about our funds then I will rebuild mother's old campaign. It will take me awhile to do this," she tapped her cheek pensively. "I'll have to talk to Xerxes first and see what he thinks. You won't regret this, grandma. And I'm being serious this time." She kissed her temple then ran out of the baths.

Xena sat in the water dumbfounded and had no idea what just happened. "I didn't say –" she heard the bedroom door slam, "…yes," she sighed. "Dammit."

She splashed some water and then walked up the stairs out of the pool and grabbed her silk robe. She snatched a towel off one of the hooks on the wall and rubbed it through her hair as she walked back into the bedroom.

Gabrielle groggily awakened at the door slam and sat up in bed. She blinked and stared at her wife.

"What's going on?" she asked and ran her fingers through her short blonde locks.

"Somehow, some way, this is your fault."

Gabrielle creased her eyebrows. "Huh?"

Xena threw the wet towel in her wife's face. "Get up. We have a busy day ahead of us."

The governor groaned and smelled the vanilla scented towel. "You took a bath without me! Why didn't you wake me up?"

"Waking you up is like poking a bear in hibernation," she said and her wife gave her a snotty look. "What're you waiting for? Get up!"

* * *

_Gepid Fortress_

Princess Austraia sat on the floor with her newfound cousin and offered to share lunch with him. She tried to push a plate of rice and quail towards him and Oran refused to eat anything for the second day in a row. He was confined to a room inside the fortress and forbidden to go anywhere without guards.

"My grandmother isn't going to hurt or poison you. Like she said, we are family."

He nodded. "Family doesn't keep one another hostage."

"You'll get to go home eventually. Tell me about yourself, Oran. I'd love to know about your life," she says eagerly.

"How old are you?" he asks, a bit annoyed.

Austraia smiled warmly. "Fifteen. How old are you?"

"A lot older than you. How long is Eksama going to keep me here? I need to get home."

"You waiting for someone special? A woman perhaps?" she snickered.

He shot her a glare. "I have two sons and my wife is pregnant."

Her brown eyes shimmered. "A baby! I love babies. Are you hoping for another son or a daughter?"

Oran sighed and massaged his aching temples. "I don't care. I just want to be with her and my sons." He kicked over the tray of food. "Fuck!"

Austraia gasped and stared at the food splattered all over the rug. Two soldiers walked into the room and she waved her hand. They glared at the Hun captive and she shooed them out. They reluctantly retreated and she scooted closer to Oran.

"Maybe I could talk to my grandmother to see if she will release you? We're cousins. I can help you out."

He laughed painfully and ran his hands down his face. "You seem like a sweet girl, Austraia but your grandmother is insane!" he hissed.

She lowered her head and frowned sadly.

"It pains me that I see my little cousin's face when I look at her," he said softly.

"She looks like my grandmother?"

He nodded and looked into her doe brown eyes. "Yes, she does. My –_our_ cousin –also has red hair. She and Eksama share a similar face. It's disturbing to me. She's only a few years older than you."

"I…I'd like to meet her someday and the rest of my cousins. I bet your sons are adorable!" she tries to cheer him up and he half grinned.

* * *

Eksama glared at her granddaughter and wasn't sure what to say after what she was just told. She leaned over in her chair with elbows on her knees and Austraia's gaze turned away.

"Absolutely not. I am keeping him here for a reason. I have given him everything that he needs! I am not treating him like a normal prisoner!"

"But grandma!"

The queen rose from her chair and Austraia shut her trap. "I'll give him back when the time is right."

She approached the distressed princess and lifted her chin with a finger. "_Liebchen_," she smiled, "I see you care for him. You've always been very compassionate but this is something I need to do. You'll understand in the future."

* * *

Gabrielle and her wife stood in the foyer together and Xena just finished explaining what happened early in the morning. The governor rubbed her chin and couldn't fathom a word her wife said. She didn't think that Arielle would go so deep into the archives. In fact, she didn't know why Arielle wanted to read all of those old documents anyway.

In a way, she was proud that Arielle decided to do her homework and read up on the documents recorded in the empire's archives. It seemed all those lessons in Latin really paid off since most of those records were written in Latin. But of all things, the White Hun Campaign? She couldn't wrap her head around it.

"Is she serious? She really wants to do this?"

The khanum slowly nodded her head.

"And you agreed to this?"

"Not exactly. She also asked if you would be a part of it. She didn't even give me a chance to speak!"

Gabrielle slapped her wife's arm.

"What the hell was that for?!"

"You should've woke me up! My god, Xena."

"It happened so fast! I couldn't stop her. She came in just as quickly as she left!" Xena rubbed her arm. "What do you think we should do?"

The governor laughed. "We? Oh no, Xena. You're the boss. This is all on _you_."

"Hey, you're the _governor_." She jabbed her finger in her wife's chest. "You have just as much say in this as I do."

"Grandma!" Csaba bellowed from the second floor. "You. Me. In my room now!" he demanded. "You too, Gabrielle."

* * *

They sat on the king's bed and watched Csaba pace back and forth, twiddling his thumbs with a menacing frown. Xena arched her eyebrow and grew impatient the longer she had to wait. She knew exactly why she was here.

He halted and clicked his boots together. "Why did Farah tell me that Arielle wanted the records to our war funds in the treasury?"

"She found your mother's plans for the White Hun Campaign and she wants to reinstate it. She told me about it this morning."

"Oh really? And you agreed to this? Are you crazy?" he raised his voice.

She stood. "Don't talk to me in that tone, Csaba. You know very well how your sister can be. She came in like a lightning bolt. She didn't give me a chance to talk about it. I have not agreed to anything."

"She seems to think you're on board with this preposterous idea!" he yelled. "And _you_!" he pointed to the governor. "You're her advisor! You're supposed to be watching her and you allowed this to happen. Why did she have access to the archives without your presence?"

"I gave her permission. I didn't think she was going to stay up all night and uncover old documents!" Gabrielle spat back.

Xena grabbed her grandson by the shoulders and looked him in the eye.

"Csaba, you need to relax. Gabrielle and I will handle this."

"You better."

"Are you threatening me? I don't respond well to threats. I'm not beneath you anymore, Csaba."

He took a step back and collected himself. "You may leave now."

She raised her chin and they were staring at each other intensely. Gabrielle bit her bottom lip and continued to watch and wait in utter silence.

"Have you told your mother about this?"

Csaba turned away and looked out the window. "No. She was given opium syrup to help her sleep. She won't be awake for awhile."

"Good. We'll keep this between us for now. Let Gabrielle and I speak with Arielle first."

* * *

Arielle came to Xerxes' suite and ordered the Persians to open the doors. One of the perks of being queen was that she didn't have to wait for someone to allow her to enter any room in the Adame. She stepped inside the room and found it empty.

Curiously, she wandered around the room and found a parchment on his desk. She picked up the paper and there were sentences written in Persian. It was one of the few languages she didn't learn how to speak, read or write. Latin was useful and she found that out quickly when she looked through the archives last night.

Xerxes entered from the baths and rubbed his wet hands on a cloth and his heart sank at the sight of Arielle in his room, reading his private letter.

"Princess," he greeted and she spun around. "Oh, I'm sorry. I mean, _queen_," he lightly joked.

She waved the parchment in the air. "What's this?"

He smoothed out his long hair and tossed the cloth onto his bed. "It's…poetry. I like to write poetry sometimes."

Arielle nods and examined the parchment. "Aren't you going to read it to me?"

Xerxes' stomach churned and he gently took the parchment from her hand and set it back down on the desk gently. He kept eyeing the words written and was thankful that she did not understand his language. But now he had to be more careful.

"Another time, your highness. What can I do for you? As I can see, you're spying on me."

She chuckled. "I wanted to ask you something and I hope you will agree to it."

He led her to the bed and offered her a seat. She sat down beside him and he kept smiling at her. She looked into his dark brown eyes and suddenly lost her train of thought. Her mouth parted, begging for words to come out and nothing came to mind.

"Your majesty…" he coaxed her and grabbed her hand.

She inhaled sharply and then smiled brightly.

"I…I trust you as my commander of the Hun army. You have plenty of experience: more than I could ever have. I'm going to expand the empire and with Eksama's emergence I think this is the perfect time to act. After the Sabirs destroyed almost all of our tribes, we are only left with three tribes: Pannonia, Nezak and my father's empire in Armenia."

"What about your tribe in Assyria?"

She frowned. "Yes, that one too," she says sourly. "But that is a small tribe and not large enough to live on its own. I hope that you will be willing to help me expand my family's empire. Your family is a great asset to us now and that could help us in the long run."

He smiled nervously. If only you knew, he thought. He regretted ever making that pact with his brother and now he _truly_ regretted it. He was in the middle of writing a letter to Kawus saying that Arielle had become queen and de facto khatun. He was also going to mention that Eksama threatened the empire that she'd take the crown.

"I will be at your service, your highness. I think you will be a great queen."

Her cheeks flushed and she stood up. "Thank you for agreeing. I think we will work very well together."

He stood and bowed. "Likewise."

She curtly nodded then left the room.

Xerxes exhaled heavily and he marched over to the desk and grabbed the letter to his brother. He stared at the written words for a long time then made his way over to the fireplace and threw the letter in the fire. He stood with his arms folded, watching the parchment burn gradually.

* * *

Arielle had a smile on her face as she rounded the corner and then bumped into her grandmother and Gabrielle. She gasped and wiped the smile off her face then adjusted her headdress and stood up straight.

Xena narrowed her eyes then looked over the young queen's shoulder. "What are you doing in the politician's wing?"

"I went to talk to Xerxes about my campaign. He is on board with me. I hope you two are also going to support me."

"We need to talk about that. I never agreed to anything. Your brother and I had words earlier. Your mother doesn't know about this and I don't plan to tell her because it's not going to happen, Arielle."

The queen grinned smugly. "Too late, grandma. I already told mother after I told you everything and she agreed."

Gabrielle's eyes widened and her wife looked down at her with a ghostly expression.

Arielle pulled out a small scroll from her belt and presented it to the women. Xena snatched it from her and unrolled it, reading the proclamation. Her eyes enlarged when she saw Ana's wax seal at the bottom of the page.

"I have her seal of confirmation. Not even _you_ can override a khatun's words."

**So it begins!**

**Liebchen = sweet one/sweetheart**


	19. Chapter 19

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Arielle comes up with new ways to expand the empire and relays her plans to both her grandmother and Gabrielle, who are impressed by her efforts. The Persian House of Karen is invited to Pannonia for talks of peace, and Xena believes that Prince Xerxes is hiding something. In Eksama's stronghold, Oran escapes with the help of his teenage cousin, Austraia. Suspicious of Xerxes' behavior, Xena tells Arielle to use her charm to seduce the truth out of the prince.

**Right now there are a lot of politics and that will change. But for now, I apologize lol. Later, the story will be focused on Xena, Gabrielle and Arielle but not quite yet.**

Chapter 19 –_Young and Hungry_

Safiya joined the khatun on the balcony within the clinic and carried a plate of mini cakes. She paused for a moment and stood behind Anastasia who was sitting down, enjoying the early afternoon sun and light breeze. She set down the plate on the small table and Ana turned her head to the sound and lifted her chin to see the blurry outline of Safiya's blue veil.

She extended her hand to the empty chair beside hers. "Sit with me."

Safiya took a seat and crossed a leg over the other. She awkwardly sat in silence with the khatun and then looked out onto the camp filled with hundreds of yurts. Children played in the square and women were sitting outside talking and weaving rugs.

"Anastasia," she began with a soft tone, "I'm sorry for what happened to you."

Ana grinned. "I wish people would stop saying that to me. There are many things that I miss and my eyesight isn't one of them."

There was a long moment of silence and Safiya cleared her throat, unsure of what to say now.

"I miss the sound of Cera's voice. I have forgotten what she sounded like as a child," Ana said. "I miss Ellac. He was my best friend throughout my childhood and he was taken from me not once, but twice. I regret that I didn't spend more time with Arielle to understand her better when she was younger. I miss all of the women that were killed by Boareks' son. So you see; there are many more things I long for than the loss of my sight."

She sighed heavily. "You didn't have to stay here. You could've gone back to Balaam with Navaz."

Safiya nodded and looked at the veiled khatun sitting beside her and crookedly smiled.

"Navaz cares a lot about you. He'd do anything for you. I can see that I will never be able to compete with you."

Anastasia raised her eyebrow. "I have no intention of taking him away from you. I apologized for what he and I did years ago and I know you won't ever forgive me. I understand that and you don't have to. His previous wife, Fairuza, felt the same as you but I had a good relationship with her. It's a shame I ruined our relationship, Safiya."

The Sabir took in a deep breath and narrowed her eyes at the beaming sun. "Anastasia, I see the way he looks at you. He may love me but not the way he loves you and he denies himself of his true feelings. I was merely a distraction for him at the time when we met."

She stood up and Ana raised both her eyebrows and lifted her chin up at the Sabir woman.

"I'm going to divorce Navaz."

"Safiya –"

"I'm not doing this because I have hard feelings towards you, Anastasia and I don't want you to think you're the cause behind my decision. I've thought about this for a long time and it's clear to me that he deserves to be with you especially after he visited you. I saw the way he looked at you. I will never be looked at the same way."

She bowed her head and then left the balcony. Anastasia sat with her mouth ajar and she put a hand to her forehead and sank in the chair gradually.

* * *

In the women's quarters Arielle sat her grandmother and governor down for a meeting of the minds. She had to plan everything she wanted to say because she knew they weren't very happy that she got her mother's permission to reinstate this campaign behind their backs.

The toughest person to convince was indeed…the khanum.

They sat together on the floor in a small circle. Arielle requested that the room be vacant for awhile so all the children weren't allowed to come in until she was finished discussing with them.

"I know you two aren't very happy with me right now," she said.

Xena and her wife stared at the queen with furrowed eyebrows and silent mouths. They just kept staring like two cats who dared not to blink. This made Arielle feel like she was going to be yelled at but this meeting needed to be done. It'd been two weeks since she began the expansion process of the empire.

"But just hear me out! I have a plan to relocate the army to a fortress. I asked Farah to design it for me and it should be done next week hopefully. I want it to be in south Pannonia close to Dalmatia. I think it'd be better if the soldiers had their own barracks and place to train without distraction. What do you think?"

Xena had plenty of time to process this new campaign and she swallowed her pride. Exhaling heavily she calmed herself down and stared at her anxious granddaughter.

"That is…not a bad idea," she told her.

"I thought it was a good idea too!" the queen cheered. "I know I'm not a commander anymore and neither are you but I wanted to assign you to be the overseer of the fortress. Xerxes is more than willing to help me."

Gabrielle interrupted, "_you_? Don't you mean the entire empire?"

Arielle's face flushed. "That's what I meant. Grandma, will you be the overseer? You don't have to live there or anything but at least make trips there once a month or so."

"You're really taking this very seriously, aren't you?"

"Yes. You two told me I have great potential and I am executing that. I will be the greatest Hun queen in history. People will write about me. You'll see."

Gabrielle snorted. "Let's not get ahead of ourselves here. We don't doubt your ambitions, Arielle. But we should talk about strategy and politics. How are you going to expand the empire? What are your plans?"

Arielle smiled smugly. "Well, I read that there are more territories and tribes that aren't Hunnic. I'd like to go to the Magyar and Scythian areas. I know those areas are without rulers and it will be easy to conquer."

Xena nodded. Although she didn't doubt that Arielle was ambitious because she is, but she had the fear of Arielle getting in over her head. She didn't want her young granddaughter to fall into a horrible cycle of destruction that she couldn't come out of. She was stuck in that cycle herself for so long and if it weren't for Gabrielle she would've kept on and on.

At one point Xena was an enemy of the Huns and rebelled against Attila. She didn't want Arielle to do that but there was one thing this young queen had; a clear head.

"There are plenty of people here to govern Pannonia. We have Csaba, Ernak and Farah. I don't need to be here and neither do the both of you. I'd like it if you two came with me to conquer the surrounding tribes."

Gabrielle and Xena looked at one another. They were equally surprised at how much homework and thought Arielle put into this and it had only been two weeks since the proclamation.

The queen's new advisor tapped her fingers on her knees nervously.

"Have you calculated the amount of funds a campaign this size will cost?"

Arielle bobs her head rapidly.

"I spoke with Farah and she wrote down everything for me. We have more than enough funds for a campaign. By the way grandma, you are super wealthy; I think the wealthiest person in the empire. You should put that to good use," she suggested.

"I'll take it under consideration," Xena said dryly. "Arielle, I am really shocked that you've thought everything through in this short span of time. I'm proud of you."

Arielle widened her eyes and a bright smile illuminated her face. She couldn't be happier to hear those words. It was the first time she had finally gotten some recognition and gratitude from her grandmother.

"But there is one more thing I want to talk about."

The excitement died down and a knot formed in the queen's gut.

"If we're going to be traveling to these areas, what are you planning to do about Eksama? She's not going to go away."

Arielle quirked her mouth and folded her arms. "I haven't thought about that. I think she's going to attack us sooner or later."

Gabrielle nodded. "She will. You know she will. Why don't we build another Adame? We could build one in Scythia. That way we can have two bases."

"A great idea, Gabrielle! My father's Adame isn't too far from Scythia! I could definitely use his help. He would help of course because I'm his favorite," she wiggled her eyebrows.

Xena rolled her eyes and her wife sneered.

"I'm really looking forward to working with you both and Xerxes. That reminds me, the Karens are arriving in a few days. I have to go over the party details with Farah. Also, I want to send more soldiers to Kazakhstan. I don't want Cera to feel scared of being attacked again."

She added, "oh and if we build an Adame in Scythia I want Aurora and Ku to come live with me. I'll be closer to my little brother too. Thanks for having this meeting with me. I'll let you both know more about the campaign after this party."

She stood and kissed both of their foreheads and left the women's quarters. Xena scrunched up her face and Gabrielle sat with a puzzled look as well. They stared at the wall for awhile in silence, digesting the mass of information.

* * *

They walked through the hallway leading into the foyer, still in shock and awe at Arielle's ambition and determination.

Gabrielle grabbed her wife's arm and halted in the middle of the hall.

"It's like she changed overnight."

The khanum arched a brow. "Yes. It's strange. She switched gears as soon as she became queen."

"Who would've thought that you'd be by your granddaughter's side conquering tribes?" she said lightly. "Anastasia had the right idea but she couldn't execute it properly. Arielle is one step ahead of us. We did a good job mentoring her."

"Gabrielle, it's just begun. You do realize that she asked us to assist in the campaign? You know what this means…" she hints with a deliciously wily grin.

Silence.

"I get to be in the field again!"

"I should've known you were going to say that."

Ursula walked up to them and interrupted their conversation. She greeted them with a short smile and curtsey and looked at Xena with a stern face.

"Anastasia wants to see you."

The khanum frowned with concern. "What for?"

"She didn't say but she seemed out of sorts. Don't worry, there's nothing wrong with her physically."

Xena nodded and squeezed her wife's shoulder and quickly retreated towards the clinic. Gabrielle studied the shamaness' worn expression and could tell that she needed a friend –someone to talk to.

"How is Yeter?" she asked.

Ursula faintly grinned. "She's not doing so well unfortunately. She misses Oran and she hasn't come out of her room either. Issik and Muqan sleep on the floor in the bedroom at night."

The governor nods in understanding. "I know you're worried about your son. Oran is a smart young man. He'll be alright."

"I don't like knowing that my son is being held captive and my husband is so far away. Both of them are in danger all thanks to Eksama. I long to see them walk through the doors so I won't have to worry anymore."

"I have faith that they'll return safely. At least you will have a new grandchild soon," she tried to cheer her up. "In the summer, right? That's not too far away."

Ursula nods and laces her fingers together. "Yes but I want Oran to be here. He almost missed the birth of his son last time. I don't want him this one all because of maniacal queen."

* * *

He knocked. Then he knocked again. After knocking a third time Edemen barged into his parents' room and saw them passed out in bed with the curtains drawn.

The prince walked over and flung open the curtains and his parents both groaned. He snickered and approached the bed and Csaba looked up at him with one eye open.

"What are you two doing in bed? It's the middle of the afternoon!"

He eyed the empty bottles of wine and glasses then saw his mother lying on her stomach with her long hair covering her face. He cringed and took a step back because now he knew exactly what went on in this room throughout the night.

"Gross. You two aren't trying to have another baby, are you? Cause I can't deal with another brother. The two I have are enough."

Csaba sat up and rubbed his face. "Ede, what are you doing in here?"

"Teyze Arielle wants to see mother. Something about a party with the Persians. I donno. She's in the treasury." He leaned over and gaped at his mother. "Is she alright?"

Csaba turned and looked at his wife. "She's fine. I'll tell her to meet with Arielle. You can go now…"

The prince put up his hands. "Alright, alright. I'm going."

Csaba picked up Farah's thin limp arm. He spread her veil of hair apart like curtains and she was glaring at him, clearly awake.

"Oh good, you're alive. Arielle wants to see you."

She groaned and rolled over onto her side. "I heard the message," she grumbled.

* * *

_Gepid Fortress_

Austraia kept her distance from her grandmother after the argument she had with her. This fortress wasn't big enough to hide from anyone and everyone knew of her whereabouts. She knew her grandmother hated that she visited Oran on a daily basis and she was positive her soldiers reported to her all the time.

She came to her cousin's room and there were two blonde soldiers posted outside. She tried to get through and they blocked her path with their swords crossed.

"Let me through," she ordered.

"Queen Eksama said we aren't allowed to let anyone inside."

"I am the princess! I am giving you an order! Open the door!" she yelled.

The two men looked at each other nervously and then stepped aside to allow her to pass. She grinned and they unlocked the door and she marched in. Oran sat on the bed, staring at the wall and he stood up as soon as the princess walked in.

For once he was glad to see her after being secluded for the last couple of weeks. He smiled and she returned the smile.

She sat on the bed and he sat back down. She leaned in close and whispered, "I have a plan to get you out of here."

"What? But the queen. How? She will know I am gone."

"Don't worry about her. I'm going to take you back to your home. Trust me."

Oran sighed. "Austraia, I don't want you to get in trouble because of me."

She placed a hand on his knee. "You should be with your family. I'd love to meet my other cousins too! I'll get rid of the men outside of this room. We'll leave tonight. _Trust_ me…"

* * *

"This is my fault."

Anastasia ripped the veil off her head and threw it on the bed. Xena sat on the edge of the bed and saw the distress all over her daughter's face.

"Whatever…happened between you and Navaz has been long since passed. Safiya must have thought this over for awhile like she told you. This has nothing to do with you, Anastasia."

The khatun shot a glare at her mother and frowned deeply. Xena averted her eyes and realized everything she said was not helping the situation at all.

"Navaz is going to be so upset when she tells him this. He's going to blame himself as I am right now. I don't think I can forgive myself. I know I am the reason and don't convince me otherwise, mother."

Xena put up her hands.

"I'm not saying anything."

"I should have never asked him to stay with me that night. If I hadn't done that then Safiya wouldn't hate me so much."

"Well what's done is done. You can't change the past, Ana."

"Mom!"

"What?" she snapped. "What do you want me to say?"

"I want you to agree with me that this is partially my fault."

Xena sighed. "I'm not going to do that because for the _last_ time, it's not." She squeezed her daughter's arm. "You have a special bond with Navaz that Safiya could never have and she understood that from the beginning. She's not happy in her marriage so just let her divorce him. This is out of your control so just let it be. Not everything is your fault."

"But…where will she go? How will she get by?"

"I'm sure Navaz will provide her a salary to live off. He's not going to let her starve. Please stop worrying yourself over this. We have to get ready for the Persians coming here. I will have Ursula pick out a dress for you."

* * *

Three days later members of the House of Karen arrived. They were allowed a couple of days rest before the ceremony. Those days since passed and tonight was the event that Arielle had been waiting for. She orchestrated all of this and she wanted to make sure everything went well tonight.

She made sure that Xerxes informed her brother and Ernak about each member so they wouldn't be embarrassed during the introductions of each person. For more than five decades the Sassanians and Huns had never been on good terms and this was everyone's chance to end the feud.

Arielle only hoped that the Karens were as amenable as the Sassanian Shah Kavad. He was kinder than the previous shahs so she had been told. She couldn't help but think of when Bayan and his older brother allied with Hormizd. Bayan was considered a traitor among her people.

It took for a mistress, a bastard child and divorce for her to realize that Bayan was truly hated by all members of her family. Her relationship with him when they were children was innocent but that all changed when their daughter was born. That was such a sad and difficult time for her that she never wanted to relive.

Now she had goals for the future of her family's empire and she promised to see them through. But she knew she needed help and that was why she instantly thought of Gabrielle and her grandmother. They were the perfect people to help her expand the empire. They were not only experienced but they were also her mentors since she was ten years old.

Ku stood behind the queen and brushed her straightened hair with a boar brush. Arielle stood in front of a mirror and adjusted the bodice of her dress. Unlike her other gowns she'd been wearing that had high collars up to her neck, this dress exposed more cleavage than she anticipated.

Aurora jumped onto the bed and stared in awe at her mother's black long sleeve dress with gold accents.

"Mommy you look _very_ pretty."

Arielle grinned and pinched her daughter's cheek. "Thank you, _tatli kiz_."

"How come I can't come to the party?"

"Because this party is for adults. You would be very bored. You're going to be with Ku tonight in the women's quarters. I'm sure your cousins would love to play a game with you."

Aurora grunted and rolled over onto her back and gaped at the ceiling. "Aman and Aladar don't like to play with me. They think I'm weird."

"They do not."

"_Yes,_ they do!"

Ku chuckled at the princess and then grabbed the elaborate headdress and gently placed it on Arielle's head and smoothed out the long veil from behind.

Gabrielle sauntered in wearing an emerald and black dress to match her emerald green headdress. She halted at the sight of Arielle's attire and her jaw dropped. Arielle saw her reflection in the mirror and spun around as Ku was still fixing the veil.

"Are you…you…wearing _that_?" asked the blonde.

She couldn't stop staring at the amount of cleavage exposed and it was even more noticeable due to Arielle's tapered thin waist.

The queen looked down at her chest and blushed. "Yes? I had this dress made for the party. Do you like it?"

"Oh no, Arielle. You need to change before your grandmother sees you. You can't let her see you wearing that."

"What's wrong with what I'm wearing? I can wear whatever I want. I'm not changing, Gabrielle. This took weeks for Ku to make this dress!"

The princess hopped off the bed and tugged on Gabrielle's dress.

"She looks pretty, right?"

The governor sheepishly smiled. "Yes, she does. Arielle I'm _serious_."

"So am I."

* * *

In the ballroom, Xena impatiently waited for Arielle to arrive. Everyone was here except for her so she sent her wife to retrieve her. She tapped her fingers on the armrest and Anastasia sat beside her and grabbed her hand.

"Why are you so jumpy?" she whispered.

"Arielle is taking too long to get ready. The Karens aren't allowed to come in until Arielle is seated," Xena hissed.

Ana smiled beneath the sparkly veil and nodded. For this evening she decided to have a veil made for herself that exposed her eyes but kept the rest of her face hidden. She didn't want to appear to be weak in front of the Persians and she remembered many women in Persia also wore face veils daily.

Gabrielle ran into the ballroom and then plopped down in the chair next to her wife, breathing heavily. Xena jumped and frowned at her abrupt entrance.

"Where is Arielle?"

"Oh…she's coming…"

After a long waited arrival Arielle walked in and Xena's eyes widened at the young queen's dress. She smiled and then sat in between Csaba and her mother. Csaba turned his head and stared at his little sister and Farah leaned over, who sat next to Ernak, and gawked at Arielle's gown.

"Have you come to expose your breasts to the world, Arielle?" chided Farah.

Anastasia's eyebrows rose and she whipped her head to her daughter seated beside her. It was probably a blessing she couldn't see very well but she could definitely see the outline of her daughter very clearly.

She leaned over to her mother, "what is she wearing?"

Xena grimaced and focused on the unopened doors. "You don't want to know."

Xerxes entered the room and he bowed his head to the seated monarchs and then his mouth parted when he saw Arielle. Csaba narrowed his eyes at the way the prince was staring at his little sister.

"_What_ are you staring at, shehzade?" Csaba snapped.

The Persian lowered his head. "Nothing, your highness."

He hurried over to stand behind the women and kept his head facing forward.

Once everyone was situated Csaba waved his hands to the guards at the other side of the room. The doors were opened and a sum of at least twenty people walked in and leading the way were obviously the head of household.

A man with a grey long beard, dressed in all black and silver, walked forward and bowed his head to the Hun monarchs. Csaba and Ernak smiled at him, knowing who he was since Xerxes was kind enough to brief them on the members in the House of Karen.

Sukhra Karen, also known as the Spahbed of Persia, stepped forward as did a few other young men and a boy. He introduced them one by one as his sons and the youngest boy kissed the hands of the queens and they all smiled at his sweet gesture.

A girl no older than sixteen appeared from the men and she nervously stared at the Hun men and women. Xena raised an eyebrow at the girl and Arielle's eyes scanned the girl from head to toe.

"This is my only daughter, Pamira Karen," Sukhra presented.

The girl had olive skin, big almond honey colored eyes and chestnut hair covered by a silver chained headpiece. She bowed her head and kept her gaze low.

"She's pretty," Arielle whispered to the khanum.

Xerxes overheard and he leaned into her ear. "Sukhra is looking for a suitor for his daughter. He wishes her to be married in the summer or fall of this year."

Arielle nodded and watched as the Persians presented chests of jewels, coin, weapons and furs from their land. She kept staring at Pamira who stood on the sidelines while her brothers spoke to the kings and Farah at the end of the row of chairs.

She turned to her peeved grandmother.

"Do you think Soran would want to marry her?" she whispered.

Xena glared at her. "Excuse me? We didn't invite the Karens here to propose a marriage. Certainly not to your brother."

"Why not? She's pretty and he can't be more than two years older than her! If he gets married to a Karen then we could have more power in Persia. What do you think, Gabrielle?"

The governor awkwardly tried to hide from her wife's harsh glare.

"Um…I don't know, Arielle. Maybe you should ask your father before you decide to marry off your brother…"

"Of course I'll ask him but I want to propose the idea to her father. My brother is half Persian from Fairuza's side. I know how Persians hate to marry people outside of their kind. I wish my father hadn't left so early then I could ask him right now. Where is Safiya? I heard she left a few days ago."

Xena cleared her throat. "She's not coming back."

"What? What happened?"

"She…she's going to divorce your father."

Arielle put a hand to her chest and frowned sadly. "Why? I thought she loved him."

"She does but she thinks your father loves your mother more."

The queen looked over at her mother who was having a conversation with Sukhra. She stared at her and half smiled.

"Well, my mother is very beautiful of course," she says charmingly.

Xena hummed and leaned her cheek on her palm.

"Kill me."

Gabrielle stifled a laugh. "Xena, it's not that bad. At least there's no dancing!" she teased.

"Thank god for that."

* * *

Halfway through the party Xerxes left the ballroom and met with Sukhra's eldest son, Zarmihr. He was hesitant to speak with him because he knew Zarmihr was a huge supporter of his brother, Kawus. He met with him in the hallway far enough from the ballroom.

Zarmihr folded his arms and glared at the prince. "Kawus told me that he hasn't received a letter from you. I wasn't aware that the so called Princess Arielle is now a queen and I'm sure your brother doesn't know either!"

Xerxes looked around to make sure nobody was listening.

"I haven't gotten a chance to write him yet," he lied. "I've been held up recently in the Adame."

"Oh, have you now? I hear that you are the commander of the Hun army. That's good. This will increase our chances of attacking the Hun tribes."

Xerxes frowned and kept his opinions to himself. The longer he was here the more in danger he was in. Kawus was counting on him to plan a revolt against their father and the Huns. Now that the Karens were here he was put on the spotlight, especially by Zarmihr. He wasn't sure if Sukhra knew of his son's relationship with Kawus and the rebellion plans or not.

They heard running down the next hallway and ceased conversation. By the sound of the boots it was someone small or very light on their feet.

Aurora raced down the hallway with Ku-Ilm chasing behind her. She stopped when she saw the Persian prince and smiled.

"Xerxes!" she yelled and then ran towards him.

Xerxes smiled and knelt down on a knee. "Princess, where are you off to in such a hurry?"

Zarmihr raised his eyebrow, watching the two exchange words. Aurora looked up to him and furrowed her eyebrows, uncertain of him. He didn't bother to smile or greet her properly but kept glaring at the child.

"I'm running from Ku-Ilm," she whispered in Xerxes' ear. "You never saw me!"

She took off; rounding the corner and Xerxes grinned then stood up. He turned and saw the scowl on Zarmihr's face and he avoided eye contact.

"You're very friendly with the Hun children it seems, shehzade," he says with a smirk on his face. "I hope you won't grow too attached to her."

Ku halted in the middle of the hallway and put her hands on her knees, heaving deeply. She turned her head and was grateful to see the Persian prince. She pulled herself together and walked over.

"Shehzade," she greeted with a bow of her head. "Have you seen Princess Aurora?"

Xerxes decided to play the princess' little game. He replied, "I have not, Ku-Ilm. I do hope you find her."

She cursed under her breath and then braced herself to dart down the hallway. Xerxes chuckled and then was about to make his way back to the ballroom until Zarmihr grabbed his arm.

"I don't know how long my father plans to stay here but we will talk again."

* * *

Aurora ran into the ballroom and bumped into a gaggle of Persian noblewomen of all ages, young and old. She gasped and the women turned at the sight of her and immediately accosted her with words of affection in their language.

The princess fearfully backed away as the women came close to her. One of them touched her hair and another grabbed her face.

"How adorable is she?" one of the women said.

Aurora breathed heavily and she was enclosed in a circle of women who kept coddling her and ogling at her long wavy hair. She tried to get away from them and bumped into a woman. And then another.

"Are you one of the royal children?" a young woman asked.

"Are you a princess?"

"She must be. What is your name?"

Aurora gazed up at the unfamiliar women and her entire body seized up.

Gabrielle stood off to the side with the khanum while they drank wine and observed everyone talking and mingling. She and her wife kept their eyes on Arielle who was talking to Pamira, the daughter of Sukhra.

The governor's eyes traveled around the room and she saw a horde of veiled women in a circle. She nudged her wife's arm and Xena nearly spilled wine all over her dress and robes.

"What's going on over there?"

Xena grumbled and looked in that direction. "Women. They'll find any excuse to gossip."

She set her wine on a tray that a servant was carrying and walked over to the gaggle of women. Gabrielle downed the wine and followed behind at a quick pace. They stood behind the circle of women and Xena cleared her throat loudly.

The noblewomen dispersed and a very terrified princess stood in the center of the open circle with big green eyes.

"Aurora?"

The princess ran and clutched onto her legs and hid behind her robes. Gabrielle saw the women were very interested in Aurora and she waved her hand for them to clear the area. She waited until they left and then turned to her wife.

Aurora hid in the crevice of the khanum's heavy robes and Gabrielle smiled then knelt down in front of her.

"What are you doing in here? Aren't you supposed to be with Ku?"

"I…I was bored. I didn't wanna stay in the women's room. And –and I wanted to come here and I saw Xerxes. He was talking with a man. He didn't look nice."

Xena frowned and she met her wife's concerned eyes.

"Alright, well, I'll take you back to your room. I'm sure Ku is worried about you."

She grabbed the princess' hand and head towards the exit then whispered to Gabrielle.

"Find Xerxes and bring him to our room. I want to ask him a few questions."

Aurora wiped her face from the many hands and lips that touched her and made a disgruntled noise. "Who are those ladies?"

Xena peered down at the agitated princess and tried not to laugh.

"Persians."

"Yuck," she wiped her hand on her pants. "I don't like them."

"Nobody does."

* * *

_Gepid Fortress_

Eksama didn't find out about the two escapees until the following morning after they were long gone from the camp. Four days went by and she didn't send any of her men after her granddaughter or nephew. She allowed them to escape without repercussion which struck odd with her men.

She remained in her room for those four days without rest. She kept twirling a sword in between her palms, twisting it back and forth, driving holes into the expensive woven rug.

Samtas entered her bedroom and stood by the doorway, waiting for her acknowledgement. She continued twisting and turning the sword and kept her gaze to the wall behind him.

"What is it?" she asked in a flat irritated tone.

"Prince Elemund has made contact with Ebnedzar. He is willing to meet with you but he will not come here. He requests that you go to Ravenna to the Hun base."

The queen smiled and halted the spinning of the sword.

"Does he know who I am?"

Samtas curtly nodded. "Yes, your highness. Shall I ask the men to prepare your horse?"

"Yes…yes do that," she orders softly.

"Your highness, what do want me to do about the princess and grandson of Attila? Are you going to let them continue to ride to Pannonia?"

Eksama jammed the sword into the floor and her right hand man flinched. She rose from the edge of her bed and narrowed her brown eyes.

"Don't question my decisions, Samtas. The princess has a soft heart and she felt guilty because I kept Oran hostage. Let them go to Pannonia. I will be taking over the area anyway. She should make herself at home," she grinned wily.

Samtas lowered his head. "Whatever you think is right, your highness."

"Bring some ink and parchment. I will be sending a message to the people of Pannonia."

"And what message would that be?"

She turned and looked out the window and scraped her fingers on the empty spot around her neck where her pendant used to be.

"A seed of doubt."

* * *

Xerxes waited in the khanum's room and he stood with hands behind his back. He admired the amount of weapons that were plastered on the walls. He eyed the black and silver armor that was neatly placed on a rack to be showcased. A silver coined headdress was placed on top, making the armor complete.

Gabrielle stood a few feet behind him and watched his head turn in several directions.

"Governor, why does the khanum want to see me?"

"She didn't say why. She just told me to bring you here."

The doors creaked open and Xerxes turned his head and bowed as soon as Xena walked through the doors. She came around and circled the prince, searching his body. His eyes followed her but he chose wisely to keep quiet.

She halted in front of him and he slowly lifted his head to meet eyes with her.

"Of all the members of your family I've known over the years, you're my favorite, Xerxes," she compliments.

"Oh…thank you…"

"You're nice and well mannered. You also tell the _truth_ and do as your _told_," she emphasized.

He swallowed roughly and stared into her piercing blue eyes.

"You work for me, for my daughter, for my grandson, the list goes on. You represent your family's empire and ours. If you're hiding anything from us or lying to us now would be the time to say something."

He held his breath and felt the hairs on the back of his neck stick straight up.

"I…I've got nothing to hide, khanum."

She took a step closer. "Are you _sure_ about that?"

"Are you accusing me of something, khanum?"

"Am I? I'm simply asking you a few questions. No harm in that, right?" she grinned.

He eyed the governor who stood behind Xena and cleared his throat. "Our alliance is important to me and I will make sure to do what is right on both sides. If I come across information of any kind you will be the first to know."

She raised her eyebrows and took a step back. "You may go."

The doors closed and Gabrielle rushed over to her wife. She looked into her eyes, trying to read what was going on through her mind.

"He seemed nervous. Do you think he's hiding something?"

Xena sighed. "Let's hope not but Aurora said he was talking to someone. That someone has to be a Persian. No doubt. It's one of Sukhra's sons for sure."

"They could've been talking about something harmless. The Karens and Sassans are very close and have been allies for years."

"Yes, they could have," she muttered. "I want Arielle to talk to Xerxes. He likes her and if he's got something to hide then I know she can pull it out of him."

Gabrielle arched her eyebrow. "Are you seriously suggesting for a _man_ to get close to your granddaughter? Are you sick?" she put a hand on her wife's forehead to check for a fever.

"Stop that!" she hissed. "Contrary to your belief _Gabrielle_, I like Xerxes. It's Bayan that I don't like. I didn't like him ten years ago and I don't like him now."

"You like a _Persian_? Never thought I'd hear that."

"You know what…" she leaned in close to her petite wife's face. "Don't you…don't you have something better to do than spit flashy comebacks at me?"

The governor smugly smiled. "Nope."

* * *

For the first time in months everyone gathered in the dining hall to eat altogether. Out of all the children present, Aurora was the most talkative in the morning. The princes had no desire to talk and were barely awake to eat as well.

Anastasia sat in between her mother and son, seemingly more awake than everyone sitting in the large circle together. She collected rice with her fingers and spooned it into her mouth whilst listening to Aurora blab about mindless things that a child normally would.

She couldn't see everything clearly but she did recognize Ursula's orange colored headdress seated opposite her.

"Isn't Yeter going to come eat?" she asked.

Ursula lifted her head and stared at the khatun who was gazing back at her with blind eyes.

"I'm going to send a tray to her room."

"She can't stay in there forever. It's not good for her. She should at least walk around outside or something."

"I've tried to convince her to leave but she won't. I'm not going to force her to do anything she doesn't want to do," Ursula said and Ana sighed.

Arielle took a large swig of pomegranate juice and set the silver cup down slowly. "Well, I never knew Yeter had such strong feelings for Oran. I always thought she hated him."

Xena opened her mouth for a spoonful of rice and frowned at her granddaughter's snide comment. There was that big mouth that had been absent too long, she thought.

"No, she just hates you, Arielle," she chimed in.

Arielle gasped and she turned to her brother who was laughing.

"Let's be honest, she actually hates Farah," he said. Soon after he got hit in the arm by his wife and he kept snickering.

Anastasia groaned lowly and finished chewing her food. "Can we not argue this early in the morning, please?"

"Mother, we're not arguing we're just joking around," Csaba lamented.

"There is nothing funny about a woman who just happens to be your _aunt_, holding your cousin hostage and leaving his pregnant wife and children alone!" she yelled.

Everyone in the circle fell silent and even stopped eating their food. Csaba hung his head and cheeks reddened from embarrassment.

Aurora broke the silence with her chipper attitude. She pushed her plate of unfinished food away from her lap and stood up.

"I wanna go play outside."

Arielle grabbed her daughter's hand. "You're not going anywhere."

The princess pouted, "But it's Sunday! That means no school and no Ku. I can do what I want today."

"I thought we could spend the day together. We could do some archery practice and maybe I'll let you ride one of the horses in the stable. What do you say?"

Aurora quirked her mouth to the side. "No thanks."

"No? Ah, come on, it'll be fun. Just you and me…"

"I just wanna do my own thing today," she placed a hand on her mother's shoulder. "You understand, right?"

Xena and Gabrielle chuckled under their breaths at the princess' seriousness. Arielle did not find it amusing and instead emit a sad defeated frown.

"Okay, if that's what you want but you still need someone to watch you and Ku is off today."

Gabrielle wiped her hands on a cloth and interrupted, "Farah can watch her. We need you to do something today anyway."

This caught Ana's attention and she glared at the blonde and her mother. "What is that exactly?"

"We'll tell you later," said the governor with a big smile.

* * *

After everyone finished eating and all the plates were cleared, Arielle was in her bedroom, staring at the khanum and governor confusedly. They kept staring at her with weird smiles on their faces and she wasn't sure what was happening or what was about to happen.

Gabrielle decided to explain to the young queen of what her mission was.

"Your grandmother and I need you to do a small mission for us."

Arielle's blue eyes lit up. "A mission?!"

"Don't get too excited. You'll be in the Adame for this mission."

"I…don't understand."

Xena grunted. "We need you to talk to Xerxes. We both think he might be hiding some important information from us about his father's empire and possibly the Karens. You are closer to him than anyone else so you will go to his room and _talk_ to him."

Arielle stood in silence for a brief moment and then burst into laughter.

"Wait, wait," she held up her hands. "You are sending me to seduce Xerxes. Am I hearing this correctly? Grandma, I am surprised you would even suggest such a thing."

The khanum dramatically rolled her eyes. "This is just business. It'll work especially if you wear something like you wore to the party…"

"You know it will work, huh? Grandma, are you telling me you used to seduce people to get your way?" she hinted with a smug grin.

"Hey. I used to be young like you once upon a time. "

Arielle nodded and hid her sly grin. "Will Csaba find out about this?"

"No," answered Gabrielle. "This is between us."

"Good because you know how he is. Is this a trick? Are you really letting me do this?"

"Do you not want to?" Xena teased.

"I don't know. This seems like a trap. You aren't going to beat him up later, are you?"

"Arielle!"

"Okay!" she griped. "God. Well…this should be fun," she tapped her fingers against her cheek. "If I had known missions involved seducing men," she paused and saw the horrid look on their faces. "I'll go pick out a dress."

Xena grabbed her granddaughter's arm before heading out of the room. "Do what you need to do but no sex."

Arielle arched an eyebrow. "Is this another one of your rules I'm supposed to follow?"

"This is just business. Just get what you came for and leave. Are we clear?"

"Alright, alright."

She walked off to her wardrobe and began searching for a dress to wear. Gabrielle leaned over to her wife and whispered, "I don't think this was a good idea."

"By all means, Gabrielle, this was _your_ idea."

The blonde gasped. "I clearly remember this was your idea, Xena."

"If you didn't like the idea then why did you go along with it?"

Gabrielle scoffed and crossed her arms. "You're impossible."


	20. Chapter 20

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Xerxes is conflicted about whether or not to keep doing his brother's bidding and get rid of the Hun family he's grown to love. Outside, in the tribe, the citizens begin to revolt. Xena and Gabrielle are caught in the crossfire, resulting Xena with a head injury. A mob forms outside the Adame and the clan finds themselves trapped by the Persians in their own home.

**Sorry for the delay. This took awhile to write. Hope you all enjoy :)**

Chapter 20 –_Eksama the Terrible: Part I_

"What do you plan to do with all the wealth you accumulated over the years?" asked the governor.

Xena sat in front of her vanity set and stared at her wife's reflection in the mirror. She continued to inspect her raven hair with a wide tooth comb. She separated her hair into sections and gasped loudly.

Gabrielle blinked and held a pastry close to her mouth. She paused and set down the pastry. "What is it?"

"I found a few strands of grey hair!"

The petite blonde laughed. "Why are you so surprised? It was only a matter of time. I'm surprised you didn't get any years ago when Arielle was younger. You always swore she'd be the first to give you grey hair."

Xena spun around and glared at her wife. "You think this is _funny_?"

"Kind of. It's not like you're super young, Xena!"

"Are you saying that I am old? I am in perfect health, thank you very much."

Gabrielle put up her hands in defense. "I know you are. _Touchy_ subject. Look at Kreka. Her hair was a silvery grey right before she passed! It happened almost overnight."

The khanum snarled and turned around to continue to part her hair with the comb. She uttered some inaudible words beneath her breath. She sectioned off the silver streak in her hair and narrowed her eyes.

"This is Arielle's fault. That child is going to kill me."

And speaking of the loud mouth queen, Arielle barged into the bedroom and threw her kozak onto the bed and groaned. She clenched her fists and plopped down onto the floor and snatched the pastry from Gabrielle's clutch and chomped it in half.

Gabrielle stared at her empty hand with her mouth ajar. She had been trying to eat that pastry for the last few minutes and now it had been taken from her in less than five seconds.

Xena turned in her chair and saw the fuming eyes of her granddaughter. "You were in Xerxes' room for a long time. You didn't have sex with him, did you?"

"Sex!" Arielle shouted. "_What_ sex! He wouldn't even touch me much less look at me!" she spat with her mouth half full. "I must be really hideous or he likes men," she scoffed.

Bitterly, Gabrielle grabbed another pastry and glared at the queen. "He refused you? Looking like _that_?" she spoke of the revealing burgundy dress. "He's definitely hiding something. If I were him I wouldn't be able to keep my eyes off you."

"Thanks Gabrielle, but you're not helping," she sighed and threw the pastry onto the tray. "Am I ugly? Am I really that repulsive to him?"

Xena smirked. "You are far from ugly, Arielle. Xerxes must respect you highly. He's not a weak man obviously but I have no doubt in my mind that he likes you."

Arielle lifted her eyebrows. "He does?"

"I'm sure and that's why you're going to remain very close to him. Break down his wall and find out what he is hiding. He can't be that hard to crack. He's still a man after all."

The queen nodded and licked her sugar coated fingers. "I am going to enjoy these _missions_."

Xena frowned and smacked the queen on the back of her head.

* * *

Oran set foot on Pannonia soil and smiled when he laid eyes on the Adame. He never knew how much he'd miss this place until everything was taken away from him. He almost wanted to drop to his knees and kiss the grass. Austraia was hesitant the moment they passed through the gates. Oran convinced the gatemen to allow her inside the encampment and it wasn't easy.

He tried to explain to her that Eksama was an enemy of the empire but Austraia was different than her grandmother. She wanted nothing to do with the queen's quest to topple the empire and claim the throne as her own. He saw that from the beginning when he first met her.

Throughout this journey of being held captive he grew close to the princess but he had his suspicions. The last time the empire allowed an enemy asylum, mothers of princes, grandmothers, queens and princesses were murdered right under their noses. He didn't want that to happen again.

Oran grabbed her hand and guided her up the stairs leading into the wooden palace. Austraia's jaw dropped as she kept staring at the towers on either side of the entrance. The palace must have extended at least half a mile in width and length.

"Prepare to be questioned. I will talk to my cousin and make sure that you aren't harmed," he whispered.

"Will I be beaten?" she feared.

He smiled. "Like I said, I'll talk to him."

They entered the foyer and Ernak stood with Csaba. Guards immediately surrounded Oran and the formidable and unfamiliar guest behind him. The teenage princess frantically glanced at the weapons pointed at her.

Csaba smiled. "Oran!" he ran over and the two embraced. "Everyone was so worried about you! How did you manage to escape the Gepid kingdom?"

Oran turned and pointed to the frightened princess.

"Austraia helped me. She is Eksama's granddaughter."

Ernak raised his eyebrow and then with a wave of his hand the soldiers lowered their weapons and dispersed. He approached the timid redheaded teenager and touched her curly hair.

"So, you are my crazy sister's granddaughter," he stated. "Did she send you here to spy on us?"

"No, your highness! I came here on my own accord. I wanted Oran to be with his family. I tried to convince my grandmother to free him but she didn't allow it. She knows I've escaped."

"I should expect her men at any moment then."

She nodded.

"Perfect," the king grinned. "Since you're associated with an enemy of the empire I need to have you locked in a room but since you are…my _niece_," he said sourly, "I will give you a suite in the princess' wing but there will be guards posted outside your room."

Austraia smiled and dropped to her knees. "You don't have to worry, your highness. I will cooperate."

"Good. I'll send our governor to your room to question you. If you do _anything_ to harm my family I will make sure to send your _head_ back to my sister. Understand?"

She swallowed and looked up at him with fear in her doe eyes.

* * *

Farah strode down the hallway with a satchel filled with paperwork that she brought to Gabrielle earlier to sign. She never realized how many documents she had until she had to spread them out on the floor. That process took over two hours.

Now she head back to the treasury and halted at the sight of a young redheaded girl who was being escorted by two soldiers. She held up her hand they stopped at her command.

"Who's this?"

"Queen Farah," the soldier greeted, "we were ordered by the king to take Princess Austraia to the princess wing."

Austraia couldn't keep her eyes off the Szekely queen and she bowed her head.

"You're very beautiful, your highness."

Farah frowned and inspected the princess as she knew exactly who she was. Indeed, she had a resemblance to the Gepid Queen and that of Princess Cera as well. All three had auburn hair and brown eyes.

"Why wasn't I notified? I am in charge of incoming guests. I am supposed to assign rooms."

The soldiers lowered their gaze. "Our king thought it appropriate to assign her the suite, Queen Farah."

"Hmm. I see." She stared at the doe eyed princess once more. "I will assign you a few maids to stay with you in your room. I'm sure your grandmother did not provide such a luxurious room for Oran in her fortress."

Austraia's cheeks reddened. "Thank you. That's kind of you."

Farah forced a smile. "Welcome to Pannonia, princess."

* * *

Anastasia shared a meal with her mother in the clinic. They sat on the floor and Ursula brought them a tray of almond soup, a huge plate of rice with dried fruit, flat bread and a small bowl of curdled cheese. Anastasia slowly sipped the thick soup and could feel her mother's eyes on her.

"Csaba told me that Princess Austraia brought Oran back. Yeter is going to be very happy to see him. I was beginning to worry about her being locked in her room for so long. It's not good for her or her baby."

Xena nodded. "She will be in a better mood now. Gabrielle is questioning the princess right now."

The khatun arched an eyebrow. "I'm surprised you're not in the room with her applying your excellent interrogation skills."

"I wanted to spend time with you, _tatli_ _kiz_," she reached over and squeezed her daughter's knee. "I know you are tired of staying in this clinic. Your room is almost finished being remodeled but I thought you could move into my room and Gabrielle and I will take your room upstairs."

Ana smiled at her mother's considerate offer. She hadn't even thought of going up and down the stairs. A task that used to be so simple now seemed so difficult. Luckily she no longer needed her walking cane to get around as her legs and arms healed just fine but she used the cane just feel the ground beneath her when she jaunted around the Adame.

"What else is new that I don't know about? I recall you and Gabrielle asked Arielle to do something last week. I've yet to hear about it…"

Xena licked her lips and set down the spoon in the half eaten saucer of soup. She was thankful that her daughter could not see the apprehensive expression on her face. Although, Anastasia had grown accustom to sensing people's feelings and auras with the loss of her sight.

"I don't like your silence, mother."

"Well," the khanum clears her throat, "I have a hunch that Xerxes is withholding something from us so I asked Arielle to investigate. She's keeping a close eye on him and I asked her to be around him at all times."

Ana set the bread down onto the tray and glared at her mother. She was disappointed that she couldn't make out her mother's facial expression but she had an idea of what it would be: cunning and mischievous.

"What is it with you trying to hook up my children with Persians?"

"I told her not to have sex with him! I made that very clear, Anastasia. This is just business."

Ana gasped. "_Tanrı bana yardım et_!" she lashed out. "Mother, you are insane! Xerxes is a gorgeous man. If I were younger I wouldn't hesitate to get to know him. I'm sure Arielle is enjoying this little escapade you've sent her on."

Xena raised an eyebrow with a sly smile on her lips. "Oh she is." She sipped the warm cider and her daughter slapped her arm. "Anastasia!"

"What am I going to do with you? I can't leave you alone for one minute."

"I like Xerxes. He and Arielle have good chemistry but he is a _gentleman_. He refuses to touch her."

Ana nods curtly. "Good. I can't believe you like a Persian, a Persian prince no less!"

"That's exactly what Gabrielle said. Are you two confiding with each other again?" she suspected.

"_Mom_…"

"Just checking," she chuckled. "I trust him, Ana. He's not like the other Persians. He doesn't make me want to puke when I'm around him," she raised her glass and her daughter let out a heavy sigh.

* * *

_Ravenna, Italia_

Queen Eksama strolled into the Roman military fortress with such confidence. She immediately spotted her eldest half brother, Ebnedzar, at the front of the throne room. She remembered this room all too well because it was where she killed King Alaric.

She halted just a few feet in front of him with the desk in between them. She stared at his tall and strong physique and he was everything she thought he'd be. Long dark hair pulled into a ponytail, thick beard and honest brown eyes. He and Oran were definitely son and father.

"Ebnedzar," she greets with a charming toothy grin. "I see where Oran gets his good looks from. I have a handsome brother. I wonder if my other brother who still lives, is just as handsome."

He rounded the desk and folded his arms across his broad chest. They stood at almost equal height and he glared into her brown eyes that resembled Cera's so much.

Xena always said that Cera looked a lot like her grandmother, Attila's first wife, but it looked like she got a lot of her genes from Attila himself. Eksama had a similar face structure, eyes and auburn hair like Cera did. They were both tall with slender frames. Their bodies had a lankiness to them but they were strong physically.

"Eksama, I had the pleasure of meeting your son. I was told that you kept my son as a hostage."

She snorted. "He escaped with the help of my granddaughter. They are probably in Pannonia by now." She sighs deeply. "I have no intention of killing you or my brother or nephews."

"Yet you threatened Anastasia. You threaten her; you threaten the entire empire."

She smiles and takes a step closer. "She's not from the line of Attila. I just want what is mine, brother."

"She was my late brother's wife and mother to King Csaba. She has been with the tribe since she was born. You were never part of the tribe from birth, Eksama. Kreka Khatun gave her title of khatun to Anastasia. She has the right to remain the Queen Mother of the empire. _You_ do not."

"And what of _my_ rights?" she hissed. "I am Attila's daughter and by law I am allowed to take what is mine. You could have been a king but instead you chose not to take the throne. Why would you do that?"

Ebnedzar bit his cheek and gave a terse smile to his little sister. "I didn't want it. The title was offered to me and I refused. Ernak is the right choice to rule the empire. I am happy with what I have."

"The empire has a mountain of queens when there should be only _one_."

He chuckled. "Instead of threatening to invade Pannonia you could have had a reasonable relationship with us. Anastasia may have been willing to give you a respected title and rule alongside her but that is out of the question now especially since you tried to assassinate her."

"Mark my words, brother, I will take Pannonia. I will wipe out all of the queens and princesses. I could rule the empire with my brothers and my son by my side but I can see you aren't on my side."

"You may be my sister by blood but I don't know you, Eksama. And I don't want to get to know you. Reconsider attacking Pannonia and perhaps we can offer a plea deal."

The Gepid queen backed away slowly and grinned.

"Tell _our_ family they should be cautious from now on, brother."

* * *

Two hours of questioning Austraia and the governor had several pages of recorded conversation. She pieced together a very thorough interview and was pleasantly surprised by how honest and giving the princess was. She gave so much information about Eksama's kingdom and who was in charge and who was not.

Now it was up to Gabrielle to compile the documents and present them to Ernak and Csaba. It was late in the afternoon, just an hour before dinner, she remained in her office, logging and recording when and where the conversation took place in her log journal.

Xena entered the office and she sat down in the chair on the opposite side of the desk. Her wife lifted her eyes and then went back to writing.

"How'd the interview go?"

The governor glanced at the sprawled parchments covering her desktop. "It went really well. Austraia gave me an answer for all the questions I asked. Her father, Prince Elemund, is Eksama's son. We now know he's Attila's grandson obviously. Her mother died of a disease when Austraia was a baby. Eksama's been more like a mother figure to her than a grandmother."

Xena furrowed her eyebrows and laced her hands in her lap.

"She's a _very_ young grandmother and she's a year younger than Ernak at least. She must have had her son when she was a teenager."

The blonde raised her eyebrows and pulled out one of the pages and held it outward. Her wife took the parchment and began to read over the Latin words.

"Eksama was married to the Gepid Prince when she was thirteen. She had her son at fourteen."

Xena looked at the parchment and then back at her wife confusedly. "That doesn't make sense."

"What do you mean?"

"Ernak is only five years younger than Anastasia. If Eksama had her son at fourteen that would mean her son is younger than Csaba. There's no way he could've fathered a child as old as Austraia. She'd be a lot younger than she is now. She's fifteen, right?"

Gabrielle scurried through the documents and hadn't caught that little mistake. She felt foolish for not catching that during the interview process. She huffed and leaned back in the chair, completely mystified.

"Is Austraia lying?"

"Someone's lying." Xena tossed the paper onto the desk. "There's no way her son has a fifteen year old daughter. He's not even thirty years old if Eksama really did give birth to him at fourteen."

Gabrielle scratched her head. "But why would Eksama lie about that? Do you think Austraia is aware of this lie? I see _now_ that the math doesn't add up."

"I think Eksama told Austraia a huge lie and that's all she's known her whole life."

"Could it be that Austraia isn't related to her at all?"

Xena shook her head. "They look too much alike. They're related but Austraia is _not_ Eksama's granddaughter. Come on, we need to tell Ernak about this."

* * *

Ernak sat in his room on the floor as he took his time reading over the recorded interview. He held his infant daughter Maria in one arm while he read the documents. She kept touching his beard and toying with his long hair.

Xena smiled at the baby, completely distracting herself from the situation at hand. Kreka longed for granddaughters once her sons married and she was lucky enough to have Dengi's daughter Giselle with her for a few years before she tragically died. Cera and Arielle were the closest things she'd have to granddaughters at the time.

Now, a year after her death she had a granddaughter that she never had the chance to meet. Xena did see that the princess had the late khatun's distinctive hazel eyes that neither Ernak nor Nisa possessed.

Ernak finished reading the documents and looked up at the khanum and governor.

"Good eye. I'm glad you both caught that small detail. I have no doubt Eksama is my sister. She and Cera look too much alike for them not to be related. I want Austraia to be monitored closely."

"I believe she's innocent in all of this," said Gabrielle. "I know you're hesitant about her staying here but I don't think she has malicious intent. She told me that Eksama isn't very kind to her and it's been that way since she was a child."

He frowned. "I am ashamed to call that woman my sister. I want to grant Austraia asylum here but I need her to be watched at all times to make sure she isn't working as a spy. The Karens will be staying here for a couple of months so the Adame is going to be heavily occupied for awhile."

He sighed and looked up at the khanum who was in a daze. "Xena, I want you to be in charge of watching Austraia."

Xena blinked. "What?"

Ernak grinned and then peered over at his daughter sitting in his lap. "Would you like to hold her?"

She nodded and sat down in front of him. She eagerly stretched out her arms and Ernak handed over his daughter to her. Princess Maria gazed into the khanum's blue eyes in awe and her gurgling and giggling stopped instantly.

Gabrielle always enjoyed seeing her wife holding babies or being around children in general. For such a fierce warrior and leader she was very soft around children and always had been. Much to her wife's annoyance, all of the children loved her even when they bothered her at times. She was patient with them or as patient as she could be.

"You will watch Austraia?" he asked again.

Xena looked at him. "Yes, I will. Nothing will go unnoticed, Ernak," she answered and then grabbed Maria's tiny hand and produced a big smile. "She has your mother's eyes."

He stared at his daughter and faintly grinned. "I miss my mother. I wish she was here. She would've been so happy to see Maria."

"She's always with you, Ernak. She's definitely watching over you. As you can see, she gifted you this adorable creature," she widened her eyes at the infant princess.

* * *

_One Month Later_

Austraia was confined to the suite she was given for the last month. She was in seclusion and only saw the khanum and governor in the mornings and evenings every other day. The maids that served her gave her everything she wanted and more.

She enjoyed having this large room to herself which also included a marble bath attached to it. She wanted to meet the rest of her cousins and the other queens. She knew that there was a khatun and she hadn't seen her either. The only thing that was constant was these four walls staring at her and the maids who tended to her.

She sat on the bed with her legs crossed, gazing at the wall. She heard the door unlock from the other side and she quickly hopped off the bed and fixed her curly hair.

Xena opened the door and the princess bowed her head. She gathered the girl was not pleased to see her.

"Good morning, princess. Put on your boots. We're going to the market today."

The girl's face lit up. "Really? I can leave?"

"The governor and I will be escorting you. My daughter wants you to pick out some fabric. Clothing will be made for you. I know you didn't bring anything with you."

Austraia hurried to put on her boots. "That's very kind of Anastasia Khatun. Will I get to meet her soon? I'd like to express my thanks to her."

Xena impatiently stood in the doorway. "We'll see. Come on, girl, I don't have all day to wait for you."

* * *

Zarmihr gazed out the window of the politician wing he stayed in. his view overlooked the grassy plains of the Pannonia encampment. He saw the khanum and governor walking with the Gepid princess. There were a few soldiers accompanying them as well.

Xerxes approached the Persian nobleman and Zarmihr briefly acknowledged him with a smile.

"Shehzade, this is the first time I've seen you since the party. Busy with Hun affairs?"

"You told me to come talk to you and here I am. What do you want?"

Zarmihr scoffed. "Quick tongue, shehzade. My father convinced King Ernak to stay for awhile longer but he sent my youngest brother and sister and the other women back to Persia. This gives us a chance to talk more," he hinted. "I hope you don't mind. Kawus is counting on you to rise up against the Huns."

The prince turned his cheek. He went into this alliance knowing that his elder brother wanted to overthrow their father and take over the Hun Empire. This clandestine mission became increasingly more difficult as time went by spent with the Huns.

He couldn't understand why his family never had good relations with these people. They were excellent hunters, soldiers, politicians as well as family oriented. He didn't have the same thoughts about the Huns that his brother had. There was the matter of his father who wanted an honest alliance but Kawus won't allow it.

"If you're expecting to attack them while you're visiting, I would advise against it, Zarmihr."

"Shehzade, the entire House of Karen sides with Kawus. Your father was a fool to ever sign a treaty with these barbaric people!"

Arielle interrupted the conversation and the two Persians turned and bowed their heads in her presence. She stared at Zarmihr and saw he was a bit heated. He refused to look her in the eye. Xerxes was also a bit startled given the rise and fall of his chest.

"Good morning," she greeted.

Zarmihr forcefully smiled. "Queen Arielle. With your permission."

He walked off with two of his brutes following behind him. Arielle put a hand on her hip and then whipped her head towards Xerxes.

"What were you two talking about?"

The prince turned to her and adjusted his posture. "Nothing important, your highness. What are you doing on this side of the Adame?"

He hoped this conversation wouldn't last long. She was constantly around him, asking questions with that bright smile of hers. She was obviously distracting him and he knew this had something to do with the khanum. He remembered that little interrogation session he had with her.

"You promised to write some poetry for me. Don't you remember?"

He laughs awkwardly. "Oh yes. If you're not busy right now I could invite you to my room."

She hooked arms with him and touched her hip against his. He tensed immediately.

"Do you enjoy my company, Xerxes?"

He hid his wandering eyes and focused on walking the halls to his quarters. But he did answer her in the most polite way he could think of.

"I'm always elated by your presence, Queen Arielle."

* * *

Austraia walked ahead with two soldiers standing by at a distance. She ran up to several merchants who sold fabric and she inspected the fine silks, cotton and wool on display. Many of the merchants were eager to show her their sets of fabric.

Xena and Gabrielle walked a few feet away from the Gepid princess, keeping their pace slow. They watched the girl try to talk to the merchants with an excited voice. Austraia truly was a teenager and it showed. It was hard to believe that a well mannered girl could be related to Eksama. They were nothing alike aside from the similar features they shared.

As they strode through the market, Gabrielle had a keener eye on the citizens. She noticed that everyone was whispering when they walked by. Eyes were upon them, gruesome frowns and grimaces went their way.

She turned to her wife who was more preoccupied with watching the princess to notice the ugly looks and glances they were receiving.

"Xena, people are gawking at us," the governor whispered.

Finally, the brunette turned her head and she finally saw the hundreds of eyes glaring at her. Even children were staring at her as they passed by a few vegetable and grain stalls.

"Badr," she whispered, "get the princess. We're leaving."

"Yes, khanum." He ran ahead of them and tapped the soldiers on their shoulders.

Gabrielle put a hand on the hilt of her sword and circled around then touched her wife's arm, clinging close. She noticed the citizens were closing in on them gradually.

Out of nowhere, a half eaten pomegranate was thrown at Xena. She spun around and drew her sword. The soldiers also pulled out their weapons and scanned the crowd.

"Who threw that?!" she shouted.

"_Deceivers_!" a man's voice loomed in the crowd.

Gabrielle turned and her eyes frantically searched for the voice. A few apple cores were thrown at her and she lifted her arm to block her face. She stuck close to the khanum and drew her sword, pointing it at the sea of people.

"What is going on?" she asked her wife.

Badr brought the princess and stood in front of Xena. "Stand back," he warned her.

"I know how to fend for myself," Xena snapped.

A young man climbed on top of his wagon and shouted so everyone could hear. "Anastasia Khatun refuses to show her face to the public!"

Xena raised her eyebrows and looked for the man. She spotted him standing atop of a wagon. "Get him off of there!" she ordered the soldiers but they remained boot to soil. "I said, get him!"

"Khanum, we cannot leave. We are here to protect you," Badr whispered.

"They are deceiving you all!" the man continued. "They send Princess Arielle in her place to fool us all!"

Whispers and murmurs soared in the crowd. Gabrielle gasped and grabbed her wife's hand. "Xena…what is this? They're revolting!" she hissed.

"Let it be known! The clan of Attila makes a mockery of the empire! It is said Anastasia Khatun has lost her sight! She is no longer fit to be the Queen Mother of our people's empire!" he yelled.

The crowd began shouting and then throwing old fruit, vegetables, grain and anything they could get their hands on, at the soldiers circled around the governor, khanum and Gepid princess.

"They have befriended the Sassanian Persians; our enemy since the reign of King Rua and those before him!"

Xena put an arm over her head as objects kept being thrown at her. The crowd was closing in on them. Badr and the other five soldiers pushed people, kicked them, smacked them across the face to hold them back.

The citizens resorted to using more sturdy objects and began throwing small stones at the group. Gabrielle hissed as a rock hit her arm and upper thigh. She mistakenly lifted her head to oversee the chaos and ducked as soon as rocks soared towards her.

"Xena, how are we going to get out of here? They're throwing rocks at us!"

* * *

Zarmihr stood with his two brothers just outside of the foyer. They watched the riot unfold in the market not too far from the Adame. The rioting spread outside the market and others began to join in whether they knew what was happening or not.

The eldest brother cocked his head, amused by the situation. "The fall of the Hun Empire is upon us, brothers."

Karia smiled at the crowd inching closer and closer to the Hun household. "What should we do now? The citizens are bound to attack the Adame."

Bozorgmehr slapped a hand on the two brothers' shoulders. "We should alert Xerxes so he can help us. This is a perfect opportunity to seize the royal family. Their people are doing most of the work for us."

"No," Zarmihr growled. "Shehzade Xerxes is no longer on our side. He is a traitor to his brother's mission and rebellion. We will do things our way from here on out."

He turned around and his brothers were very anxious to get the ball rolling.

"Go to every single occupied room in the Adame and get rid of the guards posted. Lock all of the doors. Nobody escapes this Adame. Remain discreet. Kill anyone who comes in your path. Nobody comes in, nobody comes out."

* * *

Samtas surveyed the riots in the square which now engulfed the entirety of the encampment. He kicked his horse and rode back into the forests towards West Pannonia. Galloping up the hill he waved his hand to Eksama.

She dismounted her horse and approached her trusted soldier. She was not alone. More than half her army accompanied her to Pannonia and they waited in the woods until the news of the rebellion began.

"Samtas, how does it look out there?" she asked.

He caught his breath and put a hand over his chest. "Queen Eksama, the boy you asked to spread your message publically has been successful."

"I knew that my plan would work. This seed has been sprouting for weeks. I only spoke the truth. There's no harm in that," she snickered.

"The citizens were heading towards the Adame when I left. What do you want to do next, your majesty?"

She put on her leather gloves and drew her long sword. She touched the tip of the blade and smiled at Samtas and turned to her soldiers waiting on horseback and on foot. They were ready for her to give any command. There was no way she was going to turn back after riding all the way out here.

"We wait," she ordered loudly, speaking to her army. "We'll see how long this riot lasts. Until then, we wait here. But…" she paused, "we won't wait long."

* * *

Badr ran up the stairs as he was being chased by the horde. He waved his hand to the soldiers to rush inside. Once everyone was inside, he closed the large doors and locked them.

"Seal all the doors!" he yelled to the soldiers waiting in the foyer.

Ernak, Csaba and Oran ran out of the throne chamber and heard a lot of screaming, yelling and banging on the doors. Ernak's eyes went to Xena who was being carried by one of the soldiers and Gabrielle limping behind them. She held onto Princess Austraia's shoulder.

"What the hell is going on?!"

Badr ran up to the three and bowed. "Your majesties," he breathed heavily, "the people are rioting. They were…they were saying slanderous things about Anastasia Khatun in the market and throwing stones at us."

Csaba fumed and he clenched his fists. "They dare talk ill of my mother _and_ attack my grandmother? Who do they think they are?"

He marched over to the doors and Badr grabbed his shoulders. "Forgive me, your highness, but I can't let you go out there. It's too dangerous. There are hundreds upon hundreds outside these walls!"

"We can't stand here and do nothing!"

Ernak grimaced. "Csaba! I can't let you go outside. You will be ripped to shreds. We'll wait until this dies down. They can't continue this all day."

Badr sighed and took a step back, giving an apologetic look to the young king for laying a hand on him.

* * *

The soldier carried Xena into the clinic and set her down on one of the beds. Ursula was in the middle of giving Anastasia opiate syrup and then saw the khanum on the bed. She set down the syrup and ran over to inspect.

Anastasia frowned and heard a lot of commotion coming from outside. She slowly sat up in bed and could barely make out anyone in the room. She heard Ursula whispering and muttering.

"What's going on?"

Princess Austraia aided the governor to sit on one of the beds and gaped at the infamous khatun. She had never laid eyes on any of the family members other than the ones she had seen. The only other queen she saw was Queen Farah and she was gorgeous. Now that she the chance to see the khatun in front of her she was speechless.

Hurrying over she offered a hand to the blind khatun. Anastasia frowned, not recognizing the hand that grabbed her.

"Kh –khatun, Princess Austraia," the nervous teenager introduced herself. "Let me help you."

Ursula ripped the khanum's headdress off and gasped audibly. Blood trickled down from her forehead and onto her cheek. The shamaness looked at the blood on her hands from Xena's head wound.

"Gabrielle, what happened?"

The governor grunted at the gashes and cuts on her legs. "We…we were in the market and suddenly everyone started attacking us. They threw stones at us. Xena was the main target."

Anastasia's heart sank and she tripped over the bed and pushed Austraia out of the way. Dropping to one knee, she clumsily she stood and tread to the bed. Using her hands for leverage she guided her way up to her mother's face and felt the warm blood on her hands.

"Mother…" she utters softly. "_Who_ did this?" she snarled.

Gabrielle hobbled over and placed her hand on Ana's backside. "Everyone, Ana. The citizens attacked us."

Outside the clinic there were swords clashing, grunting, yelling and then two loud thumps hit the floor. Everyone within the clinic fell silent for a moment then they heard the doors lock from the outside.

Gabrielle painfully, marched over to the doors and tried to pull on the handles. She pulled several times and banged her fists on the doors.

"They've locked us in!"

* * *

Arielle sat on the floor inside Xerxes' bedroom and he read her his poem that he worked on for the last couple of weeks. She thought he might have been jesting when he said he wrote poetry but she insisted he should write a poem for her.

She finally cut into that thick head of his and allowed him to open up a bit more. Wine was the trick and Xerxes was not one to drink wine so he told her, but he gave in when she kept insisting on it. She scooted close to him and he nervously cleared his throat before he read his poem.

"_If the foot of the trees were not tied to the earth, they would be pursuing me. For I have blossomed so much, I am the envy of the gardens."_

Arielle grinned and gazed into his brown eyes. "Those are beautiful words. What does it mean?"

"I –I'm not entirely sure. I just write what I feel," he awkwardly explained. "For you, your highness." He handed her the parchment.

"For me?" she says in a playful tone. "Thank you, shehzade. I will expect many more poems from you."

She leaned in close, dangerously close, to his lips. This time after several attempts this past month, he did not pull away. She felt his warm breath against her skin and she grinned. She caressed his cheek and intertwined her fingers in his long silky dark hair.

He slipped his hand around her trim waist and looked into her crystal blue eyes.

A stone flew through the window and smashed into one of the vases. Arielle yelped and accidentally kicked the glasses of wine over, staining the rug.

Xerxes jumped up and ran to the window. "There are people attacking the Adame!"

"What?" she stood up and joined him at the window to see the entire tribe outside the walls.

He ran to the doors and pulled on the handles a couple of times. He slammed his hand on the door and turned to the queen.

"The doors are locked."

She gave her best attempt to open the doors. "_Kapıyı aç_!" she screamed.

Xerxes backed away from the doors and collapsed onto the ground. Arielle turned and knelt down. She grabbed his hand and saw the paleness in his cheeks.

"Are you alright?"

He knew exactly who was behind this and he didn't want to believe it but it was the only logical explanation. There's no way the Hun soldiers would lock them in a room especially since there was a rebellion going on outside.

Lifting his eyes, he licked his dry lips. "I have something to tell you."

* * *

Farah spent all morning in the women's quarters drawing up a design for both Arielle and Anastasia. She was nearly finished designing the church for Anastasia and was just beginning to start on the print for the barracks that Arielle requested.

She drew up several drafts and copied what she had onto a larger parchment. She set down small weights on each corner of the rolled out parchment and used a large ruler to draw the design. While she was sketching she had a difficult time concentrating.

Yeter also shared the room with her two sons. The princes were very talkative while they played a game together. Farah eyed the boys and Yeter who was almost half asleep sitting on the sofa.

"Boys!" she barked.

Issik and Muqan ceased their laughing and loud talking.

"I am trying to focus. Could you be a little quieter?"

Muqan smiled. "Okay, Teyze Farah!"

The doors to the women's room were left open all day, every day, and there two female soldiers on either side of the entrance. Today was an exception. A couple of Persian soldiers accosted the female soldiers and fought outside.

Farah leaned over and heard a loud thump just outside the doors. She jumped up and saw the two guards on the floor. Her jaw dropped and looked into the eyes of the Persians and jolted forward to grab one of them.

They slammed the doors shut and locked them from the outside. Farah grunted and yanked on the door handles rapidly.

"Open these doors!" she yelled.

Muqan cuddled close to his mother and Issik stood up slowly. Farah kept yelling at the closed doors and pulling on the handles. Issik ran to the window and knelt on the elongated sofa that lined the wall. He gasped when he saw the army trying to push back civilians from the Adame walls.

"They're throwing rocks!" he said.

Farah heaved and went to the window, standing over the prince, to see the violent horde of Pannonian Huns surrounding the household.

She growled and walked to the center of the room and folded her arms, calculating on what to do next. She felt a tug on her dress and peered down at the little prince, Muqan.

"You'll protect my mother, right Teyze Farah?"

She glanced over at the pregnant Gokturk queen who had fear and worry written all over her face. She smiled down at the prince and cupped his face.

"Of course I will, _tatli cocuk_."

Yeter sat up and wrapped an arm around Issik. "Farah you –you designed this Adame. Is there another way out of this room?"

Farah tapped her cheek and racked her brain, going over the print in her mind. She smiled and looked at the back of the room.

* * *

Ernak, Csaba and Oran stood in the foyer, listening to the people cause quite a ruckus outside. A few stones and other objects such as wood and fruit were thrown through the large windows. The elite soldiers stood by the doors just in case the army outside wasn't enough to keep the rioting citizens at bay.

The Karen brothers walked into the room, carrying and dragging several Hun guards. Many other Persian soldiers emerged from different hallways, also bringing in more guards.

Ernak stepped forward and stared at the corpses thrown onto the floor. He looked to the Karen brothers and drew his sword.

"Are you responsible for this riot outside?"

Zarmihr chuckled. "Fortunately, we are not but it was a great distraction, Hun king. You have no guards inside this Adame and your army outside. What will you do now?"

Ernak backed himself into a circle with Csaba and Oran. They were surrounded by Persians.

"_What_…are you doing, Zarmihr? I invite you into my home and you kill all my men!"

"You should've known a Persian-Hun alliance would never work."


	21. Chapter 21

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Xerxes' original plan to kill all the family members of the clan is revealed to Arielle. While everybody is trapped in the Adame, Farah rescues all of the women and children and leads them to safety. Eksama's army storms into the tribe, destroying everything in their path, trapping all of the Huns in their motherland.

**I bottled up all the action for this chapter lol**

Chapter 21 –_Eksama the Terrible: Part II_

Secluded from the rest of the Adame, there were hallways specifically for servants and chambermaids to wander through to each section of the household. Farah, Yeter and the two princes walked through a long windowless hallway lit with torches along the walls.

Farah led the group and then came to a narrow stairwell with descending stairs. She turned around and the boys looked less than nervous and more curious. She grabbed their hands and told them to go down the stairs first.

She then extended her hand to Yeter to help her down the dark stairway. "This leads to the kitchen in the basement," she reassured her. "Would you come on? I'm trying to help you."

Yeter frowned and finally grabbed the lending hand. "Only _you_ would design a palace with hidden passageways."

"You can thank me later."

They arrived in the deserted kitchen with the princes waiting for them. Farah helped Yeter to sit down in a chair then searched the entire area to make sure there wasn't anyone else around. She grabbed a knife and then went to the double doors leading out to the long hallway that connected to the dining hall and discovered they were open.

She smiled and tucked the knife into her belt. "You three stay here and I'm going to find out what's happening out there."

Issik ran up to her with an eager smile. "Can I come? I want to help."

"That's sweet of you but I think you should stay with your mother and brother. Someone should protect them, right?"

The prince shyly smiled and she cupped his cheek.

"Lock this door when I leave and don't open it until I come back. Do you understand?"

He nodded.

* * *

Amidst the roaring tribe outside and with everyone locked inside the clinic, Austraia peered from behind the drawn curtains on the balcony and looked at the civilians throwing barrels of wine at the Adame's entrance doors.

Being on the first floor wasn't very safe but at least the first floor of rooms was a good fifteen feet above the ground. Austraia sighed watching the Hun army struggle to keep the tribesmen and women away from the Adame. There was a lot of pushing and shoving but so far the soldiers refused to use weapons to keep the people away.

Gabrielle grabbed the princess by the arm. "You shouldn't stand so close to open windows."

"She did this."

"Who? Eksama?"

Austraia gave an apologetic frown. "Governor, you should have listened to her. When she wants something she doesn't stop until she gets it. I know she is behind this rebellion somehow."

"That doesn't explain why we are locked in here," Gabrielle said. "Austraia, are you _sure_ that Eksama is your grandmother? She is very young. She's not even forty years old and her son is around twenty six or so from what you told me. There is no way that Elemund is your father."

She noticed the girl's face turn a few shades paler.

"She's not your grandmother is she?"

The princess wagged her head and Gabrielle exhaled deeply.

"Why did you lie to me? Did you think we wouldn't figure it out?"

"She threatened me not to tell anyone!" the redhead exclaimed, drawing attention from Anastasia and Ursula who were looking after the khanum. "Queen Eksama is my mother," she muttered. "Prince Elemund is not related to me or my mother."

Gabrielle slapped a hand over her face and groaned.

"You aren't going to tell everyone, are you?" she pleaded.

Gabrielle looked at the girl's big brown eyes and folded her arms, thinking of what to do. This was not the opportune time to be revealing secrets while there was a riot outside and no way to get out of this damned room.

She grabbed the princess' arm firmly and took her aside. "I won't yet but from now on you tell us the truth and nothing but the truth. You're going to explain yourself to everyone."

Xena's eyes fluttered open and her head was pounding. She looked up at Ursula who was standing over her and Anastasia sitting beside the bed. Sitting up in the bed she felt the bandage wrapped around her head and groaned.

Gabrielle smiled and hobbled her way over to see her wife. She sat on the bed and looked at Xena with a big grin. "How do you feel?"

"Terrible. What in god's name is that noise?" she covered her ears.

"The tribe surrounded the Adame. We made it back here just in time. I thought they were going to kill us!"

Xena grumbled and glanced around the clinic. "What are we doing in here? Ernak and Csaba probably need help."

The room fell silent and Anastasia gripped her mother's hand. "We're locked in here. I have no idea what's going on outside this room."

"So we're just going to stay here and hope for the best?" Xena chided. "This is ridiculous! We need to find another way out of this room."

The governor pursed her mouth. "Xena, we've checked all the exits in this room. They're all locked from the outside. And I'm sure as hell not jumping out of the windows. The people will pommel us with stones and god knows what else."

* * *

That feeling. That gut wrenching feeling of betrayal had to be the worst feeling of them all. Arielle was experiencing that feeling right now as she stared at the Persian prince. She hadn't felt this way since Bayan told her about his affair. She felt more so betrayed by Xerxes than by Bayan.

To make matters worse the very people who planned to assassinate her family were in her home. At first she was speechless then as the minutes flew by listening to the crowd outside, anger set in. Arielle narrowed her eyes and walked across the room to the Persian.

"You planned this all. You wanted to kill my family? Kill me? Were you planning to kill my daughter too?"

"No!"

She dug her nails into her hair. "My grandmother was right. You were hiding something but…but I didn't think it was something like this! I can't believe my brother invited you to live with us! I've been living with a mercenary!"

Xerxes tried to touch her and she smacked his arm. "Please, believe me; I have nothing to do with this. Zarmihr sides with my brother. They want to dethrone my father because of this alliance between our families."

"But you went along with it and now we're trapped in this room!"

"I did at first! I was upset that my father wanted an alliance. I won't lie about that. I went along with Kawus' plan but I changed my mind. I stopped writing letters to him."

She gasped. "You what?!"

"Your _majesty_, the Karen brothers locked me in my room because they think I'm a traitor. I no longer side with Kawus and they see that. They aren't stupid. Believe me I am not involved."

She shoved him onto the bedpost and wrapped his arms behind his back.

"Why should I trust you just because you've given me this information?"

He smiled. "Because if I wanted to kill you I would've already done it. The khanum sent you to spy on me. I know she did because you've been on my tail for a month. Is this how you get information –seducing men to have sex with you?"

Arielle's eyebrows rose and she slapped him across the face.

"I'd never have sex with you." she turned around, facing her back to him and crossed her arms.

He rolled his jaw and rubbed his cheek. "Hmm. Do you want my help or not?"

* * *

Farah crept in the hallways and the silence made the hair on her arms stand up. She came to the princess' wing and gasped when she laid eyes on a few dead chambermaids and guards sprawled across the floor.

She stepped over the bodies and opened every door in the hallway and all were empty, even Xena and Gabrielle's room was vacant. She rounded the corner and unlocked Aurora's doors and swung them open. Ku and Aurora were huddled together in a corner of the room.

The princess smiled and ran over. "Teyze Farah!"

She kissed the top of the girl's head and stared at the pale Assyrian. "Are you alright?"

Ku nods. "Yes, your highness. What's going on?"

"I don't know but take Aurora to the kitchen. Yeter and her sons are waiting there. Make sure to get Nisa and her children there safely as well. Do not make any detours!"

Ku grabbed the princess' hand and they stepped out in the hallway. Aurora let go of her maid's hand and blocked Farah's path.

"Where's my mommy?"

Farah grinned. "I'll find her. Go with Ku. You'll be safe with her."

* * *

In the foyer, Farah poked her head out from behind a wall and there was Ernak, Csaba and Oran cornered. The three were back to back, huddled in the center of the room surrounded by twenty or more Persians. Dead Hun soldiers were scattered across the floor and whatever was left of the elites guarding the doors were now dead as well.

She put a hand over her mouth. This was far worse than she imagined. The Persians were attacking from within the walls and the Pannonians from outside. It was clear that Oran was injured due to a large bleeding wound on his left thigh. Csaba also had dried blood on the side of his face and Ernak a sore shoulder by the looks of it.

She eyed the staircase that lead to the rooms upstairs and knew it wasn't going to be easy to bypass the Persians. She ran across the hall and made it to the other side of the foyer and slid her back against the wall and poked her head out the other side.

A glimmer caught the corner of Oran's eye and he turned his head. He saw Farah's shiny headdress and she put a finger to her lips. She pointed to the stairs and he gave a curt nod.

The father of the Karen brothers and leader of the House stepped forward, smiling at the Hun kings and khan. Sukhra examined the injuries they've endured whilst fighting off his men and they were pretty good for it being an unfair fight of twenty five to three.

The people outside began chanting the khatun's name and Sukhra looked to the open windows, hearing Ana's name loud and clear.

"It seems they want your queen," he mused.

Ernak's eyes darted left and right. "We signed a treaty with Shah Kavad. You will be beheaded when he finds out about your betrayal."

"Assuming that you'll be alive to tell him what happened here, Hun king." He snapped his fingers at a couple of his men. "Bring me Anastasia Khatun."

While the Persians were distracted, Farah ran up the stairs as quickly as she could without being seen.

Csaba growled and ran after the Persians. He clashed swords with the two of them and pushed all of his weight on the sword and rammed one of them onto the ground and drove his sword into the soldier's chest.

He spun around and grabbed the other Persian by the shoulders and flung him aside. He stood up slowly and withdrew his sword from the corpse and then another sword from behind sliced his back. He screamed and dropped to a knee.

Ernak ran up from behind and with a swipe of his blade he decapitated the Persian who attacked his nephew. He hooked his arm underneath Csaba's arm and hoisted him off the floor. Four or five blades surrounded him in a circle and he locked eyes with Oran who was also surrounded.

Four Persian soldiers ran down the hallway towards the clinic and Csaba looked over his shoulder.

Zarmihr grinned at the distraught kings. "Today marks the end of your empire. Perhaps your people will behead your queen as well."

* * *

Xena held her head and felt like the room was spinning. She snatched Ursula's arm and glared up at her. "_What_ did you give me, shamaness?"

"Opium syrup. Your head was bleeding a lot. I was sure that you'd have a lot of pain later so –"

"So you decided to drug me? I didn't ask for this!"

The lock from the other side of the door unlatched and Gabrielle rose from the bed. She unsheathed her sword and stood in front of the bed, facing the double doors. The wounds on her legs ceased to exist and her heart raced as she watched the doors creak open.

Persians stormed into the room and were met with Gabrielle's blade pointed straight at them. The four dispersed and Gabrielle blocked a path for at least two of them.

Xena's blurry vision soon gave out and she fell backward onto the pillow again. Ursula saw the two other Persians coming towards Anastasia and she grabbed Xena's sword at her hip and stood in front of them. Austraia looked at the governor who was fighting off two men by herself by the entryway and Ursula protecting the khatun who must've had no idea what was happening.

The Gepid princess ran forward and jumped on one of the Persian's backs and wrapped her legs around his waist. She held him in a choke hold with one arm and then grabbed his jaw. She twisted his neck, breaking it in a second and he fell to the floor.

Ursula's jaw dropped and then the Persian smacked her across the face and she fell on the floor. He grabbed Anastasia's arm and pulled forcefully. Austraia ran after him and he turned around and sliced her across her midsection.

She dropped to her knees and wrapped her arm around her stomach, heaving deeply.

Gabrielle rammed her sword through one of the Persians but wasn't quick enough to slay the other. She whipped her head around and saw Anastasia being hauled out of the room and the other soldier she was fighting, escaping as well.

"No! Anastasia!" she yelled.

She got up off the floor and the doors slammed in her face and were locked again. She kicked the doors and turned to see the princess on the floor, weeping softly. She dropped the sword and ran over to Austraia.

"Are you okay? What happened?"

Austraia lowered her arm and it was drenched in blood. She was helped up by the governor and lead to the bed. There Ursula was on the floor knocked out and Gabrielle shook her head. She immediately grabbed some gauze and told the princess to press it against the wound.

Jumping over to the other bed, she shook her wife's shoulder. "Xena! Wake up! Xena!" she slapped her face multiple times.

Austraia sobbed. "I'm sorry. I tried to save her."

Gabrielle smiled weakly. "It's not your fault. You did your best." She stared at the shamaness on the floor. "See if you can wake her up. I need her to give something to Xena to wake her up."

* * *

Upstairs Farah unlocked her sons' bedroom doors and the three of them rushed towards her. Her twin boys hugged her legs and Edemen wrapped his arms around her neck. She grinned and then pulled away.

"We must hurry. Everyone is waiting for us in the kitchen."

The four briskly walked down the hallway and then two Persians were at the top of the stairs. Farah frowned and stepped in front of her sons and drew the knife from her belt. Edemen grabbed his brothers' hands and they backed away to stand against the wall.

They were considerably larger than her in weight but equal in height. She studied the size of their bodies and then they came running after her. Acting quickly she threw the knife at one of them and it landed directly in the center of his forehead.

A sword swiped towards her and she ducked then kicked him in the shins. She sat down on the floor and then pushed him with all her leg strength. The Persian busted through the balustrade and fell off the second floor.

Her sons stared in awe and Aman gasped. "Wow…" he mutters. "Go mom!" he cheered.

Farah breathed deeply then stood up, giving her just enough time to fix her headdress and dress. She smiled at her children and Edemen had a look off horror in his eyes.

"Alright, we can leave now," she says nonchalantly.

"Mom…where did you learn how to do that?" asked Edemen.

She hurried down the stairs and looked back at her eldest son. "Just now."

* * *

Arielle tied all of the sheets together to make a long rope and then wrapped them around the handles of the door. She gave one set to Xerxes and together they pulled as hard as she could; forcing the doors to buckle and stretch.

Xerxes looked over at her and raised an eyebrow. She wasn't a very big woman, albeit tall, but very slim. He admired her strength and was a bit shocked to see how she took a few steps forward, pulling harder and quicker than him.

They leapt forward and the lock unhinged and broke from the outside. Arielle ran her fingers through her hair and smiled at the prince then reminded herself she was still angry at him. Her smile dissipated and she got off the floor and grabbed his bow and arrows sitting on his desk.

He ran after her. "That's _my_ bow!"

"That's right," she said as she marched down the hallway. "Didn't your _brother_ tell you? I'm the best archer in the world," she turns with a smile and winked.

* * *

The Persian soldiers forcefully pulled Anastasia through the foyer and she faltered. They pulled her up and she tried to keep up with them as they hurried along. Csaba, Ernak and Oran all had swords held to their necks and were on their knees.

Csaba's stomach dropped. "Mother!"

Ana looked around the room. "Csaba!" she cried out and then she was pushed forward. She stood in front of the doors and heard the crowd yelling loudly from the other side.

Sukhra approached the queen and ripped the veil off her face. Her weak eyes fluttered at the bright light shining into her poor vision. He circled around her and smiled.

"Open the doors," he ordered his sons.

The board was released from heavy doors and it took all three of his sons to push the doors open. Anastasia's eyes narrowed at the bright sunlight. As soon as the people of Pannonia saw her the entire camp went dead silent. She could feel the threatening stares. She didn't need her eyes for that.

She was guided outside and she willingly went with them. It had been so long since she was outside and she closed her eyes as she took her steps forward, breathing in the fresh air. Her ears piqued and heard the doors behind closing.

The Persians pushed her down to her knees and ripped the headdress off her head, exposing her long raven hair. The Pannonians gawked at her in disbelief. Anastasia lifted her head and stared blindly at the sea of people –her people –wishing she could see the looks upon their faces.

Afar, beyond the crowd, Eksama sat on her horse with Samtas beside her. The army she lugged around with her waited for her command. They had since emerged from the woods and were close but yet far enough. Eksama titled her head and raised an eyebrow.

"Interesting," she said aloud. "They seem to be doing all the work for us."

She gazed at the helpless khatun kneeling before her people. The black kozak was tossed to the crowd and then one of the Persians drew his sword and raised it high into the air, showing the Pannonian people.

Eksama gripped the horse's reigns and raised her eyebrows, waiting in anticipation.

* * *

Arielle and Xerxes ran to the foyer and halted behind a wall. She knelt down on one knee and looked at how many Persian soldiers were in the room. Three of them were behind her brother, Ernak and Oran. Each had a sword held to their throats.

She saw tears streaming down her brother's cheeks and she breathed in and out deeply. Pulling out an arrow, she loaded the bow and Xerxes watched her work, standing over her. She held the bow outward and pulled the bowstring tautly with ease.

Xerxes' mouth parted at how easily she was able to pull the bow. The weight of the draw must have been eighty to a hundred pounds. The arrow was released and it hit the Persian behind Oran. She loaded the next arrow swiftly and shot the Persian behind Ernak.

He half smiled and watched Ernak and Oran glance around the room confusedly. Arielle loaded the bow once more and closed one of her eyes, aiming at the Persian standing behind Csaba. She smiled and released the arrow.

Instant kill.

It didn't take long for the other Persians standing by to find out some of their own kind had been killed. Xerxes ran out from the shadows and drove his sword into several of the soldiers.

Arielle kept shooting arrows from behind the wall until she and Xerxes killed the last of them, all except the Karen noblemen. She slung the bow over her shoulder and walked out, kicking a body out of her way.

Sukhra and his three sons held their swords out, backing away cautiously.

Ernak stood and smiled. "You're surrounded now. What ever will you do?"

Csaba ran over to his sister and wrapped his arms around her, squeezing her tightly. Tears poured from his eyes and he kissed her cheek.

"Thank you," he whispered.

"Where are grandma and Gabrielle? Where is everyone?"

He pulled away. "They're in the clinic but mother…she's outside."

Arielle looked at the double doors. "You go to the clinic. Get them out of there and I'll get mother." She whistled. "Xerxes, I need your help!"

The prince eyed the Karens and cautiously ran over to aid in whatever she needed. Together, they pushed open the heavy doors and Anastasia was knelt on her knees with a sword grazing the nape of her neck.

"Get away from her!" Arielle shouted, alarming the executioner.

Ana's eyes shot open and exhaled a sigh of relief. Waking up to a sea of darkness was one thing but never to wake in darkness was not something she wanted to experience just yet.

Xerxes apprehended the Persians and then the Karen noblemen ran right by him like cowards they were. He tossed the soldiers down the steps and glared at the Hun citizens, appalled at their behavior, yet they wanted more. They wanted her dead –Anastasia. Their eyes were filled with such malice and hatred even though he knew that she was a great queen to them. He'd seen it with his own two eyes.

Arielle helped her mother stand and looked out into the field –Gepid Queen. She saw Eksama mounted on her horse, auburn hair willowing in the gentle breeze, leading the front of her massive Gepid army.

"Eksama…" she whispered.

"What?" Ana replied.

"Eksama's…Eksama's here. Get inside!" she guided her mother towards the doors and Xerxes ran in after them. "Seal the door!"

Csaba rushed back into the foyer, carrying his grandmother in his arms. Gabrielle and Ursula trailed behind with Austraia leaning onto their shoulders. Arielle looked over and desperately wanted to know what happened there but she kept her mind focused.

"Ernak," she grabbed his shoulder. "Eksama is here with her army. We can't stay here. We need to leave the Adame. If you think the rebellion is bad now, wait until her army comes."

Xerxes looked out the window and the Gepid army was charging straight through the field. "She's right. We need to go."

Ernak heard his people screaming but not out of anger, but out of fear. The loud horses stampeding through the field rattled the wooden palace. His eyes lifted to the chandelier that gentle swayed back and forth. He sighed and looked around at everyone in the foyer.

"We'll go through the back entrance. The stables are nearby. We can acquire horses there."

Csaba frowned. "Then what? We're going to flee? We're leaving our people to die at the hands of that crazy woman!"

"What does it matter? They were attacking our home!"

* * *

Below in the kitchen all of the children were huddled together on the floor, completely unaware of what was happening above them. Farah and Ernak's eldest teenage son Kurt stood by the door in case someone tried to break through.

Aurora sat on Ku's lap, toying with her hair but it wasn't enough to keep her occupied. She huffed and looked around at all her cousins' mothers with them. She glanced up at Ku who smiled warmly down at her.

"Ku-Ilm, where's mommy?"

"I'm sure she's fine, _halu_," she reassured her. "She's probably fighting off all the _bad_ men." She poked Aurora's nose playfully.

The princess giggled. "Yeah, probably," she agreed.

Farah listened at the door and heard very familiar voices. She hurriedly opened the door and ran up the staircase. She ran into her husband who was carrying Xena and smiled from ear to ear. Everyone behind him halted and was surprised to see her emerge from out of nowhere.

"I…I have all the children in the kitchen."

Csaba nodded. "Good. We need to leave immediately. Eksama is here and she isn't alone. Her entire army is here."

"Oh….alright. Where are we going to go?"

"We haven't exactly figured that out yet."

She rubbed her chin and looked at Arielle and Gabrielle helping Austraia bandage the wound around her midsection. She then stared back at her husband and snapped her fingers.

"We can go to Banat. We'll be safe there."

Csaba nodded. "Good idea."

Farah peered over at the khanum and arched her eyebrow. "What happened to her?"

"I have no idea but she's going to be furious when she comes to find out I've been carrying her around all this time," he joked.

Ernak stepped in between the married couple. "Enough of this chitchat. We need to get a move on. Farah, get the children. Xerxes, Oran and I will get as many horses as we can. We probably won't be able to get horses for everybody but we need at least five for the injured, Yeter and Nisa."

* * *

Eksama galloped up to the steps of the Adame and dismounted her horse. She marched up the staircase with a horde of men following behind. The Hun army was directionless although they did their best to fight against the Gepid army without a commander by their side. The citizens on the other hand were running in several directions or being killed trying to flee.

She stood at the top of the stairs and waved her hand to the men. "Break down these doors!" she ordered.

The ten men gathered in front of the doors and pushed their weight against the heavy doors. The queen lifted her chin and turned around, surveying the chaos unfolding in Pannonia. Yurts were set aflame and bodies lain on the grassy plain. Grass once green will soon turn red.

Eksama grinned and while the Hun army tried to fight against hers, they were also being attacked by the citizens as well. The Pannonians had long since forgotten their trust in their empire's leaders and the army was just a mere reflection of the leaders.

After several attempts, the doors to the infamous Hun Adame were broken down and the Gepid soldiers charged inside. Eksama sauntered inside and stopped at the sight of several Hun and Persian corpses on the floor.

"Search everywhere! If you find any survivors I want them brought to me!"

Stepping over the bodies her eyes caught the clan of Attila flag hanging on the wall. There was also a flag of a different Hun tribe next to it. Grimacing, she grabbed the unfamiliar banner and yanked it off the wall and ripped it in half.

* * *

In the woods, far from the Adame, Arielle looked at the camp up in flames and could hear women, children and men screaming for their lives. She held the reigns of a horse which had Aurora, Aman and Aladar aboard.

"Where are we going?" asked Aladar.

She turned and smiled at her nephew. "We're going to the place where you were born. I think you're going to love it there."

What a time to be a child, she thought. They were all oblivious and probably thought this was a vacation.

Gabrielle trotted up beside the horse carrying the three children. "Arielle? We have to go."

"I'm coming." She pulled on the reins and walked slowly beside Gabrielle's horse. She looked up at her grandmother who was also on the horse, leaning against Gabrielle's backside, groggily coming to her senses hours later.

"What happened to her?"

The blonde sighed. "We were attacked by the citizens in the market. They threw stones at us. Long story short, Ursula gave her some opium syrup and she's been knocked out for awhile."

Arielle nodded and stared ahead at the trail of horses and older children walking by themselves with Ernak and Csaba leading the way. She glared at Austraia who shared a horse with Oran and little Muqan.

"What about _her_?" she nudged her head. "Gepid Princess."

"Ah," the governor smiled. "She's harmless. She tried to save your mother but ended up getting sliced across her abdomen by a Persian's sword."

"I still don't trust her. She is related to Eksama."

Aurora jumped up and down on the saddle, feeling extremely restless. "Mommy!"

Arielle looked over her shoulder. "Yes, _tatli kiz_?"

"Where is Banat? Is it nice? Will I _like_ it?"

"I think you'll like it. There's a huge palace!"

"Bigger than ours?"

"Yes, _much_ bigger."

The princess slapped her cheeks and gasped.

Gabrielle chuckled. "Banat is where Farah and her sister are from. We'll be staying in their palace for awhile," she told the princess.

_Awhile_ being the operative word. She couldn't help but think that living in Banat was not temporary but permanent. Indefinitely.

* * *

_Banat Kingdom_

Two days of extensive traveling the royal Hun family arrived at the palace. Rabia was there in front to greet everyone unexpectedly. The kingdom was rather quiet and with an empty palace Rabia was kind of grateful that she was going to be sharing her massive home with others.

She just didn't know for how long. Everyone was shown to their rooms and the smaller children were especially excited to pick out their rooms. Even though they traveled for two days straight with minimal food they were little balls of energy.

The palace had an abundance of maids and servants. They lived a life of leisure with Rabia as she was the only person living in the palace until the children arrived. Their peaceful time had come to an end and for the next few days they continually chased and chastised the princes and Princess Aurora around the place.

In a secluded section of the palace a huge suite was given to Gabrielle and Xena. It was much larger than their bedroom in Pannonia. In the middle of the journey Xena woke up and was completely baffled as to why she was on a horse in the middle of nowhere.

The maids tended to her wound and after awhile she kicked them out. She grew tired of people trying to serve her. It was annoying and she never had any servants while living in Pannonia and she wasn't going to have them in Banat either.

Sitting in bed, Xena felt the sizeable bump on the side of her head. She wasn't too worried about it but she couldn't say the same about her wife.

"What?" she asked since her blonde wife kept staring at her.

"Are you feeling okay? You were out for over a day. I just want to make sure you're not seeing double. Are you?"

Xena frowned. "No," she answered sharply. "I'm fine, Gabrielle. I wish I wasn't knocked out for that entire disaster. I could've helped."

"I don't know how you would have. We were locked in the clinic and then the Persians took Anastasia."

"Don't remind me."

The blonde gave a breathy sigh. "We should really be thanking Farah and Arielle. Those two saved everyone, especially Farah. She rescued all of the children on her own despite the Karens taking over the inside of the Adame. We owe everything to her."

Xena nodded with a faint grin. Her mind was elsewhere as her eyes were focused on the silk sheets and then felt her wife put her hand on top of hers.

"Eksama did it. She took Pannonia right under our noses," she utters in a soft and defeated voice.

Gabrielle scooted close to her and laid a head on her wife's shoulder. "We'll get it back. Pannonia has been taken from us before."

"Gabrielle, she didn't just _take_ Pannonia. She claimed it. She made herself the ruler of the empire and we weren't able to fight against her. She came in like a plague."

"We should've taken her more seriously," she said and paused for a moment. "Austraia…told me that she is Eksama's daughter. Elemund is not related to either one of them."

Xena furrowed her eyebrows.

"I don't know why Eksama lied about that but I'm sure she has a reason."

"She's always got an answer for _everything_," she snidely says. "How is Ana? Have you checked on her?"

"I think she's fine with the amount of maids in this place." Gabrielle teased. "We can see her tonight. Rabia is having a huge dinner prepared for everyone."

Xena could only imagine the amount of food the chefs were going to cook. She felt bad for them. "I hope they won't be serving that god awful wine at dinner. Banat wine is disgusting."

"Well you really shouldn't be –"

She received a glare from her brunette wife and bit her bottom lip. She leaned over and kissed her cheek instead of trying to tell her what to do. She thought she should know better by now but apparently not.

* * *

Arielle stood in front of a mirror dressed in her brassiere and long black pants. She picked up a dress that one of Farah's maids sent over. She hated wearing dresses but had grown accustom to them when she was forced into fulfilling her duty as queen.

She held the blue silk dress against her body and stuck out her tongue. "Gross." She threw the dress aside and it was the third dress she looked at today. The maid was supposed to come back with more options soon so she waited patiently.

A knock came to the door and she kept staring at her reflection in the mirror.

"Come in!" she called out.

Xerxes opened the door and stepped inside, searching for said queen. He closed the door and then walked in a few more paces then halted. Her backside was facing him and she had her long hair pulled up into a clip, showcasing her entire back which was covered in tattoos.

That surprised him. He gawked at her slender toned back and then noticed her arms were also covered in tribal ink as well. He wondered if her legs also had the same markings.

"You can put the dresses on the bed," she said.

He cleared his throat loudly and Arielle paled. He turned around so she wouldn't feel totally embarrassed but it was too late for that.

She grabbed a robe and quickly dressed herself. "What the hell!"

"You said come in so I _did_," he replied with a smirk on his face.

"I thought you were the maid coming back with dresses!" she growled and tied the sash around her thin waist. "Why are you in here? You can turn around now."

He did just that and smiled at her annoyed facial expression. "I didn't mean to walk in on you. I just wanted to talk to you."

She crossed her arms. "Go ahead."

"I told King Ernak everything. I told him about my brother's plan to dethrone my father and how I cooperated with Kawus until I arrived in Pannonia. I also told him that the Karens are also working for my brother."

"And?"

"He thanked me for my allegiance," he says in a chipper tone. "He forgave me and allowed me to continue to live with you all. Looks like you're stuck with me."

She scoffed.

"So, that's it? That's all you've got to say?"

"Are you going to use your seductive ways to press me for further information?" he asked and took a step forward, closing the space between them.

Arielle inhaled sharply and looked into his dark eyes. His smug smile was unnerving and irritating her so she slightly shoved him backward. He chuckled and ran his fingers through his silky dark hair.

"My grandmother told me that you liked me but I can see that was a lie. You've been lying this entire time." She spun around and took the clip out of her hair and the curly locks fell, tumbling down her back.

"I do like you, Arielle."

It was the first time that she heard him call her by her name instead of calling her by her titles. She ran her fingers down the silk robe and turned around.

"I'll see you at dinner," he concluded and bowed his head.

* * *

Aladar jumped up from the floor pillow and began animating the fight scene he witnessed between his mother and the Persians. He smacked his fist into his palm and bent his knees, staring at everyone. They all watched and listened to him intently.

"And then she threw the knife at his face!" he exclaimed and made a squishing sound with his mouth. "And he fell to the ground! And then she hit the other guy and then…pow!"

Everyone jumped at his exciting tale.

"She pushed him off the balcony!" he finished telling the story and sat down in between his brothers.

Csaba smiled at his son and looked at his wife. "Looks like we missed _some_ fight."

Farah nudged his elbow. "I was just protecting my children. It was nothing."

"And you say you're bad at combat," Xena said and winked at the shy queen. "If it weren't for you then I don't think we would've made out of Pannonia on time or at all."

Everyone nodded their heads and Farah smiled brightly with blushing cheeks.

Anastasia interrupted, "I've sent a letter to Navaz and Cera. I'm glad that Cera was not there during the attack. It was good that she left when she did."

"What'd you do that for, Ana? Now she's going to be worried sick over everyone. You know how sensitive she is."

"I can't keep her in the dark! I don't want her to suddenly show up in Pannonia and have her accosted by Eksama, mother."

Gabrielle spooned some rice onto her plate and stared at Arielle sitting across from her. Among the entire family she was the quietest one this evening when usually she was very talkative.

"Arielle?"

The young queen lifted her head and stopped tapping her spoon on the plate.

"Are you alright?"

She looked at the eyes all pointed in her direction and stared at Xerxes further down the row of people opposite her. She set down the spoon and exhaled.

"I'm going through with my campaign and I'm going to get rid of Eksama," she stated.


	22. Chapter 22

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The clan relocates to Banat while Eksama has taken over Pannonia, claiming it as her own. Arielle plans to go through with her campaign and raid the House of Karen. Upset that Xerxes betrayed him, Kawus plants a seed of doubt in the Shah's head. In a moment of passion late one night, Arielle wakes up and realizes she's made a horrible mistake.

The Lieutenant Part II

The Birth of The Avar Khaganate

_One Month Later_

"Let's go over this again."

Austraia shifted uncomfortably in bed and stared up at her uncle nervously. Ernak had his arms folded, staring down at her. This felt more like an interrogation than anything else. It also didn't help that the governor and khanum were standing on either side of him. They both were encouraging her to speak.

"My _mother_…married Gepid Prince Ardaric when she was fifteen."

Ernak nodded. "Not thirteen like you said before."

She sighed. "Well they were engaged when she was thirteen. He already had a son five years prior to the marriage but my mother didn't know that until a year after the marriage."

"That's Elemund, right?"

She nods her head and continued, "My mother took care of him but…as soon as Prince Elemund was old enough to go war he began to go on excursions with Ardaric and King Theodoric."

Xena scoffed. "That man. I suppose getting rid of Theodoric was the only thing Odoacer was good for."

Ernak turned around with a menacing frown. "Xena, no interruptions." He firmly said and looked back at his niece. "Continue, please."

The princess wrapped an arm around her sore gut wound and winced. "Well, ten years after the marriage my mother had me but it was…when Ardaric was gone during a war. She never told me who my father was. Instead of telling Ardaric about me she sent me away to Elemund's fortress in the north. Elemund was old enough to have children by then and he really liked my mother a lot so they both lied and said I was _his_ daughter."

She finished explaining herself and didn't feel good about it either especially with Ernak gawking at her with wide eyes.

Ernak chuckled and turned to Xena and Gabrielle. "Not only is my sister crazy, she's a slut too. I guess it runs in the family."

Xena slapped his arm and smiled tersely at the teenager. She stepped forward and Austraia's brown eyes grew twice their size.

"The Goths love to kill female infants and children. Your mother hid you because you would've been killed. Isn't that right?"

"How did you know that?"

"Me and the Goths go way back. There was a time in Pannonia when the camp was filled with only sons and no daughters. I remember it very well because my daughter was the only girl in the tribe for a long time."

Austraia scratched her throat and averted her gaze.

Gabrielle intervened and stepped in front of her wife, shoving her out of the way. She sat on the bed and grabbed the princess' hand which forced them to make eye contact.

"I know you think we're going to kill you, but we haven't and we won't if you continue to cooperate with us. We've allowed someone asylum with us before and that person ended up betraying us and he killed several women; one khatun, a queen, two princesses and a Suevi woman."

"I –I would never do that!" the teen exclaimed. "I'd never kill anyone here, governor. You must believe that."

She squeezed the girl's hand. "Relax. I know you wouldn't hurt anyone. Perhaps your mother did the right thing by not raising you herself."

Ursula walked in and addressed the princess. "Anastasia Khatun wants to see you."

Austraia gasped and stood up slowly. She ran her fingers through her curly hair a couple of times and looked over at Ernak who was staring out the window in silence.

"You may leave," he said with his back turned.

Once she left with Ursula, he sighed deeply and kept his eyes on the gardens outside. He didn't know how long his entire clan was supposed to stay here and he didn't know if they'd be safe here either. He wished that he were more careful with Eksama. He felt like he failed his family and people by not being able to protect them from external entities which also unfortunately included the Karens.

"Am I doing the right thing by letting her stay here?" he asked the women.

Gabrielle rose from the bed and eyed her wife. "She is a sweet girl, Ernak. She's the one who brought Oran home. It's clear that she isn't like Eksama."

"Eksama," he half grinned. "My little sister. Things could've been different if she was brought to Pannonia. Maybe she wouldn't have turned out the way that she did."

"Or maybe she would have," she told him. "We never know what the future holds."

He stared at the gardens for a moment longer then turned to look at the women. He briefly smiled and left the room. Xena watched him leave and frowned sadly. She'd known Ernak since birth and he was always the kindest out of the princes and well behaved. He was Kreka's favorite son, perhaps because he was the youngest, but he was a strong ruler and even better than his father and Ellac.

The governor sat down on a bench close to one of the large windows and crossed a leg over the other. "If I didn't know better I'd say that he cares more about Eksama's downfall than losing Pannonia."

"He has a lot of compassion," Xena says softly."Gabrielle, do you remember when Kriemhild killed her twin boys?"

"I try not to but thanks for bringing that horrid memory up again…"

Xena smiled and sat down next to her wife, forcing her to scoot over. "Ernak was devastated. He loved those boys. He was a young teenager when that happened. They were his little brothers. He feels the same way about Eksama."

Gabrielle scrunched her eyebrows together and fiddled her thumbs back and forth.

"How is that the same thing?"

"Because he knows that he might have to kill his sister to win Pannonia back. He's already lost his two older brothers and his mother. I don't think he wants to lose another family member."

"What if…Eksama has a change of heart? What if she becomes a part of the family?"

Xena grinned and a placed a hand on her wife's shoulder. "I like it when you're optimistic, Gabrielle. That's my favorite trait about you. You're always trying to see good in evil."

"I have to otherwise I'd kill everyone."

* * *

He stood in front of his sister for almost half an hour and was ready to give in. he hated arguing with her but she was incredibly stubborn and always wanted her way no matter the consequences. Magically, she did get what she wanted. She married Bayan, she ran away from home, she became queen, lost her status as queen, became commander, lost her status as commander and now she was queen and de facto.

Csaba was having a staring contest with her and so far she was winning. Nobody could beat those blue eyes that she got from their mother and grandmother. He wished he had the same eyes sometimes. Maybe they'd make him seem more menacing?

"I said…_no_," he hissed.

"Why not?"

"You cannot have the Banat army for your campaign, Arielle!"

She huffed and folded her arms. "Then I'll ask my father for the Balaam army. I know he'll let me have his soldiers," she says with a pearly white grin.

He laughed. "Navaz spoils you to no end but he'll never give you his army. Keep dreaming, sister."

"Wanna bet?" she held out her hand.

Csaba's eyebrow arched. "Alright…"

She spit in her palm and grabbed his hand. He cringed in disgust and yanked his hand away then wiped it on his pants.

"Arielle! What the hell! _İğrençsin!"_

"You'll see, Csaba. I'll have a huge army and I'll come knocking on Eksama's door. She's going to be sorry that she ever set foot in Pannonia!"

He kept wiping his hand on his pant-leg and glared at her. "Of course you do realize that you'll have to take Xerxes with you," he smugly smiled and her triumphant face withered away like a wilted rose.

"Excuse me?"

"Ernak is keeping him as commander. We're going to have a lot of problems with Persia now so it's best if we have Xerxes on our side."

She growled and stormed off. "I fucking hate this family," she muttered.

"Love you too, squirt."

"Stop calling me that!" her voice echoed in the marble hallway.

"Oh, by the way!" he shouts and she halted. "I wrote Bayan. His tribe is part of our empire as you know."

Her lip quivered and she stomped off.

* * *

It was easy to keep the children occupied when they first arrived in Banat but as the weeks went by they began to ask several questions. Princess Aurora realized that this was not a regular visit and asked all of the adults what was going on but she received no satisfying answers which frustrated her.

Unlike her mother she was more sensitive to her surroundings although much to everyone's surprise she had a bit of an anger streak. Undoubtedly she got that trait from her mother. Aurora was a sweet girl until she got extremely bothered and then she was very unruly.

Today was one of those days. With all of the recent changes and being uprooted from her home, the princess couldn't properly process anything and instead of talking about her feelings she ultimately became very destructive.

She lashed out and complained that she didn't have her favorite blanket or her bow that she was gifted from her grandfather, nor any of her favorite clothes. She broke several of the vases, busts and ripped the sheets off the bed.

The Banat maids were unsure of what to do and none could attempt to calm her. Xerxes was passing by and heard the princess yelling at the maids in her mother tongue mixed with Syriac vocabulary and he walked by to see what the issue was.

He saw a very flustered princess, tears streaming down her cheeks, wild eyes and flushed cheeks. Her room was completely destroyed. Xerxes was not usually around many children as it was forbidden to go into his father's harem as well as his brothers' harems. He only saw his nephews every once in awhile but that was rare.

He took it upon himself to distract the furious princess and he took her outside to one of the large royal gardens in the back of the palace. It wasn't difficult to coax her into coming with him, in fact she willingly went.

Outside, he knelt on one knee behind her holding his large steel recurve bow. He remembered that she enjoyed the bow Navaz gave her and decided to teach her how to hold a much larger bow. The weapon was as big as she was tall and weighed more than her.

He held the bow out in front of her and she had a grimace on her face, intimating that awful look her mother had often.

"You like bows, right princess?"

She had her arms folded and refused to look at him.

Xerxes smirked. "You shouldn't frown, princess. Your face is going to be stuck like that."

Her face softened and she looked at him with wide fearful eyes. She almost looked like she believed him.

"I'll teach you how to hold a _real_ bow. Would you like that?"

She stared at the weapon and thought about it for a moment, putting her anger aside. She sniffled and wiped her wet cheeks then nodded.

* * *

On the opposite side of the huge garden, Anastasia walked with her mother and Gabrielle. Ana no longer had a fear of going outside now that she was far from her people but she was distressed and upset that she left the entire tribe in the hands of Eksama's wrath.

She had her arm hooked with her mother's as they waltzed through the garden's pathways. Even though she couldn't see properly she appreciated the beauty around her and could smell the flowers all around. Pannonia was a gorgeous place but Banat had a beauty of its own. She really liked the gardens here and wished there was something like this back home.

"Austraia was very nervous to speak with me," she told the two women. "I thanked her for risking her life to save me. It's fascinating to me that she would do that while her mother was planning an attack on us."

Gabrielle glanced up at the blue sky and saw dark clouds hovering over the city. Rain, she thought. "It makes sense, Ana. She wasn't raised by Eksama. Are you going to allow her to stay with us?"

"Yes, I will. She told me she wants to get to know all of her cousins. She was very excited to find out she has several family members. I don't want to keep her locked in a room forever but I know Ernak is very cautious. She will be watched closely for awhile longer."

"The children might have a hard time adjusting to her. Edemen, Kurt and Issik know that Eksama attacked us and they know Austraia is her daughter," Gabrielle advised.

The khatun sighed and nodded. "They have a right to be worried but I'll talk to them."

Xena halted and gawked at Xerxes teaching Aurora how to use a very large bow in the center of the gardens. Gabrielle leaned over and stared at her wife.

"Xena? What's wrong?"

"Look over there." She nudged her head towards the Persian.

Anastasia scoffed. "Very funny, mother. I can't see."

Xena slapped her daughter's hand gently. "Xerxes is with Aurora. He's instructing her how to use a Persian recurve bow."

"He's _what_?" Ana's head turned in several directions.

Gabrielle smiled, enjoying how serious the princess was and listening to Xerxes from afar. "Looks like the lesson is going pretty well. I think she likes him."

"Just what I need," Ana grumbled.

Xerxes stood and walked Aurora back towards the palace and then spotted three women staring. He and Aurora head that way and he bowed his head to the group of women. Xena had an arched eyebrow while the governor had a beaming smile. The khatun luckily had half her face covered aside from her eyes so her disdainful frown was concealed.

"I was teaching the princess how to use my bow," he informed them. "I told her that I will teach her how to make her own bow. I learned how to make them when I was a child."

"And what brought on this little…lesson?" asked the governor.

The Persian peered down at a very meek princess. "We both thought she needed a break. Isn't that right, your highness?"

Aurora looked up at him and then to the women. "I did…something bad," she admits in her soft tiny voice.

Gabrielle knelt down to her eye level and held her hands. "What happened?"

The little princess exhaled and hung her head. "I made a mess in my room 'cause I was angry."

Gabrielle nodded and lifted her eyes to Xerxes. "You were having a tantrum?"

"Mhm," she mumbled. "Well, I didn't mean to…"

"And why did you do that?"

Aurora frowned. "I don't wanna talk about it."

Gabrielle stood up and silently thanked the shehzade for his interference. "Okay, we can talk about it later. Go back inside."

Xerxes grinned and bowed his head once more then escorted the princess into the palace. Gabrielle shook her head and turned to her bemused wife. Anastasia also had a bewildered look in her pale eyes.

"Since when does she have tantrums?" asked Xena.

* * *

_Estakhr, Persia_

Grand Vizier Rüzem received an important letter from Karen nobleman, Sukhra. The messenger was sent away by the guards and he immediately rushed through the large palace in search of Shehzade Kawus. He entered the shehzade's bedroom and Kawus was having a conversation with his youngest brother at the moment.

Khosrow expressed his hatred for the vizier and while he sided with Kawus he did not trust the vizier and tried to steer clear of him at all times. He looked at his eldest brother and brushed by Rüzem on his way out.

Kawus waited until the doors were closed and he laced his hands behind his back. "What do you have for me?" he asked.

The vizier pulled out a letter incased in a metal tube and handed it over to the shehzade. "A message from the House of Karen was just delivered. Sukhra wrote that the Huns were under attack by their own tribe. The Gepid Queen, Eksama also invaded Pannonia with her army."

Kawus grinned. "Good." He read over the letter and frowned. "Xerxes betrayed us?"

The elderly vizier sighed. "Yes, your highness. It is clear that he sides with the Huns. He had no intention of keeping his promise, shehzade. He is a traitor."

"Ah, little brother." He walked over to the fireplace and threw the letter into the fire. "I want you to tell my father exactly what I'm going to tell you word for word. I don't want him to suspect that I am behind the rebellion. Do not say a word of this letter to Khosrow."

Rüzem grinned and bowed. "Yes, shehzade. What do you want to do about Shehzade Jamasp? He is still in China fighting against Prince Houfei and Emperor Liu."

"Let him continue the war. It's best that we keep China away from Persia. What happened to Attila's clan?"

"Sukhra did not say, shehzade. He and his sons fled Pannonia as soon as the Gepids invaded the state."

* * *

In Shah Kavad's harem within a private sector of the large Sassan palace, there held at least twenty women. The time of bearing children had long been put to rest as soon as the princes were old enough to have their own harems. Each of the harems for the four princes were allowed to mingle together throughout the harem wing.

The concubines who bore the Shah the princes had special privileges compared to the other concubines. They each had their own suites and maids to tend to their needs. They were not allowed to leave the harem so they had people come in and out to give supplies, food and clothing.

Shahbanu Sambice was head of the harem and controlled the women's wing. It was very rare to see the shehzades come to the harem but today was one of those rare days. As the twenty some odd women were in the center of the large living area, two guards entered the room.

All the women immediately covered their faces with their veils and gawked at the guards. Shehzade Kawus stepped inside and all the concubines stood and bowed their heads in silence.

"Banu Nousha! Where is she?" he called out.

A woman of average height emerged from the crowd of women. She wore a colorful turban underneath the peach colored veil. She uncovered her face and stared at Kawus nervously.

"Yes, shehzade?"

He tilted her chin with a finger and gazed into her bright blue-green eyes. Her pale rounded face had such youth for a woman her age. Out of all the concubines Nousha was the Shah's favorite and Kawus understood why. She was unlike the other Persian women with her fair skin, big eyes, small mouth and petite frame.

He furrowed his eyebrows and stepped away then waved his hand at the guards behind him.

"Take her and lock her away in a cell."

All of the women gasped and Nousha fearfully stared at the guards. She tried to run away and the two tall men grabbed her by the arms and dragged her across the floor. Nousha dropped to her knees and the veil fell off her head. She sobbed, staring up at Kawus.

"Shehzade! Please! I haven't done anything wrong! What did I do?"

She leapt forward and grabbed his black cape. The guards pulled up off the floor and forcefully took her out of the room while she continued to wail and call out Kawus' name.

* * *

"Xerxes plans to dethrone me?"

Rüzem kept his gaze low and smile hidden. "Yes, Shah. It is unfortunate news. He has sided with the Huns to take your thrown and empire."

Kavad rubbed his beard and stared suspiciously at the vizier. "Who gave you this information?"

"Sukhra Karen, your majesty. He sent a letter over once he returned to Hamadan. He said that he and his sons were accosted by the Huns and held them captive in their home. Luckily they were able to escape before they were all killed."

The Shah rose from his throne and walked over to the balcony overlooking the gardens. The first time he met Queen Farah and Princess Arielle, he did not sense that they were hostile or had ill intention. He had doubts of Rüzem's information received by the Karens. The vizier worked for Balash and he had a reputation of working behind the scenes of the empire.

He didn't dismiss the information but decided to keep a cool head about the matter.

"Thank you for relaying the message, vizier. Find Tegin Irkin and tell him to come see me immediately."

Rüzem raised his eyebrow and backed away. "Yes, Shah."

* * *

_Banat Kingdom_

Swords clashed. Boots scraped across the sand. Breathy exhales encompassed the thick warm air. Xena lowered her posture and bent her knees, focusing her eyes on her opponent. She twirled the sword in her hand with a swivel of her wrist. The sword was as light as a feather.

She circled around and then couldn't help herself but to smile. "Gabrielle…" her voice sultry with a hint of mischief. "I'm waiting."

"I know you don't like surprises," replied the blonde. She watched Xena's boots glide against the sand.

"And yet you haven't surprised me at all during this session." She swung the sword away from her and loudly grunted then the blade swiped air instead of her opponent's metal.

Gabrielle ducked moments earlier and swiftly ran to the other side, behind her wife. She heard her growl and this brought a smile to her lips. She took the opportunity to use her body instead of her weapon and projected her boot in the air to hit her wife's back.

Xena turned and grabbed the ankle of her attacker and twisted her leg. Gabrielle dropped her sword on the ground and she yelped.

"Nice try. You almost had me. Would you really want to find out what would have happened if you actually kicked me?"

"Xena!" she begged and had her elbows on the ground while her leg was high into the air and twisted in a very painful awkward position. "God dammit, Xena! Let go! I'm finished! I lost, you won!"

Anastasia stood off to the side while the governor and khanum were having their sparring session. Arielle came to join her mother and she folded her arms, watching Gabrielle begging for her life. She smirked at the expression on her grandmother's face.

"Now that's just cruel," she commented.

Ana turned to her daughter and smiled.

"What are you doing standing out here by yourself?"

Ana held out her hand to the battle before her. "I'm listening to them fight. I enjoy their banter. It's amusing," she said and Arielle eyed her mother with a strange stare. "Aurora destroyed her suite a few days ago."

"Yes…Ku told me. I talked to Aurora and she didn't tell me why she did it."

"_Tatli_ _kiz_, you must understand that her tiny world has been turned upside down. She doesn't know why she's here and she also spoke of Bayan a few times when she came to see me yesterday."

She sensed her daughter's anger seething.

"You should tell her the truth, Arielle. She's old enough to comprehend things you and I would understand. She's a very smart girl and the longer you lie to her the more resentful she will be towards you."

Arielle nodded. "I'll tell her but I need to talk to Gabrielle and grandma about this campaign. I can't wait in Banat forever. Who knows what Eksama is doing in Pannonia?"

"Hmm." Ana simply replied.

"So…when father arrives I will talk to him about giving me his army for the campaign. Csaba said I can't have Banat's army."

Anastasia furrowed her eyebrows and glared at her daughter. "What makes you think he's going to come here? I didn't tell him to do that."

"Mother, please! He'll come. You never need to ask him."

A maid came running up to them and held out a small rolled up parchment. "Queen Arielle, this is for you," she said and bowed her head.

Arielle frowned and snatched the small scroll from the maid's hand. "Who's it from?"

"I do not know your highness. I was just told to deliver it." She smiled at Anastasia. "Khatun," she acknowledged her then took off back to the palace.

Arielle opened the scroll and narrowed her eyes.

"_Not every isolated soul is looking for a savior. To see the proof, and silent truth, just take a look at nature. A single solitary flower is as beautiful alone."_

She grunted and rolled up the message. "_Tanrı aşkına_…" she muttered.

"What was it?" asked Ana with a hint of curiosity.

"Nothing. I have to take care of something but can you tell them I want to talk before dinner?"

Anastasia nodded and heard footsteps drifting further away. She looked over her shoulder and hummed quietly to herself. Interrupting her peace she heard Gabrielle yell aloud.

Xena leaned over her wife on the sand holding her leg over the blonde's head. "My, you are very flexible, Gabrielle," she teased.

"Only because you're forcing yourself on me! Get off!"

"No, no. _You_ put yourself in this position!" Xena grit her teeth with a wild smile and pushed her wife's leg further back. "Say it, Gabrielle!"

"This is pure torture," she grunted and squirmed. "Do you come up with new ways to torture me while you sleep?!"

Xena arched an eyebrow. "No but now that you mention it, I'll start doing that. Say the magic words…" she whispered.

"You win!"

"Those aren't the magic words, Gabrielle."

The blonde looked up into her wife's eyes. "I'm a loser?"

"Try again."

"Xena! Give me a break here! I'm going to tear a muscle for sure."

Xena chuckled and finally released her wife's leg and stood up. Gabrielle collapsed and curled into a fetal position, holding onto her leg. She extended her hand as a sign of truce and the petite governor took the kind gesture. Xena grinned wily and dropped her back onto the ground.

"Xena!" she rubbed the back of her head and jumped up. She felt the numbness in her leg and nearly fell over. "That was dirty."

"Yeah well that's what you get for calling me old."

Gabrielle threw her hands in the air and scoffs loudly. "That's what _this_ was about?!" she exclaimed and grabbed her sword. "I'm sorry okay!"

"Hey, there are the magic words!" Xena called out and winked at her wife. She sheathed her sword and smiled at her daughter. "Ana, what are you doing out here? How long have you been standing there?"

Anastasia lifted the veil over her head and gave her mother a knowing disapproving look. "You're terrible, mother. Arielle wants to talk to you two before dinner."

Xena sighed. "Perfect. I can only imagine what she wants to talk about," she adds with a thick layer of sarcasm. "You coming Gabrielle, or are you still trying to get off the ground?"

"I hate you."

"Yeah, yeah." She dismissed her wife and grabbed Ana's head, waltzing back to the palace.

* * *

Xerxes kept his mind busy polishing his bow with several layers of oil and wax. He rubbed the steel bow with a cloth dripping in wax at a desk in his room. He lifted the unstrung bow and examined the shininess of it in the sunlight beaming into the bedroom.

He smiled, satisfied with the work he had done and then the doors swung open. He lowered the bow and saw a very angry queen marching towards the desk. Arielle slammed the parchment on the desk and he glanced down at it and then looked into her eyes.

"May I help you, your highness?" he asks politely.

"What the hell is _this_? You wrote me a poem?" she hissed.

The prince grinned and stood from the desk. He walked over to the chest in front of the bed and gently placed his freshly polished bow on top, ignoring her. Arielle walked over to him and folded her arms.

"You're just going to pretend this never happened? I know you wrote that. Why would you do that?"

He spun around. "I seem to remember you asked me to write more poems for you, your highness. Do you remember that?"

She was taken aback by his smart mouth comeback and swallowed. She refused to show that she hesitated in response so she faintly smiled.

"That was different. That was before I knew that –"

"Knew what?" he took a step closer. "You don't still think I'm going to kill you, do you…_Arielle_?"

She exhaled slowly and gazed into his brown eyes. For a tall woman she never felt so small until this very moment. He leaned down and kissed her gently on the lips. He pulled away, still very close to her face and he smiled sneakily.

"Did you like it?" he whispered.

"W –what?"

"My poem. Did you like it?"

Arielle grimaced and she slapped him across the face. He closed his eyes for a brief moment and felt the sting on his cheek and rattling through his jaw traveling up to his head. His eyes shot open and his eyebrows lifted.

He rubbed his jaw and stood up straight. Sighing deeply and gave her a charming smile which she was not fond of judging by the look on her face. She raised her hand again and he grabbed her wrist with a firm grip.

"I didn't know you Hun women were so violent otherwise I would've prepared myself," he joked.

"What're you going to do? Hit me back?"

Xerxes chuckled and lowered her arm to her side. "I'd never hurt you with my hands nor my words, your highness." He paused. "But you insulted me," he kept toying with her. "I guess I'll have to choose my words more wisely when I write poems."

She gasped and shoved him against the large bedpost. She breathed deeply and he kept smiling down at her while he willingly allowed her to pin him. They locked eyes with each other for several moments and then she smashed her lips against his.

His eyes widened and then he felt the laces on his tunic being untied and then she pulled the blouse over his head. Arielle stopped for a moment and then slipped the dress over her head and then gawked at his muscular chest and arms.

She lifted an eyebrow with a smug grin.

* * *

_Estakhr, Persia_

Darkness surrounded the cells below the Sassan palace. Nousha had been locked away for days and she was given minimal food such as almond soup and bread with a small glass of water. She refused all three meals a day for almost a week now.

She sat on the stone bench with only torches surrounding her, giving her any kind of light. She sighed and leaned her head on the wall, staring at the food that was left for her since this morning. The cell door was opened and a black cloaked figure walked into the cell. Nousha frowned and stood up.

The door closed and the guest revealed their face. Nousha smiled and bowed her head with her hands close to her chest.

"Shahbanu!" she said with relief. "Have you come to free me? I don't know why I am in here. I was taken against my will!"

The Shah's wife curled her lip and stared at the petite fair skinned concubine. "_Nousha_," her voice dripped with hidden derision. "You are in here because of your son."

"Xerxes?" she held her breath. "What happened? Did something happen to him?"

Sambice raised her hand for silence. "Your son is a traitor. He has allied with the Huns and plans to overthrow the Shah so therefore you will also be punished for his crimes. Carry the sins of your son on your back, Nousha."

Nousha gasped. "No, that's wrong. My son would never do that. Please, I can talk to Shah Kavad. He will speak with me if you tell him –"

"You will not speak to the Shah! He's the one who put you in here."

"What?" Nousha took a step back. "He wouldn't do that. How long will I have to stay here?"

"Until a punishment is decided by the shah you will remain here."

Sambice pulled the veil over her face and tapped on the barred cell door. The guards opened it for her and Nousha ran towards her. She reached through the bars, desperately trying to grab the woman's garb.

"Shahbanu!" she yelled as she watched her walk down the dark hallway. "_Sambice_!" she growled.

* * *

"Observe!"

Gabrielle turned around as she was combing her short locks. She stared at the floor that her wife was pointing at. "What am I supposed to be looking at?"

Xena put a hand on her hip. "Dirty clothes. You leave them on the floor and they magically disappear in the morning. These Banat maids are slick. I don't even see them come in here in the mornings!"

"You're too easily amused." She swiveled in the chair and began braiding her hair. "My legs feel like a blazing fire thanks to you."

"Shouldn't have called me old. A hard lesson learned, huh?" she teased and sat on the bed, picking at her nails. "Do you ever get that feeling that you're forgetting something?"

Gabrielle had a pin in her mouth as she was braiding her short hair into tight rows on her scalp. "Arielle was supposed to come talk to us yesterday."

"Oh yes. That child," she stared at her wife's reflection. "I mean _woman_…" she muttered. "It's not really like her to forget. She's all over the campaign." She bit her cuticle and cursed beneath her breath.

"Navaz arrived last night. I saw him after we left the dining room."

Xena wiggled her eyebrows. "No doubt he's talked to Anastasia. Today is going to be very fun. I sense a very awkward breakfast in the dining room this morning. So who do you want to sit next to? Ana or Arielle? Their excuses are going to be either really good or really unbelievable."

The governor pinned her hair back and stood from the vanity and placed a hand on her hip. "Seriously?"

"What? I don't have anything better to do at the moment."

"_Obviously_."

* * *

Her eyes fluttered open and she groggily lifted her head off what she thought was a pillow. She blinked and stared at Xerxes sleeping beneath her. She gasped and rolled off the bed and plopped onto the floor. He jolted awake and peered over the side of the bed.

"Good morning," he says with a big grin.

She looked down at herself and realized she was completely naked. She yanked the sheet off the bed and wrapped her body with it and stood up. Her cheeks reddened at the sight of his nude body laid out on the bed.

She spun around and clutched the sheet close to her body. "Oh god."

Xerxes put his arms behind his head and lifted his knee, staring at her turned back. He admired her long hair that dipped just below her hips. He sighs heavily and she didn't dare look at him, instead she closed her eyes.

"Well I guess you find me more repulsive in the sunlight?" he teased.

The sheet was thrown at his face and she quickly dressed herself. "Nothing happened last night. You will not say a word of this to anyone! You understand?"

He pulled the sheet off his head and smiled at her. "I think I recall _something_ did happen last night, your highness."

She tried to smooth out her wild curls and turned to find him standing right behind her. She inhaled and pushed him away. "If you tell anyone about this I will chop off your fingers!"

"Oh, I'm real scared," he placated her.

"I'll go lower," she hinted and his eyes widened. "I'm warning you, Persian!" she pointed her finger in his face then ran out of his bedroom.

He folded his arms across his chest and wagged his head. "_Persian_," he repeated with a scoff.

* * *

Austraia was able to sit with everyone in the dining room. She eyed all of the children who paid no attention to her and were more focused on eating their food. She sat across from Oran and Yeter who were talking amongst themselves.

She stared at the Gokturk queen and interrupted their conversation. "Are you hoping for a girl? There are a lot of princes," she tried to make light conversation.

Yeter lowered the bread from her mouth and weakly smiled at the teenager. She would've normally snapped back at anyone but she was thankful that Austraia brought Oran back home and so she remained very cordial with her.

"I don't mind having another son," she told the Gepid princess.

Muqan blurted out, "Boys are better anyway."

Austraia grinned at the little prince and then heard loud boots rush into the room. Everyone turned their heads and Arielle was bolting down the hallway with dripping wet hair and she dropped to her knees on the floor pillow whilst heaving heavily.

Arielle smiled nervously at everybody and kissed the top of her daughter's head then reached across the large spread of food and grabbed the basket of bread. Xena spooned some rice into her mouth all while watching her granddaughter frantically grabbing several plates of food to pour onto her plate.

Aurora looked at her mother and giggled. "Your hair is soaking wet!"

"I was washing my hair, _tatli kiz_," she replied sweetly and poked her daughter's nose.

Xena wiped her mouth and tapped her fingers on her knees. "Why are you so late?"

"I…I overslept." Her eyes drifted down the row of people and saw Xerxes eating at the end of the rug. She wondered how he made it to the dining room before she did.

"Mhm. You wanted to talk to me and Gabrielle yesterday but you never did. What happened to that?"

Arielle looked up and ripped a piece of bread in half. She cleared her throat and looked to her left at her mother and then noticed her father sitting across from her mother. Her cheeks turned sour and she sank low on the pillow.

"Um, it was about the campaign. I want to go to _Persia_," she said loudly, purposefully trying to grab Xerxes' attention. "I want to raid the House of Karen. I thought you and Gabrielle would like to come with me. Will you?"

Gabrielle stopped chewing and turned to her wife.

Xena answered for both of them. "Sure we will!"

"What?" the governor spat. Her wife jabbed her in the ribs and she coughed. "Xena!" she whispered. "You tortured me enough yesterday! I'm so sore…" she whined.

"Quit your complaining, Gabrielle," she whispered back. "Xerxes can come with us since he knows the area. It is _his_ land."

Arielle locked eyes with the Persian and she forced a smile then stabbed her runny egg with the fork.

"Of course…"


	23. Chapter 23

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cera, barely coping with the news of her family's traumatic experience in Pannonia, receives some unexpected news. Xena and Gabrielle accompany Xerxes and Arielle to Persia, only to find Xerxes' mother being sold in the slave market. Navaz warms up to Anastasia, and during a heated moment, they receive a letter from Cera. Back in Persia, Arielle is wounded, protecting Xerxes' mother.

Chapter 23 –_Carry Me_

_Kazakhstan_

The news of Eksama's takeover of Pannonia brought not only sadness but fear and anger in Cera's heart. Being so far away from her family was painful enough at times but now that her home was ravaged she knew that her family's life would never be the same. As soon as her mother's letter was held in her hands, she sobbed for hours which then lead to days.

Cera took solace with Mirac's sisters and they were very helpful in trying to ease her worries. Yana was the most helpful and she insisted on staying in her father's tribe for awhile longer instead of returning to hers in the mountains. Cera told the chieftess she could leave at any time but Yana being the stubborn woman she is, she didn't have any intention of leaving anytime soon.

When she first arrived in Mirac's tribe she felt a bit out of place and alone. That changed the longer she lived among her husband's family. They were very welcoming towards her and all of the children were very eager to see her. They had never seen a princess before and when they laid eyes on her they were in awe.

Now there were hardly any children in the tribe left. It wasn't the same since the Alps invaded. Cera hoped to return to Pannonia with Mirac and Inzhu but now she couldn't. She was grateful that her family was safe in Banat but that safety was not explicit.

Yana sat on the floor of her brother's yurt and went through the large chests of clothes sent from Banat. She pulled out several small boxes full of jewelry. There were also several silk dresses, veils and headdress decorated with jewels and beads.

She held a burgundy kozak with a three foot veil and her eyes drifted to Cera who stood on the opposite side of the yurt, staring at the wall.

"This kozak would look very nice on you, Cera," she said. "It was very generous of Farah to send you all of these gowns."

The princess slowly spun around and gazed at all of the gorgeous dresses sprawled out on the rug. She faintly smiled at Yana. She wanted to appreciate the gifts but she couldn't. Even though Yana was her sister in law she felt like Yana was more like a mother in law to her. Yana was the same age as Anastasia and assumed the role as the matriarch of the family so it was easy to see her as a mother figure.

Yana sighed and set the kozak back into the chest. Staring at Cera's eyes full of emotion and silence she hated to see the sorrowful princess this way.

"Cera, you should eat something. You have hardly eaten anything in days. Mirac is still out hunting with Maxim and Aybek so they won't be back for a few more days. I can make food for you and I'll invite Inzhu. We can all eat together. Would you like that?"

The redheaded princess twisted her long hair around her fingers, hardly listening to the woman.

"Everyone is _safe_," Yana says, finally grabbing Cera's attention. "Your mother said not to worry. Don't look at me with those sad doe eyes. I can't stand it any longer."

She stood up and grabbed Cera's hand and pointed to the large pillow on the floor. Cera twisted her mouth and Yana's light eyes were so intense that she didn't argue but sat down.

"You are going to eat. I will make you whatever you want," Yana says with a smile.

Cera signed, "_I'm not hungry. I don't feel very good_."

"That's because you haven't eaten in days!" she knelt down and touched Cera's forehead. "No fever so you're not sick."

"_No, I really don't want to eat anything_," says Cera. "_I can't even look at food right now. Please_…"

Yana frowned and stood. "I'll get our physician if you really are as ill as you say you are. I'll return promptly but in the meantime you should eat. It's probably why you feel weak and sickly, Cera."

The princess nodded and watched the chieftess leave the yurt. She exhaled and looked over at the dresses on the floor. Smiling, she picked up a green silk dress and rubbed the soft fabric against her cheek.

* * *

_Banat_

Xerxes drew a map of Hamadan, Persia where the House of Karen was. He knew the area very well and since he did, he was very worried to go on this raid as Arielle called it. Being in Persia was going to be a challenge not to mention extremely dangerous for him especially.

He was afraid that if someone caught him with a group of Huns that he'd be executed. Kawus was a wild card and knowing him he lied to their father about what really happened in Pannonia. Xerxes had no doubt in his mind that his brother had slandered him all over the kingdom by now.

Xena and Gabrielle looked at the map, tilting their heads, examining all of the entries and exits of the Karen palace. They knew each other so well that they needn't speak to each other but pointed to various spots on the map and nodded silently.

The prince stood by and watched them whisper in mumbles. He wanted to interrupt but he thought it best to stay quiet. He waited and waited until Gabrielle lifted her head and he smiled.

"How far away is your palace from Hamadan?" she asked.

"Not very far, governor. Maybe about half a day's walk."

She looked at her wife and they nodded at each other. "We're thinking that us four will go to Hamadan and raid the House of Karen with disguises. There's no need to give ourselves away. We're both aware that you will be a target in Persia."

He awkwardly laughed. "Four?"

Xena smugly grinned at the prince's bemusement. "Arielle is coming with us too. Did you forget?"

"Oh, no khanum I didn't forget. I didn't think that she liked clandestine raids. She's very hands on."

"Indeed she is but we can't always do things her way. If you haven't noticed, Arielle doesn't like to follow rules. She's been like that since before she could walk."

He noticed and he couldn't forget how brash she could be at times. He was being ignored by her and before she was following him around in Pannonia. Now she avoided him at all costs. She even went as far as to walk the other way so she couldn't face him.

"But we will bring soldiers with us?" he asked.

Gabrielle answered, "yes but we will do the raid ourselves. We can prepare to leave next week if that's alright with you?"

He blushed. "Of course, governor. I'll do anything you say. I'm at your service as always."

"You're in charge, Xerxes," reminded Xena. "Anything you say we have to follow, _including_ Arielle. I wish you the best of luck."

He rolled up the map and tucked it beneath his arm. The khanum's smile made him feel uneasy and quite unsure of himself. He didn't know if she was joking or not but knowing her, she was probably serious.

"I'll tell Queen Arielle the plan. With your permission," he curtly bowed then exited the room.

Gabrielle slapped her wife's chest gently. "You're making him nervous on purpose."

"I like to see Arielle argue with him. It's entertaining. When she and Bayan fight it makes me want to drive a pike through his body. Did Csaba receive a response from him yet?"

"Not that I know of. I don't know how Arielle is going to gather an army big enough to fight Eksama. She said that the Gepid army was all of the Hun tribe armies combined."

The khanum's nostrils flared and she tapped her fingertips together. "Whatever Arielle wants, Arielle gets. I know she'll do what needs to be done to get rid of Eksama."

"You have faith in her _now_? Where was that attitude eight months ago?"

"Hey, I've _always_ had faith in her."

Gabrielle rolled her eyes. "Could've fooled me."

"Just sharpen your sword, Gabrielle. Maybe it'll come in handy during the raid unless you know…it happens to slip and fall out of your hand…" she teased.

"One time! I drop my sword _one_ time and you won't let me forget it. You had me in an impossible position, Xena. You played dirty."

"Remember; we both sleep in the same bed. I'd hate for you to wake up with a black eye."

The petite wife of the two dismissed the khanum's words with a wave of her hand and a snarky snort of a laugh.

"Whatever Xena. I'm tired of your threats. Let's see how well you do in the field. It's been awhile, you might've lost your touch." She saunters away with a bit of a sway to her hips.

Xena gasped and put a hand to her chest. "I have not lost my touch!"

* * *

Navaz read over a few documents that Farah sent to his room earlier this morning. He finally got around to reading them and he graced the documents with his signature. He willingly gave a sum of his treasury due to Eksama's takeover of Pannonia.

He hadn't realized that Farah transferred almost half of the Adame's treasury to Banat months ago when she became treasurer. He flipped through the pages making sure he didn't miss anything. He held a bar of wax over a candle and then allowed the melted wax to drip on the parchment.

He took the ring from his finger and stamped it into the hot wax and blew against the wet ink. He sighed and then arms were suddenly wrapped around his neck from behind.

"Good afternoon daddy," Arielle said sweetly and kissed his cheek.

The king creased his eyebrows together and grabbed her hands. "What do you want, Arielle?"

She rounded the desk and hopped on top of it, smiling at him. "What makes you think I want something?"

He leaned back in the chair and folded his arms. His dark eyes narrowed with suspicion.

"You haven't called me 'daddy' since you were thirteen. So, what do you want?"

"Well…" she traced her finger on the tabletop. "You know about the campaign I'm leading. And you know that our army is in the hands of crazy Eksama," she began.

"Mhm…" he waited in anticipation.

"I was wondering if you could give me a legion of your soldiers. I plan to go to Scythia and claim the territory and since I don't have an army it would be really nice of you if you could…let me borrow your men."

Navaz's eyebrow raised and he saw a woman before him but right now he saw a little girl –his princess. He grinned and rose from the chair, adjusting his robes.

"I will give you a legion of three hundred men." He kissed her forehead and waltzed off.

Her jaw dropped. "_Really_?"

"Yes but I'm only doing this because your mother asked me to."

She rolled her eyes. She thought she was able to coax her father by herself but she was duped. He probably knew that she was going to come to him and ask for men. Her mind wandered and she thought of Csaba. He probably said something to mother, she thought.

"I'm going to kill him!" she screeched.

Navaz swung around and looked to her with surprise and confusion. Her face softened and she hopped off the desk with a sugary smile.

"Thank you, father. I appreciate your help."

* * *

_Kazakhstan_

Inzhu and Yana waited in a corner of the yurt while the physician examined the princess. They were beginning to worry since the woman was taking so long. What seemed like an eternity later, the female physician got up from the bed and gathered her supplies.

Cera fixed her dress and brushed her hair away from her face. The physician walked over to the Nezak sisters and huddled in a circle together, talking in hushed tones. Cera frowned and tried to listen to their conversation but couldn't hear from afar.

Yana grinned and thanked the physician for stopping by. She and her little sister approached the bed and sat down, facing the puzzled redhead. Yana placed her hand on Cera's knee and met eyes with her.

"Good news is that you're not ill, just as I suspected," she says dryly and Cera turned her cheek. "But I have even _better_ news."

Inzhu nodded and crawled onto the bed to sit next to the princess. Cera glanced at her and anxiously rubbed her arm, suddenly feeling itchy as the pairs of eyes were on her.

"You're pregnant," Yana announces and all color drained from Cera's face. "You'll have the first Nezak prince or princess. When Mirac returns we will tell the entire tribe and several gifts will be brought to you."

"And we can write your mother. She will be very happy to hear the news!" Inzhu said and wrapped an arm around the frozen princess.

Cera burst into tears and buried her face in her hands. The sisters' beaming faces faded and they looked at one another. Yana scooted closer to the wailing princess and squeezed her knee.

"I hope those are tears of joy…" she alleged. "Cera, why are you crying? This is supposed to be happy news."

Inzhu looked hopelessly at her sister and ran her fingers through Cera's auburn hair. "We'll take care of you, Cera! You don't have to worry about anything. We'll throw you a huge party!" she tried to cheer her up but it wasn't working in the least.

Yana frowned sadly and grabbed Cera's hands and pulled them away from her teary eyes. "Are you upset because you're not with your family?" she asked and Cera breathed in short spurts. "We're your family too. Inzhu and I will take _very_ good care of you."

"You won't have to lift a finger," said Inzhu. "You Pannonian women are mad; fighting wars with a baby in one arm and a sword in the other," she lightly jested.

Cera cracked a smile at the joke. Yana grinned and kissed both of her cheeks and lifted her chin.

"I will tell the messenger to wait so you can write a letter to your mother."

She got up and began making her way out. Turning around she hoped to see her sister behind her but that wasn't the case. Inzhu was already fawning all over Cera.

"Inzhu!" she hissed.

"I'm coming, I'm coming!"

* * *

_Pannonia_

The land once ruled by the clan of Attila had now been taken over by the Gepid army. Eksama was feared among the remaining Huns living in the state. The capital once flourished with travelers from all over the Hunnic tribes had ceased to exist. The Hun army was left in the hands of the Gepids and whoever went against Eksama was executed without question. She left it up to Samtas to execute anyone who spoke ill of her.

In the outskirts right outside the border of Pannonia, the sons of Ebnedzar, Talat and Tolan, were the only members of the clan that were left behind. The older teenage brothers crept behind some bushes and witnessed a row of Hun soldiers lined up on their knees. Gepid soldiers stood behind them with ropes in their hands.

Talat squinted his eyes and then Queen Eksama came down the steps of the Adame. He'd never seen her face before until now and what a striking resemblance of Cera there was shared between them. Eksama had the same stature and body of the princess and the long auburn hair to match.

He nudged his brother's ribs. "What is she doing?" he whispered.

Tolan lifted his head out from behind the bush and could barely see anything aside from the row of soldiers. Eksama spoke loudly but not enough for him and his brother to hear her coherently.

"She's going to execute the soldiers I think," he answered. "What a horrible to way to die! At least chop their heads off instead of strangling them to death." He shook his head in shame.

"We need to get inside the Adame," Talat said.

"Where the hell has your mind gone, brother? We'll never get inside there! Everyone left Pannonia and we have no idea where they went. Surely, you want to die by strangulation."

"I want to see what that bitch is doing in there! We can sneak in through the women's quarters."

Tolan smacked a hand to his forehead. "You're insane. I am not going in there."

"Why not? Eksama has the entire place to herself. She doesn't know all of the ins and outs of the Adame. Only we do!" he grinned and slapped his brother on the shoulder. "It'll be fun!"

"What if we get caught?"

"We won't. Come on, we need to find out what she's planning then we can ride out to Ravenna to tell father everything."

Tolan sighed and looked back at all of the Hun soldiers who had already fallen to the ground, red in the face, ropes tied around their necks. Eksama retreated back into the Adame with Samtas trailing behind her.

"I can't believe we're related to her," he mumbled.

"How do you think father feels? That's his sister." He stood and ruffled his brother's dark hair. "We'll wait until the right time to sneak into the Adame."

* * *

_Banat_

There wasn't much to prepare for the journey to Persia since it was such a small group. Xerxes was in charge of gathering ten soldiers and supplies. The only thing that was needed was compliance from everyone and that was an easy task for Xena and Gabrielle but not for Arielle.

Gabrielle took it upon herself to help train Farah's youngest sons how to use swords in combat. She stood outside in the gardens, instructing the twin princes how to wield the wooden swords but she quickly realized that the princes were equally as terrible as their mother.

They inherited every trait from her apparently: her beauty, brains and lack of skill with weapons of any sort. The governor covered her eyes a couple of times during the spar lesson. There was bound to be screaming sooner or later with the way this was going.

She intervened and snatched the swords out of their hands. "Okay, enough for today. You two really have…outdone yourselves."

Aman frowned. "But we were just getting started!"

"Yeah Gabby! We can practice some more!" encouraged Aladar.

Gabrielle smiled at the boys and discreetly hid the swords behind her back.

"I think that's enough practicing for today, boys. Maybe your father can teach you." She hoped that she'd never have to teach these boys again. Teaching Farah was hard enough.

They hugged her legs then raced back to the palace. Xena walked towards the gardens and quickly evaded the princes running passed her. They apologized but picked up speed. She kept walking and heard a couple of maids scream and a loud crash inside the palace.

She was glad to be leaving in a few days. The Banat palace was large but not large enough since there was a child at every corner she turned. She smiled at the sight of the blonde and surprised her with a soothing voice.

"Teaching the boys?" she whispers.

Gabrielle jumped and turned to her sneaky wife. She held up the wooden swords. "I'm never volunteering to do that again. Xena…they're so bad!"

"They're just children."

"No, I mean, they're like Farah. They can't wield a sword to save their life! I think Aurora could take them."

"I'm sure she could," the khanum mused. "Do you have everything packed and ready to go?"

"I think so," Gabrielle was unsure of herself. "I'll have to double-check."

Arielle stormed out of the palace with Xerxes following her. He waved the map of Persia in the air as he yelled from afar. Xena and Gabrielle smiled at each other then slowly slipped away to hide behind one of the large ivy covered walls in the garden.

Xerxes threw the map on the ground and ran after the fuming queen. Grabbing her arm he halted her and Arielle snarled.

"Take your hand off me, Persian!"

"I'm trying to talk to you and can you please stop calling me that? I have a name," he tells her in a firm voice.

She looked into his eyes then bit his hand. He released her and clenched his teeth and held his hand close to his chest.

"Did you just bite me?!" he yelled then chased after her again. "Stop! I said stop, Arielle!"

She ignored him and then he grabbed her arms and pushed her against a wall. He pinned her down and breathed heavily after running across the gardens to catch her. She struggled and attempted to stomp on his boot but he placed both boots on top of hers.

"Holding me against my will, Xerxes? I wonder what will happen if I scream? My father and brother are inside and if they see you manhandling me I know for a fact you won't have a head by tomorrow morning."

He raised an eyebrow at her arrogant attitude. "I haven't harmed you in any way, Arielle. I was trying to talk to you about the plans for Persia and you won't talk to me. How are we supposed to work together if you keep avoiding me?"

"I don't have to listen to you," she spat.

Xerxes huffed. "You want to be in charge everywhere don't you? The battlefield, the army, the bedroom. Nothing stops you."

_On the other side of the ivy wall Gabrielle gasped and covered her mouth with a hand. Xena widened her eyes and she was about to make her way around the wall until her wife stopped her._

"_Xena, no!" she whispered. She grabbed her wife's arms and pushed her against the wall. "Don't…"_

"_I told her not to have sex with him!" she spits angrily. She regretted eavesdropping on this conversation._

"_Shh…" Gabrielle listened to the silence while trying to keep the khanum stabilized against the wall._

Arielle licked her lips and smiled at the Persian prince. "It's not like you refused me."

"Let's get one thing straight; you came into my room and took off my clothes. I didn't do that, _you_ did."

_Xena shut her eyes and inhaled deeply. "I'm going to puke."_

"_This is what you get for spying. Live with the consequences, Xena," she teased._

Xerxes took his hands off the queen and stepped back. He never knew how difficult she could be and now understood why her grandmother was wishing him _luck_. He'd need more than luck to deal with Arielle.

"You know, Arielle, I would never hurt you and I do like you. I'm willing to be patient and wait for you. I'd never take you away from your family and I won't force you to do anything you don't want to do. Don't compare me to Bayan. I'm not like _him_." He bowed and sauntered off.

Arielle had heard those words before directly from Bayan's mouth but in the end, he did hurt her in the most horrible as possible. She thought that she'd be married to him forever but for whatever reason she just wasn't enough for him. Xerxes' words stung and as she watched him drift further away the heaviness in her chest lingered.

She smoothed down her sleeves and head back to the palace with her head hung and shoulders slouched.

The two eavesdroppers stepped out from behind the ivy wall with the same forlorn expressions. Their eyes followed the defeated queen's path across the gardens and sighed in unison.

Gabrielle folded her arms and leaned against the wall. "He's a sweet man but I don't think he knows what he got himself into. Arielle is a tough nut."

"Yeah," Xena remained lost in thought, "she is."

"But he gets points from us! He also hates Bayan just like you!" she lightly punched her wife's arm. She expected the punch to be returned but all she got was a blank stare and silence. "Xena?"

The brunette crookedly smiled. "We should get some rest. We're leaving soon."

* * *

_Kazakhstan_

Cera stayed in bed for days waiting for her husband to return from hunting. The soldiers that Arielle sent over were overbearing at times but they came in handy recently. She told them to guard her yurt and not let anyone in, including Yana and Inzhu. She knew that she wasn't going to have any peace with those two around but until Mirac returned she wanted to be by herself.

She lay on her side, picking at the tassels of the large pillows beside her. She kept forgetting that she was no longer alone and had to remind herself to drink water and eat what little food that her body could handle.

Her waiting came to an end one late afternoon when Mirac walked into the yurt. She sat up in bed and he carried in his dirty clothes and boots. He wore nothing but his black pants and sandals. His hair was dripping wet which meant he probably came from the bathhouse nearby.

He smiled at her and dumped his dirty clothes into a basket beside the entrance. How oblivious you are, she thought. He knelt down and cupped her face and kissed her forehead.

"Cera, _gülüm_," he charmed her with his flattery. "How are you? Sorry I was gone for so long. We didn't expect to stay an extra day."

She felt her emotions whirling inside and tears welling. She forced a smile. "_Did you have a good time with your brothers?_" she signs while looking into his light blue eyes.

"Just the usual. Aybek loves to hunt deer but to be honest he's not very good at it," he says and sits down on the floor with his knee bent close to his chin. He traced his finger along her thin fair skinned arm. "Is something the matter? You seem distant."

Uncontrollably the tears were flowing freely and Mirac lifted his eyebrows. He scooted close to her and wiped the tears off her cheeks.

"Why are you crying? What's the matter?" his voice filled with concern. "I'll go get Yana."

She pulled on his arm and shook her head. She took a couple of moments to calm herself and he kept gawking at her with puzzled and concerned eyes. She took in a deep breath and grabbed his hand.

He furrows his eyebrows, unsure of what was happening. She placed his hand on her flat abdomen and his eyes drifted downward then up to her brown eyes several times.

"Pregnant? You're pregnant?" he says and she nods her head. His face broke out into a smile. "Really? I'm going to be a father?"

She smiles faintly and wiped her cheek.

He jumped up and laughed. Cera's smile grew, watching how excited he got. She didn't think that everyone got that reaction, certainly her brother didn't react like that nor did Bayan. At least she didn't think so.

"You've made me very happy, Cera." He sat back down and couldn't wipe the smile off his face. "Yet I see you aren't very happy. What's wrong?"

She sighed and said, "_I promised my mother I'd be with her when I'd have a baby but I can't go to Pannonia again. My family lost everything and I don't know_…" she covered her face and sobbed.

Mirac sat beside her and kissed her shoulder. "We'll write a letter to her. I don't know if she will want you to travel all the way to Banat knowing that Pannonia is occupied."

Her hands slid down her face and she wiped her nose then looked over at her giddy husband. She chuckled lightly and rolled her eyes.

"Hey but, my sisters will take excellent care of you, especially Yana. She'll be like a mother to you." He reassured his wife and kissed her hand.

* * *

_Estakhr, Persia_

These cold four walls were the same thing Nousha had seen for nearly a month. She lost track of time in the dark cell she was confined to. Her mind was not focused on herself but on Xerxes. She never believed a word that came out of the Shahbanu's mouth.

From the first day she arrived in the palace she was hated by Sambice and she knew it. Kavad, a shehzade at the time, was immediately captivated by her beauty. She was his second concubine to give him a son and that child was favored among all of the princes. The day Xerxes was born was the day Sambice made her life a living hell. It seems it never stopped.

Nousha lay down on the stone floor, sleeping her life away, refusing all food. In the midst of her slumber two guards unlocked the cell door. She awoke to the men grabbing her by the arms. She frantically started pulling away and yelling.

"Let go! I am a member of the Sassanian Dynasty!" she screeched.

The guards dragged her out of the cell and Shahbanu Sambice stood in the hallway. Nousha breathed heavily and glared at the veiled woman.

"Banu Nousha," she greets with a slithery tongue. "Your confinement has come to an end."

She saw much hope in the mother of Xerxes' eyes. A pity, she thought.

"You won't ever show your face here again," she adds.

Nousha's heart sank to her stomach. "What are you saying?"

"You'll be sold in the slave market. I don't know who would pay for a woman your age but I'm sure someone will find you…amenable to their needs. You are a beauty after all," she snidely remarks and smiles beneath the black veil.

"No," she mutters. The men took her down the corridor forcefully. "No! Sambice! The Shah will wonder where I am! Sambice!"

* * *

_Nahavand, Persia_

If there was a city where everyone in the world could travel to and trade their finest goods it would be Nahavand. Xerxes was wary of coming anywhere close to Estakhr so he completely avoided it and head straight for the nearest city to Hamadan.

He wasn't able to speak with Arielle during the journey as much as he wanted to. He felt he was being watched by the governor and khanum all the time. Each time they spoke was when they made camp twice and their conversations were brief. Being back in his homeland he felt a sense of doubt among his people.

Walking through the huge market of Nahavand, Arielle and Gabrielle were in heavy black garb. They wore veils to shield their faces with their eyes exposed. Xena and Xerxes wore black garb and Xena was glad to be back wearing pants and capes instead of the dresses she wore as khanum. Although, she hadn't ever posed as a male before and had to shield her face with a scarf as did the shehzade. He didn't want to risk exposing himself to his people.

Xerxes lead the way through the busy streets, careful to avoid bumping into others. He felt someone scrape his arm and he whipped his head. Xena walked close to him and leaned in.

"How far is Hamadan from here?"

"A couple of hours walk but we need to find a place to stay. It's best to raid the Karens' home at night," he whispered.

She nods and looks over her shoulder at the two veiled women walking behind. She chuckled at Arielle who was very angry she was dressed the way she was, but it was necessary and all part of Xerxes' plan. She couldn't forget that conversation that she and Gabrielle overheard and apparently neither could Arielle. The queen was silent the whole way to Persia.

They pushed their way through the crowd and walked by a slave market. Xerxes glanced at all of the women on dais. They were each being represented by the slaver. He turned his cheek and kept on walking until he saw a familiar face out of the corner of his eye.

He halted and Xena bumped into him. He gawked in horror staring at the fair skinned woman with long straight brown hair.

Gabrielle walked ahead and tapped her wife's shoulder. "Why did we stop?"

"I don't know. Xerxes what are you looking at?" she asks and he was unresponsive.

"My…my mother."

Gabrielle lifted her head at the row of slave women on dais. They were in poor clothing, dirty from head to toe and shackled by their ankles, barefoot and some looked to keel over at any second.

The slaver brought Nousha to the front to be bid on by the surrounding men. Xerxes made his way through, pushing and shoving everyone in his path. He ran up the steps to dais and glared at the slaver.

"Don't you touch her!" he yelled.

"You can't be up here, Bey, unless you're going to pay for this woman," the slaver says with a laugh.

Xerxes whipped out his sword, heart racing and ready to strike at any second. He grabbed his mother's arm and brought her close to his chest.

"I won't be paying anything," he says firmly. "You have plenty of young women to spare. What's it to you to lose just one? Unless…you want to lose both of your hands," he threatened.

The slaver bowed and backed away. He snapped his fingers and a couple of the Persian soldiers unlocked the shackles around Nousha's ankles. Xerxes glared at the slave merchant and grabbed his mother by the waist and helped guide her down the stairs.

He marched off, leaving his Hun entourage behind. Xena, Gabrielle and Arielle hurried to follow him, pushing through the sea of men. The five of them stopped in the middle of an alley in between two large buildings.

Xerxes unhooked the wine skin filled with water and set his mother on the ground. He knelt in front of her and tried to offer her water but she slapped his hand away. He took the scarf off his face and smiled.

"_Maman, minum Xerxes_," he said to her.

Nousha lifted her head and touched his face. "Xerxes…" she leapt forward and wrapped her arms around his neck and sobbed against his shoulder. "I was so worried about you. They said horrible things about you! They said you betrayed the Shah and sided with the Huns."

She pulled away and noticed three pairs of eyes staring at her and frowned at them. Xerxes sighed and kissed his mother's filthy hands.

"Mother, these are women from Pannonia. Queen Arielle, Xena Khanum and Governor Gabrielle. They've allowed me to stay with them."

Gabrielle lifted the veil over her head and smiled at the Persian woman. "This will complicate things for us but we're glad to meet you."

Nousha stood up slowly with the aid of her son. "You are…_Hun_ women?" her tone dripping with malice. "This is your fault! It's your fault I was locked away for a month or for god knows how long! I was stripped of everything!"

"Mother!" he snapped. "This isn't their fault! Stop yelling, you're drawing attention to us!" he hissed and wrapped his arms around her petite frame.

People passing by looked their way and Xena shielded her face and glared at Xerxes. "Would you shut her up? We need to get out of this area."

They continued to walk down the alleyway away from the crowds. Xerxes had a hand over his mother's mouth while forcing her to keep up with everyone's pace. They exited the alleyway and came to a circle of armed Persian soldiers.

"Fuck," Arielle said. She took the veil off her face and drew her sword.

A man with a hooded cloak approached the circle and Xerxes eyed the mysterious man. He flipped the hood off his slick raven hair and folded his arms, smiling at the prince.

"Shehzade Xerxes. Welcome back to Persia."

"Tegin Irkin. Nahavand isn't your jurisdiction. What are you doing here?"

Tegin scoffed and looked at the women surrounding the prince. "The rumors are true then? You've betrayed the Shah and allied with the Huns to overthrow your father?"

"What? No!"

"Then I'm sure you'll have no problem explaining yourself to the Shah."

Arielle drove her sword into one of the Persians which sparked the others to attack. Gabrielle reacted quickly and grabbed Nousha's hand and ran down the alleyway to take cover for safety. Xena was forced to draw her sword and swung across, slicing a Persian's throat.

She stood with her back against her granddaughter's and bit her inner cheek. "Are you trying to get us killed?!"

"I don't want any lectures from you right now, grandma."

Tegin Irkin backed away and hopped onto a horse. He looked at Xerxes one last time and rode off by himself. The prince growled and kicked a soldier to the ground and unsheathed his sword. The three fought off the twenty men. When the last soldier was thrown to the ground the three looked at each other and then Xena and Xerxes glared at Arielle.

"Where's Gabrielle?" the khanum whipped her head around frantically.

"She went this way!" Arielle waved her hand and ran in that direction with the two following them.

A Persian lifted himself off the ground and took a dagger out from his belt. Blood dripped from his mouth and he threw the dagger with poor aim. He heaved and then collapsed back onto the ground.

Arielle gasped as the dagger plunged into her back. Her mouth gaped and she halted in mid-step. Xerxes and Xena looked over their shoulder and saw the young queen fall to her knees, dropping her sword, landing with a loud clank.

Xena's eyes widened and as if watching in slow motion, Arielle fell to the ground. She saw the blade sticking out of her back. She stood motionless and Xerxes brushed by her, bumping her shoulder roughly.

The shehzade dropped to his knees and pulled the dagger out of Arielle's back and lifted her off the ground. He flipped her body over and brushed his hand against her cheek. He scooped her limp body into his arms and stood slowly. He walked forward, leaving the bloodied blade behind.

He stared at the khanum as he walked by and kept his focus and attention forward. Xena stared at the dagger lain on the ground.

Blood. That couldn't be real, she thought. Her granddaughter's blood on that dagger.

* * *

_Banat_

Anastasia sat on a stool in her room, brushing her hair. Ursula helped as much as she could when it came to medicine and getting around the palace but brushing her hair was the one thing that Ana liked to do by herself.

She ran the boar bristles through her locks and then the brush was taken out of her hand. She spun around and narrowed her eyes at the blurry figure and smirked.

"Navaz, what are you doing in my room?" she asks coyly.

He grabbed a handful of her thick straight hair and ran the bristles through it gently. "I remember when I said you have hair like an Arabian horse and it's still true," he mused. "Although…your hair touches the floor now. It seems even when you sit idly you mark your presence everywhere," he jokes.

She rolled her eyes. "You and your charming compliments. But really, what _are_ you doing here?" she turned and grabbed his wrist. "You don't have to stay. You've been here for a month."

"I wanted to spend more time with Aurora," he tries to cover himself.

"Navaz." She lifted an eyebrow. He sat down on her bed and she swiveled on the stool to face him. "You've always been a bad liar. I don't need you here to be with me."

"Who's lying now?" he spat back at her and her cheeks flushed in color. "I think you want me to stay. You haven't asked me to leave this entire time. Why can't you just accept the fact that I care about you and I always will?"

Anastasia rubbed her throat and turned away.

"Ellac is dead, Ana," he says flatly. "He's been gone for five years. You don't have to feel guilty anymore. I promised him that I'd take care of you."

She frowned. "I never asked for that!"

He stood, towering over her and she stood from the stool. Blue eyes met with brown and they stared into one another's eyes for more than a few moments too long. He titled her chin upward and kissed her on the lips gently.

Inhaling breathily she closed her eyes for a brief moment and when she opened her eyes again, he was still there, staring at her. She closed the space between them and traced her hands up his broad shoulders and rested the palms of her hands on the nape of his neck.

He smiled and touched foreheads with her. Anastasia's cheeks radiated and she moved in closer and felt the warmth of his lips against hers.

Ku entered the room and caught the two in the middle of a very heated kissing session. She cleared her throat and knocked on the wall. Ana pulled away and turned her back to the maid and wiped her lips. Navaz smiled and Ku stood with wide eyes.

"Yes?"

"Um. I have a letter from Cera," she informs them and walks over to the king to hand over the letter. "Ursula is busy with Yeter so she told me to deliver the letter…"

Navaz nodded and gawked at the maid, waiting for her to leave. "Thank you. You may leave now," he says nicely.

Ku backed away slowly; eyeing the queen's backside then left the room, closing the doors behind her. Navaz chuckled and Anastasia buried her face in her hands. He opened the letter and read the gist of it out loud.

"Cera says that she's glad everyone is safe in Banat and wishes she could be here with the family," he began.

"That was so embarrassing," she mutters.

He continued, "and she wants to let you know that she…" he paused.

Ana spun around, fearing the worst. "She what? Navaz!" she slapped his arm.

"That she's pregnant."

Her face lit up like a thousand suns. "Is that what she _really_ said? Did you misread it?"

"That's what she said."

She clamped her hands together and began pacing around in a circle. "I want her with me," she immediately says.

"But I don't know if that's such a good idea with Eksama and all…" he advised.

"Then I will go to her," she decided. "And you're going to take me." She grabbed her veil off the vanity and marched towards the doors.

"Anastasia!" he tossed the letter on the bed and chased after her.

* * *

_Nahavand, Persia_

Xerxes found a small building on the outskirts of the trading city. An elderly man owned an apothecary shop and he was kind enough to allow them inside his business and home. He had no clue that the man he allowed entry was in fact a member of the Sassanian Dynasty nor did he know that his guests were Huns.

Arielle was sprawled on a bed in the back of the shop and her clothes were removed, exposing all of her tatted flesh. Xerxes stood over the man and watched him treat the wound. Nousha stood off to the side and observed the way her son was acting and crinkled her face in a bit of disgust.

He turned to her and rubbed his beard. He gave her a menacing frown and then sat down to continue watching the man treat the Hun Queen.

Gabrielle walked over to her wife who sat in a chair on the far side of the room. She sat down beside her and offered her some water which Xena refused.

"She'll be alright," she offers some comforting and encouraging words.

"I gave her the role as commander," she says softly. "But I never thought she'd get injured. I thought she would remain untouchable. Silly, isn't it?"

Gabrielle half smiled. "It's not silly. I've seen you with far worse wounds and you pulled through. There's no reason to think she won't."

Xena sighed and picked at the leather vest she wore. "You remember when I told Ana that I didn't want to go to China?" she asks and her wife gives her a silent nod with her green eyes. "I did want to go. I wanted to make sure that nothing happened to her –that she wouldn't get hurt or killed."

"If you're going to start blaming yourself for this I don't think I can –"

"Gabrielle," she raises a hand. "I don't blame myself."

The blonde bit her bottom lip and glanced over at Xerxes hovering over Arielle.

"I was just reminded that it doesn't matter if I'm with her or not. I was standing right there and I couldn't do anything. I actually stood there and watched her fall," she smiles faintly. "I was in shock. I didn't believe what my eyes witnessed. I just stood there."

Gabrielle slid her hand down her wife's thigh and gripped her knee. "We always want to take the blame, the hurt and the anguish away from those that we love. Arielle is not invincible and neither am I, and neither are…_you_."

She kissed her wife's hand and Xena looked down at her with watery eyes.

"Sometimes I forget that we don't live forever. Why do I always have to remind myself to love those around me when they are ill or hurt?"

Gabrielle sighed. "Maybe because you're reminded of our mortality."

The shop keeper pulled a wool blanket over Arielle's exposed back and looked up at Xerxes. "She'll need to rest here for awhile."

"But we can't stay here."

"Bey, her wound is very serious. She shouldn't be moved under any circumstances. You're all welcome to stay here for as long as you need. Come get me if she sparks with fever." He washed his hands and hobbled out of the room.

Nousha grabbed her son's arm. "You love her."

He grimaced and refused to look her in the eye.

"She is a Hun! A Hun _Queen_!"

"Mother!" he gripped her shoulders firmly. His nostrils flared.

He collected himself and took a step back, forcing himself to steer clear of her in case he was to lash out. He walked off and sat on the other side of the room and folded his arms.


	24. Chapter 24

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Anastasia makes arrangements to see Cera after learning of her pregnancy. Xena and Gabrielle plan to raid the House of Karen as payback for what they did in Pannonia. Xerxes nurses Arielle back to health, and his mother notices that he has more feelings for Arielle than he is letting on.

Chapter 24

Gabrielle being the talkative investigator she was, decided to corner Xerxes' mother and ask her a few questions. It was clear that Nousha was not thrilled to be trapped in a small space full of Huns. She made that very clear earlier in the market before they were accosted by a group of Persians. Her sour attitude towards foreigners reminded Gabrielle of Kreka.

"We're going to start from the beginning," she told Nousha. "Tell us what happened in the palace."

The Persian woman stood at almost equal height to Gabrielle. She had her arms folded and glared up at her son before answering.

"Shehzade Kawus came into the harem and two men carried me off," she began. "I was locked in a cell below the palace and Shahbanu Sambice came to see me."

Xerxes groaned. "Sambice…" he punched the wall. "She's hated me ever since I was born. She's always been out to get me! Now I know how my brother is operating within the palace. His mother is in on it!"

Gabrielle held up her hand to stop his raging. "Go on Nousha."

His mother huffed and looked over at Xena tending to Arielle. "Sambice told me that my son sided with the Huns to overthrow the Shah. I didn't believe her. You can't believe anything that comes out of that snake's mouth."

"Mother!" he shouts and grabs her shoulders. "Kawus is trying to overthrow father, not me! He has everything planned out and now he's using me as a scapegoat! Don't you get it?"

"Well, I can see that you have grown very close to the Huns," Nousha sends a nasty glare towards Arielle. "You've developed feelings for that savage woman."

Xena's eyes darkened and she stood from her knelt position and marched over to the petite Persian concubine. Looming over her like a tower, she backed Nousha into a corner of the room.

"That is _enough_." She slammed her palm on the wall and the Persian winced. "No more badmouthing my granddaughter. She is injured because she was trying to save _you_! We are not your enemies!"

"Xena."

The only calming voice that was able to clear the clouds in her mind, echoed from across the room. Xena backed away from the frightened woman at the call of Gabrielle's stern voice. She locked eyes with Xerxes as she passed by and bumped her wife's shoulder.

"She's going to be a problem," she whispered.

To put a halt in the tense air, Gabrielle continued her questioning as if nothing happened.

"Who is Tegin Irkin? I heard you say his name back there," she asked the prince.

Xerxes looked over to Xena and frowned. "He…works for my father. He's a Pasha which is similar to a governor in your empire," he explained. "He's half Persian and half Mongol so he scouts all of eastern Persia. He used to work for my uncle, Hormizd."

"Hmm. Is he dangerous? He didn't attack you. He rode off without his men."

"He's probably going to tell my father that I'm here. I normally don't have a problem with Tegin but if he truly believes Kawus' lies then we got ourselves a problem."

She nods her head and glanced at her wife who was wiping blood off Arielle's backside wound. "Xena and I will raid the House of Karen. You'll stay with Arielle and your mother."

"But you don't know where the palace is."

"I have the map of Persia memorized. I draw maps for a living you know," she grins at the prince. "Besides if you need to leave I trust you with Arielle. You know your home better than we do. We wouldn't know where to go if we stayed behind."

Xerxes sighs and scratched his beard. He peered over to his mother who was unhappy about the entire situation she was placed in. He knew that she hated Huns but it wasn't them who sold her to the slave market. She just didn't understand and he didn't expect her to.

"Alright. We'll wait here," he finally decided.

Gabrielle clamped his shoulder then walked over to her wife and sat down on the stool. She told her wife the plan while Xerxes stood by his mother, watching the khanum nod her head and locked eyes with the governor.

Nousha arched her eyebrow and pulled her son aside.

"I don't see why we have to stay here. I want to go back to the palace. Why can't you tell the Shah what is going on? Tell him Kawus is planning a rebellion! There's no need to go to the Karens!"

His head throbbed and he patiently turned to her. "Mama, you can't go home. Sambice will kill you and Kawus has his minions scattered around Persia. If I go out there I will be killed!" he emphasized. "Kawus has people working for him in the palace. All of his lies are being told directly in my father's ears. There is nothing I can do."

"So…where am I supposed to go?!" she spat.

He explained, "After the raid we are going to Balaam, Armenia. Arielle's father has an army for us. From there we'll go to Scythia."

"_Scythia_!" she shouted, alarming both governor and khanum on the opposite side of the room. "I am not going to Scythia!" she hissed. "You've lost your mind! I am not cohabitating with Huns!"

"I'm not leaving you to the wolves, mother. Trust me. You'll be safe with us."

* * *

_Banat_

Csaba stood in the center of the palace with his sister in law and gave her very clear instructions to keep the palace walls guarded at all times. He knew deep within him that Eksama wasn't stupid and she'd figure out that Banat was an allied state with the empire. After all, she had access to all of the documents in the Adame.

"I want everyone to stay inside. Nobody goes in or out. Do we have enough food supply to last if we're all stuck in here for awhile?" he asks.

Rabia nodded. "Yes. We have a cellar below filled with grain, wine and water. I've made sure that we have extra stock just in case."

"Good. What about safety for all the children?"

"We have cisterns below the palace. If there is an attack then the children will be transported there."

He tapped his boot on the floor and waved his hand to dismiss her. Rabia sauntered off and he was about to head in the opposite direction when he caught his mother soaring down the hall. He cocked his head and watched her run swiftly with Navaz picking up speed to catch her.

"Csaba!" Anastasia came to a stop and caught her breath. "Csaba," she put one hand on his shoulder and the other over her rapidly beating heart.

"Mother?" he grabbed her arm for support. "Is everything alright?"

"I –I," she coughed and took in a deep breath. "I want to go to Kazakhstan to see Cera," she managed to say in a quick sentence.

Csaba half smiled and looked over to Navaz who seemed very agitated. "I can't let you do that, mother. I forbade everyone from leaving Banat."

"Csaba!" she gripped his arms firmly. "I need to be with her! I got –I got a letter from her. She said that she's pregnant. Please! Navaz will come with me."

His eyes widened as did his smile. "Ah, so my baby sister is having a baby," he marveled. "I'm very happy for her but I'm sorry mother. You have to stay here." He kissed her forehead and walked away.

Anastasia clenched her jaw and she yanked his entire body backward with great force that he almost fell over. He gawked at her and felt his shoulder almost dislocate by her forceful pull.

"I am not going to be robbed again!" she hissed. Her son exhaled shakily and gaped into her horrifying eyes. "Your sister ran away and she came back when she was eight months pregnant. _You_ also ran off with Farah for months! I am not letting that happen to me a _third_ time."

He hesitantly cupped her cheek, fearing that he might be slapped or something worse. He didn't like to face his mother's wrath. Navaz stared at him with worrisome eyes and he nods his head slowly.

"Okay mother, okay," he relented. "I'll let you go."

She happily kissed his cheeks and brought him into an embrace. Csaba tensed at his mother's touch and gently rubbed her back.

"Thank you, _tatli cocuk_." She kissed his cheek again and he cringed. "Tell Farah I want some fabric to take with me."

"Yes mother…"

She grabbed Navaz's hand and ushered him down the hallway. "I want to leave in a couple of days."

Navaz looked back helplessly at the young king.

* * *

_Hamadan, Persia_

Xena gathered the very few soldiers that they took with them from Banat and met up with Gabrielle outside the Karen's palace. It certainly wasn't as large as the Sassanian's but it was large enough. Xena sized up the home and it looked to be about the same size as the Banat palace.

She had some doubts about these Szekely soldiers. They weren't trained by her or Arielle but Csaba reassured them that he picked out the best of the best. Rabia personally chose the soldiers presented to her by a leading officer of the military.

While Gabrielle was looking over the map of the House of Karen, Xena huddled up with the men and pulled the scarf down her face.

"Here's what we're going to do. There aren't a lot of us to do this raid and without Xerxes and Arielle to help, this will be quick. We won't be able to kill every single Karen but we need to make sure they know we were here."

One of the soldiers spoke up for the rest of the crew. "We're willing to do whatever you say, commander."

She smirked and slapped the soldier's shoulder. "Thanks boy, but I'm not a commander anymore. Just filling in." she sighs. "Anyway, Gabrielle do you know where all the exits are?"

"Yes," the governor stood and presented the map to the men. "All of the bedrooms are downstairs except for Pamira Karen's room. She's upstairs."

"We'll take care of her," said Xena. "Kill as many members of the household as possible. They'll probably run and if they do, leave the palace. Got it? No point in sticking around chasing people. We don't have time for that."

The soldiers nodded their heads. They were about to head out until Gabrielle stopped them.

"Wait," she interjects, "we should kill all of Sukhra's sons. Let's keep him alive so he can report to Kawus. We need someone to stay behind and act as a spy. Who wants to volunteer?" she grins excitedly.

All of the young men looked to one another and Xena pulled one soldier forward by the arm.

"He'll do it. Won't you, boy?"

"Y…yes, khanum," he nervously replied.

"What's your name?"

"Noes, khanum."

"Noes," she smiles at her blonde wife. "You'll stay behind in Persia. Follow every move that Sukhra makes and when you have some juicy information," she wiggled her fingers, "you send a message to Balaam. Clear?"

He nodded.

* * *

_Estakhr, Persia_

Tegin Irkin walked into the Shah's bedroom after he was allowed entry. He bowed his head and stared at the back of his ruler's head. "Shah Kavad, I have spotted Shehzade Xerxes in Persia."

The Shah spun around and eyed the disheveled Pasha. "Where is he?"

"In Nahavand, your highness. He had three women with them, two were Hun women."

He wipes a finger on one of the chairs and looks to the Pasha with disappointment. "I'm assuming you didn't catch him since you're here."

"No," Tegin regretfully informed. "But there is something else. He had Banu Nousha with him," he says with concern. "She was dressed like a slave, hair matted and drenched in filth from head to toe."

This caught the Shah's attention. "Nousha?"

"Yes, Shah. Would you like –"

He ran out of the room before Tegin could get a word in. He pushed open the doors and stomped down the long hallway towards the harem wing of the palace. All of the servants backed away and bowed their heads as he swiftly brushed by everyone.

The Shah kicked the doors open to the harem and all of the women stood. They covered their hair with the veils on their heads and he weaved through the women, searching for his favorite concubine. Frustratingly he grabbed one of the women's arms.

"_Where_ is Nousha?" he growled.

"Shehzade…Kawus, Shehzade Kawus took her, your majesty," she said with a shaky voice. "The guards locked her away."

His dark eyes grew and he stormed out of the harem and Sambice wandered the halls. He spotted her and rushed over then rammed her into the wall. He wrapped a hand around her throat and ripped the veil off her face.

"Kavad!" she yelped.

"My son took Nousha out of the palace. She is forbidden to leave!" he spat.

The Shahbanu choked and his grip tightened around her neck. She pleaded and grabbed his wrist, trying her best to pry him off her.

"If you have anything to do with this I will _personally_ execute you, Sambice."

He released her and took off, yelling at the guards. She slid down the wall and coughed violently. Rubbing her throat she glared at her husband and several maids came to her aid. She snarled and pushed them away and slowly she rose.

* * *

_Hamadan, Persia_

They charged through the front entrance of the Karen household. Xena sliced through one of the guards trying to protect the entryway. She ripped the scarf off her face and turned to the men and waved her hand. They spread apart and ran to the bedrooms belonging to the sons.

Gabrielle looked around the home and couldn't hear anything except for their men's boots stomping all over the marble tile flooring.

"This isn't right," she says and backs up against her wife.

"You said it."

One of the soldiers ran towards them from the west wing. "Khanum! The rooms are empty!"

"Dammit." Xena's eyes drifted to the staircase. "Come on, Gabrielle."

The team ran upstairs and began to search every single room there was. The men kicked the doors open and there were several rooms. Xena halted at two large double doors and kicked them open with her boot. She smiled at Pamira who was sitting on her bed, brushing her long dark hair.

Pamira stood, fearfully staring at all of the intruders in her room. She looked left and then right. There was no way out except for the balcony but that was a bit of a jump. Xena walked forward and grabbed the girl's arm and pinned it behind her back.

"Where are your brothers and father?" she questioned. "Where?!"

"They…they left earlier! This morning!" Pamira said and gazed into those blue eyes. "You're the khanum from…Pannonia."

"Yes, I am. You're coming with us."

She tossed the girl into the soldiers' arms and they knotted her wrists together behind her back. She was pushed along outside of the bedroom and Xena shook her head, glancing around the room. She felt her wife's touch and jumped slightly.

"Do you think they knew we were coming?" Gabrielle asked.

"No, they're not _that_ good. They probably went to meet with Kawus to devise their next plan." She tapped her fingers on the hilt of her sword, lost in thought.

Gabrielle turned and raised an eyebrow at the teenage girl. "What are we going to do with her?"

"We'll see just how badly Sukhra cares for his daughter when he comes back and finds her missing," she grins maliciously. "We're taking her to Balaam with us."

"You're not going to hurt her, are you?"

"Gabrielle!" she pinched her wife's cheeks together. "Pamira is innocent. I would never hurt an innocent child of course but…she is great bait."

"Uh huh." She shoved her wife's hand off her face. "You don't think it's strange that this entire house is deserted?"

Xena folds her arms. "No, it's _definitely_ strange but I don't want to stick around to find out why it's strange. The soldiers will take Pamira to Balaam. We need to get back to Xerxes and Arielle."

She marched off and then her wife grabbed onto her. She turned around, seeing those green eyes filled with uncertainty and concern.

"What's wrong?"

"It's been awhile since we've had to deal with Persians and now we have three of them in our custody. We're supposed to be the Shah's ally but now we're his enemy. If Kawus is really going to start a rebellion against his father then we're in for a wild ride, Xena. I don't know how we'll be able to quell the Persians and Gepids at once."

The tall brunette smile and tilted her wife's chin upward. "One step at a time, Gabrielle. I have a plan to get the Shah to see the truth but first, we get back to the apothecary shop, alright?"

Gabrielle sighs. "Alright. Hey, you better not scare that girl." She punched her wife's arm.

"I won't!"

"…."

"I won't okay! Can we go now? I don't like it when you and I have these little _chats_."

"Why? Is it 'cause I make you think before you act, huh? Huh?"

"Gabrielle!"

"Coming, _güzel hanim_," she teases and heard her wife growl. "I thought you liked it when I called you that? You know what you're turning into a grouch, Xena. I don't know how I've been able to put up with you this long." She laughs.

"Shut up."

"See what I mean."

* * *

Xerxes hovered over Arielle and felt her cheeks and forehead. Her body was very warm to the touch. She began to shiver as she lay on her side. Sweat poured down her forehead and neck. He dipped a cloth into a bowl of cold water and dabbed her forehead. He wasn't sure whether to cover her body with the blanket since she was shivering or leave her exposed.

She moaned lightly in her unconscious state and he crinkled his eyebrows together. He didn't enjoy watching her suffer and grabbed hold of her hand. He felt her fingers grip his hand gingerly and a smile came to his lips.

"Mother, what should I do? She won't stop trembling and she has a fever."

Nousha stopped walking around the room and came close to the wounded queen. She bent down and ran her palm over Arielle's forehead.

"She's burning up. She should be stripped of her clothes."

He didn't hesitate and ripped the blanket off Arielle's body and immediately took her boots off. Nousha raised her eyebrow at her son as he began untying the laces around the Hun woman's pants and slide them off her legs. He came around and grabbed the blouse and his mother put a hand in front of his chest.

"What are you doing?"

"Taking off her blouse," he informs her and ripped the blouse in half and pulled it over Arielle's head and gently slid her arms through the large sleeves.

Nousha gaped at the amount of tattoos covering the Hun's body. The entirety of her arms, legs and stomach were filled with black tribal ink.

"My god! Look at her skin!" she slapped a hand over her mouth and turned her son who was not shocked at all. "You've seen her naked haven't you?"

He rolled his eyes. "Mother, I'm not having this conversation with you right now."

"You slept with her?!" she shouted. "You are the Shah's son –a shehzade!"

"Yes and I'm a fugitive in my country!" he yelled.

Gabrielle came in like a race horse and saw Arielle's near naked body on the table and looked up at Xerxes. "Um, there are Persians searching the area. I think they're looking for us. Xena said that we should leave immediately."

The prince whipped around and frowned sadly at Arielle. "But she's too injured, governor. She has a fever and her body is drenched!"

"Carry her. We don't have time. Xena has a horse outside. You can ride to Balaam without us. Come on!"

He reached down and scooped Arielle into his arms and draped the blanket over her body. "What about you two? What about my mother?"

"She'll be safe with us. We'll follow you when it's safe. You remember the way to Armenia, right?"

He nods. Gabrielle pushed him out the door and stared at Nousha then grabbed her hand.

Xerxes exited the shop and Xena stood in the dark, holding onto a horse's reins. He held Arielle close to his chest and Xena narrowed her eyes at the prince and guided the horse towards him. He set Arielle on the horse first then climbed aboard and adjusted her on the saddle.

She yanked on the reins, not allowing him to ride away. "You take care of her or I'll gut you like a pig."

"I promise to protect her with my life, khanum," he swore and she curtly nodded then stepped away. He smiled and rode off through the streets.

Gabrielle struggled to get the stubborn concubine out of the shop and having been fed up with her ever since she came into the picture; she shoved Nousha against a wall.

"Listen now and listen good, Nousha, I know you don't like us and we aren't very fond of Persians either. Your son put us in charge of you and you're going to do what we say whether you like it or not!" she spat in the woman's face.

"If you want to go back to the palace, by all means go! You'll be murdered by Kawus' mother and not only will the Shah mourn you, so will your son. Oh and if you make one more remark about Arielle you'll have to deal with _me_ first before Xena," she added.

Xena smirked and saw the fear in Nousha's eyes. This was definitely a proud moment for her. It was rare to see her wife act so blunt with someone but obviously the Persian was getting on her nerves more than she was letting on.

The heated governor composed herself and wrapped the thick scarf over the bottom half of her face. She inhaled and looked to her wife.

"Let's get the hell out of this place."

Xena threw a black veil at the shaken concubine. "You heard the woman." She skipped ahead and poked her wife in the back. "I like it when you're feisty like that," she whispered.

"She should be more grateful. If she wasn't Xerxes' mother I'd slap her."

"Ah, that fire. Tell me more," she wriggled her brows.

"Xena, focus."

"I am very focused! I just like seeing you riled up. It really gets my blood going. Now all we need are some men to beat up." She balled her fists up and her wife sent her a mean glare. "Okay, we'll save that for another time."

* * *

_Balaam_

Gathered in the prince's bedroom were two Gokturk soldiers who frequently visited the Adame. Soran took advantage when his father left the kingdom and even went as far as to throw extravagant parties while his father was away. Despite his previous hatred for the Sabirs, he befriended a few young Sabir men who joined his father's army and invited them to the Adame.

The parties weren't anything crazy and he even paid Zolten to keep his secrets from his father. Today, he and his friends played a game of chess while smoking opium out of large copper water pipes, each of them had their own pipes and lay on the floor while taking turns playing against one another.

Zolten entered the smoke filled bedroom and coughed. "Your highness…" he spoke loudly.

Soran turned and smiled up at the general. "Ah, good afternoon, Zolten. What do you need?"

"Szekely soldiers arrived with a Persian hostage. They were given orders by Xena to come here." He covered his mouth with a cloth and felt his eyes stinging from the opium smoke clouding the area.

The prince nods his head slowly and chortled. "Very good. Let them in." he moved a chess piece and cheered. "I win! Checkmate, boys!" he kicked over the board and his friends were too high to be sore about their loss.

"Your highness!"

"What?!" he yelled back at the general.

"Prince Xerxes is here as well. Queen Arielle is with him and she is very injured. I've allowed him to take her to her old bedroom. The physicians are examining her."

Soran blinked his red eyes and stood up clumsily. He ran over to the mirror and smoothed out his short thick hair. "My sister is here?" he asked and Zolten sighed dramatically. "I must go see her."

"What do you want to do with the Persian hostage?"

"I don't know? Put him in a room or something." He shrugged and brushed past Zolten.

"The hostage is a _woman_, your majesty."

Soran halted. "Oh I see. Give her a suite and whatever she needs. I'll deal with her later."

* * *

Not long after Xerxes and the Banat soldiers arrived, Gabrielle steered the horse up to the Adame and Xena hopped off. She marched through an aisle of soldiers who bowed their heads as they passed by. She ran up the stairs and everyone in her path quickly moved.

Gabrielle helped Nousha off the horse by grabbing her waist. They followed Xena who was on a mission and pretty much unstoppable at this point. Nousha looked around at the unfamiliar surroundings and wrapped her arms around her tattered clothing.

Upon seeing the khanum approaching, the guards opened the doors without command. She stormed into the foyer and Zolten turned around and bowed his head with a smile. She halted with a stomp of her boot and took a quick glance at the foyer. It looked much the same since she last came here, which was a very long time ago.

"Where's Arielle?" she asked.

"She's in her old bedroom with Prince Xerxes and Prince Soran. I've already assigned our best physicians to look after her."

She nods and Gabrielle came to her side. She spun around and grabbed Xerxes' mother and pushed her forward gently.

"This is Nousha. She is Xerxes' mother. Give her a room, food, fresh clothes and show her the baths."

Zolten's eyes widened at the small striking woman. "Y-yes, Xena." He whistled to a couple of maids standing by and waved his hand. The women immediately came to Nousha's side and escorted her down the hallway.

"That hostage is very important. She's not to be mistreated by anyone here. She is a _guest_," she pressed.

"Of course."

She smiles briefly and then made her way out of the foyer with Gabrielle trailing behind.

"Would you like me to set up a room for you?" he called out.

She waved her finger in the air. "That won't be necessary! I'll be taking the queen's suite." She snickers as she rounded the corner.

* * *

_Pannonia_

Eksama made her rounds in the tribe like she did every once in awhile. This was a perfect opportunity for Ebnedzar's sons to sneak into the Adame without going noticed. Talat and Tolan snuck in through the women's quarters and checked around to see if there were any Gepid soldiers around.

The Adame wasn't very guarded inside and since Eksama was the only person living in it, the teenagers decided to go upstairs to find out which room she stayed in. it didn't take them long to find out that she in fact had claimed Anastasia's room.

Once inside the bedroom, Talat closed the doors quietly. His brother let out a laugh and looked around the room which had been refurbished with new furniture, a large wooden four post bed, a hand carved table low to the ground with huge pillows around it.

"What a piece of goat shit she is," he marveled. "She took Öm Ana's room!"

"Now isn't the time to get angry, Tolan. Spread out and look for anything she could be hiding."

The brothers took two ends of the large suite and Talat found a surrey of documents on the desk by the window. He leaned in closely and picked up several parchments and found they all had the same name on them.

"Oh fuck…" he muttered.

Tolan ran over and grabbed his brother's shoulder. "What'd ya find?"

"All this time we thought she was sitting in here doing nothing." He kept looking through the documents. "She's been going through the governor's office and reading all of our treaties and proclamations!"

"And?"

"Tolan! These are all Banat treaties. She knows that we have direct ties with Banat because of Farah."

"Hey I bet the clan is there!" Tolan said with a smile then realized what his brother was saying. "Oh…damn. She knows everything. What if she's going to attack Banat? We need to go there and tell everyone!"

Talat grabbed his brother's arm. "Wait, wait. How do we know that the clan is there?"

"Where else would they go?"

He rubbed his chin. "Good point. It's only a two day ride from here. We'll ride out tonight."

"I sure hope that she isn't going to attack Banat. God knows that the Szekely army isn't the best," said Tolan.

* * *

_Balaam_

Gabrielle awoke to an aroma of cinnamon in the air. Her eyes fluttered open to bright sunlight beaming in her face. She rolled over and stretched her arm out, hoping to spoon her wife but found the bed cold and empty. She sat up and her heart dropped for a second and then her eyes drift to her favored person sitting at the desk, writing.

With a smug smile she crawled across the bed in a skin tight black knee length gown and set one foot on the ground softly. The other foot followed and she crept up behind her wife. That smell. She sniffed her wife's hair.

The quill pen skid across the parchment and Xena lifted an eyebrow, aware of her wife's unsubtle way of greeting her.

"Good morning," her voice smooth and soft.

Gabrielle grinned and wrapped her arms around her wife's neck and kept smelling her clean hair. "You should wash your hair with cinnamon oil more often."

She began to toy with the long locks and couldn't help but notice the thick streak of silver in her wife's hair. It was considerably visible considering the rest of her hair was black as night.

"I don't want to hear any comments about my hair."

"I wasn't going to say anything!" the blonde wandered around and leaned one hip against the table. "You've hardly aged at all! Except for these wrinkles here," she grazed her fingers close to the corners of her wife's eyes.

Xena slapped her hand. "Stop that," she chided and folded up the letter she was writing and grabbed a bar of wax. "Pointing out my imperfections like it's some joke to you."

"Hey, your imperfections are _perfect_ to me," she sweetly adds.

"Nobody's perfect, Gabrielle."

She let the hot wax drip onto the letter and looked around for a seal. She saw a ring on her wife's hand and yanked her hand forward and jammed the ring on the wax.

"What the hell!"

Xena smiled. "Thanks." She blew against the hot wax and waft the letter in the air.

"You could've just asked…" Gabrielle glanced at the wax on her ring and sighed. "What is that anyway?"

"A letter for Shah Kavad. I've explained everything and hopefully he'll listen to me. Give this to Zolten, will you? I want this delivered today."

Gabrielle ripped the letter from her wife's hand. "_Thanks_ for consulting me," she says, feeling a tad insulted.

"You were sleeping. I didn't want to wake you. You looked so peaceful."

"Right…"

Three loud knocks from the other side of the door alarmed them both.

Xena smiled at her grumpy wife's face and kissed her forehead. She smoothed out her hair and tightened the sash of her robe about her waist.

"Come in."

Prince Soran walked in and didn't bother to greet either of them. "That Persian bastard has been in my sister's room for two days now!"

"Good morning to you too, Soran," Xena mused. "Where's that sweet boy I used to know? When did you develop such a foul tongue?"

He grunted. "Aren't you gonna do something about it?" he looked at the two and they stared blankly. "I don't want that man near my sister!"

"Too late for that," she mutters. "Xerxes has been very helpful and he respects Arielle very much. I like him."

The prince gasped. "Has he been intimate with her?" he eyed both of them and they shied away. "I'm going to kill him!"

Gabrielle ran over and blocked the doors. "You're beginning to sound like Csaba. Listen, I know you're very protective of your big sister, Soran, but Xerxes is very kind. He's not like the other Persians."

"I don't care! Get out of my way, Gabrielle!"

"Your mother was a Persian," she quickly reminded and all the anger contorted in his face faded at the mention of his deceased mother. "Fairuza was a very wonderful woman and we miss her dearly," she says and Soran frowned sadly. "Xerxes shares the same kindness your mother had for your father. He hasn't hurt Arielle at all. He's our _friend_…"

Soran turned and Xena gave him a warm smile with a slow nod of her head. He sighed and rolled his shoulders backward.

"Fine. I won't kill him but if he makes her cry, I'll mar him," he walked around the governor and swung open the doors. She exhaled and put a hand over her chest.

"That was a very nice thing you did," Xena complimented her wife.

She shook her arms out from the adrenaline rushing through her body. "He's definitely not the little boy we once knew."

"Definitely not. You can smell the opium on his clothes. He better stop that before it becomes a habit. Wouldn't want his _bride_ to see him as a repellant."

Gabrielle glared at her wife and slowly approached her. "Xena…what are you on about?"

The brunette's smile increased and she poured some wine into two glasses.

"Oh no." She wagged her finger. "Oh, no. Xena! No!"

"Wine?" she offered.

"This early?"

"Why not?"

Gabrielle bit her lip and stared at the tempting wine. She shouldn't. She really shouldn't. She snatched the glass and watched her wife take the first sip. Slowly, she tilted the glass to her lips, eyes locked onto her wife's devious blue eyes.

"Don't drink too much of that now. Wouldn't want you to have dreams of bedding Kreka again," she winked.

Gabrielle spewed wine and wiped her lips. "_That_…is NOT funny!"

* * *

Arielle moaned and upon awakening after being unconscious for a week, she opened her eyes. She felt an immense amount of pain in the center of her back. She tried to sit up and then realized she was in a very familiar place. She reached over to get out of bed and knocked over a carafe of water.

Xerxes jolted in his sleep and ran over to the side of the bed and gently pushed the queen down to the pillows. He smiled and brought the sheet to cover her bare chest and sat on the bed, holding her hand.

She gaped up at him with bemused blue eyes and tried to sit up again. She cried out and fell onto her wound. Squirming she tried to reposition her body and gripped the prince's hand firmly.

"You took a big hit back in Persia. We're in Balaam now," he told her. "This room was swarming with nosy physicians," he tried to make light of the situation.

Arielle's chest rose and fell heavily. "You brought me here?" she wondered.

He nodded. "Your grandmother told me to. I was following orders; something you don't do."

She smiles faintly. "Is your mother…is she alright?"

"She's here. Everyone is here. I had the pleasure of meeting your little brother. He hates me."

She rolled her eyes. She wasn't the least bit surprised to hear that even though her brother was half Persian, he hated all Persians.

"Did you…stay with me this entire time?"

Xerxes emit a crooked grin. "I would feel pretty awful if I left you alone. I should've been struck with the dagger, but I guess you want to be in charge of being the most injured too," he teased her.

The wounded queen laughed lightly and winced from the slightest movement.

"So, I –I was out for the entire mission then."

"Your grandmother and Gabrielle handled it."

She crinkled her eyebrows. "You didn't go with them?"

"I stayed with you to make sure you were alright." He saw the anger rising, her eyes widening and her jaw muscles tightening. "Don't make that face," he said firmly and her eyebrows rose in shock. "You really hate it, don't you?"

"What?"

"You hate it that I care about you."

"No I –"

"Get used to it because I'm not going anywhere anytime soon."

She let out a painful sigh and narrowed her eyes. "Xerxes, why do you like me?"

"Why does anyone like anybody?" he kissed her hand and stood. "I'm going to tell the others that you've woken up."

Arielle watched him vacate the room and she then stared at the ceiling. What just happened here? She placed her hands across her chest and twisted her mouth, going over what Xerxes told her. After Bayan she didn't want to let anybody in her little bubble but that Persian, oh that Persian. He kept pushing and persisting. Nothing was going to stop him and the strange thing was that she let her guard down around him several times which was out of character.


	25. Chapter 25

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Arielle opens herself up to her grandmother when discussing her feelings for Prince Xerxes. The fate of Soran is now in his elder sister's hands, concerning the Persian hostage. Xena and Gabrielle are assigned to a special task to scope out Scythia and they discover something that could change the future of the empire. Cera arrives in Balaam with her mother, revealing shocking news to her sister.

**I'm trying my best to make Xerxes likable given his background lol.**

**Thanks for reading everyone!**

Chapter 25 –_Meeting the Avars Part I_

Ernak took the time he had to spend with his infant daughter. He didn't know when he'd be needed to go to war so he thought he better spend as much time as possible with her and his sons before that time was taken away from him. He held his daughter in his lap as she played with one of Edemen's old toys left in the Banat palace years ago.

Prince Utighur tugged on his father's arm. "When will you teach me how to use a sword?"

"I thought Csaba was training you with Aman and Aladar?"

The boy huffed. "But they're not _real_ swords!"

Nisa frowned and pinched her son's arm. "You're too little to use real swords. I'm sure you can wait a couple of years before you get your hands on a real weapon."

"But mother! Aurora uses real bows, why can't I use a real sword?"

Ernak looked at his wife and set his daughter on the floor so she could continue to play with the toy, or rather chew on it. "Listen son, bows aren't the same as swords. And Aurora doesn't use real arrows."

"Yes she does!"

"Oh really?" he sighed and pinched his eyebrows together with his thumb. "Just keep using the practice swords and don't pay attention to Aurora."

Utighur threw his hands in the air. "Ugh, princesses!" he stood up and bowed his head to his parents. "I'm gonna find Kurt. He'll let me use his sword!" he raced off.

"Be careful!" called out Nisa.

Ernak didn't seem too concerned for his son's longing to wield a sword and instead paid attention to his daughter. His smiled and stretched his arms out. She crawled towards him with a toothless grin and he picked her up and lifted her high in the air, causing his wife to panic.

"Ernak!"

"She's fine, Nisa," he leveled his daughter on one hand and smirked at his nervous wife. "She's having a good time. Right, Maria?" he asks and his daughter giggled softly. "See?"

Their special time together came to an end when Ebnedzar's sons charged into the room. Ernak handed his daughter off to Nisa and stood, surprised to see the teenagers. He walked over with open arms and a great big smile.

"Talat! Tolan!" he hugged them both and they pulled away quickly. "Where've you two been?" he slapped their shoulders.

"Hiding from the wrath of Eksama," said Tolan. "Uncle, she has executed over half of the Hun army because they wouldn't conform to her rules! She even started executing the citizens too."

"Yeah and she took over Ana's room!" Talat chimed in.

That was disappointing news but it wasn't surprising. The king folded his arms, waiting for more horrid news. "How did you escape and how'd you know we were here? She didn't follow you, did she? I'll kill you if she followed you!"

Talat raised his hands for defense. "No, no! She didn't follow us. We actually snuck into the Adame. She's been very busy, uncle. She's going through all the documents in the governor's office. She had all of the treaties of Banat in her bedroom. We think she's going to attack Banat so we came to warn everyone."

Tolan nodded his head in agreement. "Should we send a letter to our father? He's still in Ravenna."

At this point Ernak didn't know what to do. He was stuck here with the worst possible soldiers in the empire and Arielle was gone with Xena and Xerxes. He really wished Arielle was here but Persia was a more pressing assignment at the moment. Now he wasn't so sure it was a good idea to send all of his best people away.

A Banat soldier walked in and interrupted the circle. "Your highness, the Assyrian Huns are approaching our borders. They should be here by nightfall."

Ernak grunted. "I never thought I'd be so happy to see Bayan in my life until now…" he turns to his nephews. "Send a message to your father. Tell him everything that has happened but I want him to stay in Ravenna! Eksama's stepson is in that area."

Talat grabbed his uncle's arm before he ran off. "Wait, how is Oran and did Yeter have the baby?"

"You're in luck. Yeter gave birth two days ago to a prince. Your brother is with her upstairs."

* * *

A week passed since everyone arrived in Balaam but the tension between Nousha and the Huns did not dissipate. Arielle's wound had healed somewhat but she suffered from erratic fevers and shakes every few hours each day. Her wound was sewn once but due to her stubbornness to get out of bed, the stitches broke and now she was stuck in bed again with her grandmother sewing the ripped wound.

The needle pricked her skin and she hissed. She knew that any subtle movements would irritate her grandmother so she tried her best to remain still. She hadn't seen Xerxes since they arrived and she didn't want to admit that she wanted to see him, talk to him.

"Grandma, can I ask a question?"

Xena sighed and pinched the skin to drive the needle through the wound once more. "You can always ask me anything."

"Do you like me?"

She paused and laughed. "What kind of a question is that?"

"Just answer: do you like me?"

"Well…" she scrunched her nose while focusing on sewing carefully. It was a tedious process. "I love you."

Arielle rolled her eyes and slammed her hand on her knee frustratingly. "I _know_ you love me but that's not what I asked!"

"What's going on, Arielle?" she clipped the stitch with her teeth and cleaned the blood spatter on her granddaughter's back. "All finished. Something's bothering you, I can tell." She picked up a handful of Arielle's hair and draped it down her backside. "If you really want me to answer your question; yes I like you…sometimes."

The queen gasped and turned her body around, clutching the sheet to her bare chest. "Wow thanks!"

"Hey, you asked. I'm sure you don't like me all the time either but I'll always love you. If you wanted a sugar coated answer you should've asked Gabrielle, not me." She pinched the girl's cheek. "What brought this on?"

Arielle bit her lip and folded the creases in the sheet while looking in any other direction. As far as she knew, nobody else knew how she felt about the Persian prince aside from her grandmother. God forbid that her mother ever found out or even her father. The thought of those two knowing would probably bring an end to everything. Oh and Csaba. Can't forget about him.

She finally met eyes with her teacher and grinned from ear to ear nervously. She knew that her grandmother was always there for her no matter how much they disagreed or fought. She was there and she was a good listener but a good talker too which wasn't always ideal in Arielle's mind.

"It's about Xerxes," she blurted out. "He likes me, he told me so several times! I don't know what to do. By the way I already slept with him so if you want to yell at me, go ahead." She continued to blab, "He's not just a regular Persian. He's Peroz's grandson! My family fought against Peroz for years! So basically I'm sleeping with the enemy and he likes me. Grandma, what do I do?!"

Xena bat her lashes and smiled. "Do you like him?"

"Huh?"

"I asked if you liked him. Do you?" she repeated and Arielle's face paled. "Arielle, I've fought against several Shahs. First it was Yazdgard then Hormizd and Peroz then Balash, now there's Kavad. Xerxes is not like his grandfather and Shah Kavad doesn't have the hatred for Huns like his uncle, father and grandfather before him. He's a bit deceived by his councilmen but…I don't think he's a horrible man."

"You like Xerxes? You weren't lying about that?"

Xena was tempted to roll her eyes. "Yes, I like him. If I didn't he wouldn't be here right now. Even Ernak likes him and kept him as our commander. That says something, right?"

A smile graced her lips. "So, I have permission to like him?"

A laugh came from the khanum and she stared at her granddaughter's miffed expression. "You don't need permission from me to like anybody, Arielle. But since you're asking…I approve," she teased.

"Thanks!" she reached over and kissed her cheek. She slowly got out of bed and dropped the sheet on the floor then searched for a towel.

Xena's eyes widened at the amount of ink on her granddaughter's body. "Arielle! When did you get more of those…those tattoos?"

"Oh uh," Arielle wrapped the towel around her body. "Ku did them for me in Pannonia. I have one for you too! Do you want to see?" she took the towel off and Xena covered her eyes.

"I'm good, thank you. Just promise you won't get any on your neck or face."

Arielle indistinctively covered her back of her neck with her hand and smiled nervously. "Of course not, grandma. I'm going to wash my hair and then I want to talk about the campaign with everyone."

* * *

Mirac rolled over, stretching his arms over his head and yawned. He turned to his wife who was wide awake, staring at the ceiling of their yurt. He smiled and kissed the side of her head and ran his fingers through her hair. Cera eyed him and faintly grinned.

"How are you feeling today?" he knew that over the last month and a half that she was not in the best spirits. Every single day she had migraines and nausea that unfortunately lasted all day. She hadn't eaten a lot and with her already thin frame, she lost more weight than she needed to.

Cera puckered her lips and glared with an incredulous look. "_I feel like shit_," she signed. She even mouthed the word for him to better understand. "_S-H-I-T_".

He chuckled and placed his hand over her stomach. The swell of their child fit perfectly in the crevice of his palm. "I'm sorry. I wish I could make you feel better. Have you been drinking the tea Yana's been giving you?"

The princess' face contorted in disgust and she shook her head.

"Okay, okay. Sorry, I shouldn't have mentioned tea. Maybe we could walk around outside? Get some fresh air. It might make you feel better."

She didn't seem very enthusiastic about leaving the yurt let alone the bed. Mirac scooted close and leaned his head against her shoulder. If she didn't want to leave then he wanted to be with her. He quickly caught on that she was emotional because of the separation with her family and to add to that this pregnancy has not been easy on her so far.

Cera tapped her husband's head and he looked up at her. "_This baby better be worth it_," she signs. He responds by kissing her hand and giving her a reassuring gesture.

The drums sounded outside and Cera sat up abruptly. Mirac cupped her cheeks. "Don't be scared," he whispered. He felt her trembling and he kissed her hands. "I'll go see what's happening outside. Hopefully it's nothing serious."

He ran outside while still putting on his tunic over his head. Cera waited in silence and slouched down on the pillows, clutching the blanket close to her face, watching the entrance of the yurt. The fear of being attacked and kidnapped was still fresh in her mind. She knew that her sister's soldiers were outside which made her feel better but not by much.

She heard some chatter outside the yurt and sank further down into the bed. The voices came closer and closer and then the curtains moved. She gasped and grabbed her sword close to her bed and got up slowly.

Anastasia stepped inside the yurt with Navaz by her side. "Cera?"

The princess grinned and dropped the sword then ran to her mother. She hugged her, squeezing tightly wishing never to let go. Ana breathed in sharply and pat her daughter's back and kissed the top of her head.

"Cera, I cannot breathe."

The redhead pulled away for only a moment and then hugged her again. She eyed Navaz and switched to wrap her lanky arms around his large frame. She hoped her father would've lived long enough to be with her but Navaz was good enough. He'd always been there for her as much as he was there for Arielle.

She took a step back and the smile on her face remained. Navaz raised an eyebrow at her excited face and he presented a small box for her. "I brought this for you."

Cera's eyes widened and she graciously accepted the gift. She ripped the top off and tossed it behind her and pulled out a necklace with a ruby pendant. Immediately, she handed the necklace to him and she pulled her hair up. Navaz put it on for her and she touched the pendant, admiring it silently.

"I told you Cera would appreciate my gift. Arielle hates jewelry," he whispered to Ana and she mean mugged him.

She walked to her daughter and began inspecting her with her hands. Cera cringed but stood still. Her hands pinched her waist and she gasped. "Cera! You're so thin!" she exclaimed. The princess' cheeks flushed. "Have you been eating?"

Yana walked in as soon as her brother told her who was here. She acknowledged Navaz with a curt nod. "Your highness."

"Chieftess," he said his greetings. "I'll let you ladies talk." He quickly disappeared.

Cera desperately looked to her for aid and Yana put a hand on Ana's shoulder. "Khatun, I didn't know you were coming. I would've prepared something for you."

"That is not necessary," she says dismissively. "Why is my daughter thin as a board?" she glared at the chieftess.

"She's been very sick. She can hardly keep anything down and suffers from headaches daily. Inzhu and I have tried our best to help her. I give her a tea every morning to curve the nausea. I'm sure it will pass in a few weeks."

Cera's jaw dropped. She didn't think she could stand this much longer. So far she hated pregnancy and wished it was over but it was just the beginning.

The khatun smiled. "I see. Yana's right, _tatli_ _kiz_, this is only temporary. It gets easier, you'll see." She kissed her forehead. "I'll be with you the entire time."

Yana paused and saw the happiness in the princess' eyes. "I wish you would've told me you were coming. I'll set up a yurt for you."

Anastasia turned to the chieftess. "I'm not staying here. I'm taking Cera with me to Balaam. I want her to be in a safer environment. You are welcome to come with us of course, Yana. You've been a huge help already. I know Cera is comfortable with you." she pat her shoulder then walked out.

Yana stood in shock and looked at the princess who shared the same feelings as her. As much as she respected the khatun she felt like her toes were being stepped on a little bit. She'd been the one to take care of Cera since day one and now she's going to be taken away from her.

"Do you want to go to Balaam, Cera? If you don't I will tell your mother you want to stay here."

The princess pursed her mouth. "_She is impossible to reason with, Yana. She's already made up her mind. Will you come with me?_" she hoped.

"I'll come if you want me to but I have a hunch that your mother doesn't want me to." She gathered she was invited because the khatun was trying to be polite.

* * *

Arielle grouped everybody into her father's conference room. It was strange being here again after being absent for so long. It was also strange to be sitting in her father's chair while he wasn't here. She was glad that she had so many people to help her with this campaign as she couldn't do it alone. If her mother was unable to do it she certainly had doubts she could but she persisted to make her ideas and dreams come true, no matter the cost or time.

"The Karen's will have figured out that Pamira has been missing by now. I want to discuss the marriage between my brother and Pamira," she told everyone. "The House of Karen is now considered our enemy and this marriage will either enrage them all or force them to leave Kawus' side and join us."

Gabrielle tapped her fingers on the tabletop, glaring at the queen. "I don't think they're going to join us, Arielle. They'll probably attack us. Did you even ask Soran if he wanted this?"

"It doesn't matter what he thinks. He has no input in my decision. I am a queen and if I say he's marrying Pamira then he is. My father did the same thing to Oran and Yeter and we're allies with the Gokturks now."

"I sure hope you know what you're getting yourself into. As soon as you sign the marriage decree, expect a horde of Persians at your doorstep."

Arielle nodded. "I understand the consequences of my decision but I'm going through with it. Write up the license immediately, Gabrielle," she said and the governor sighed, clearly not agreeing with this at all. "It's clear that the Sassanian house is divided between Shah Kavad and Kawus. We need to use this to our advantage. Xerxes, what do you think is the best way to approach this?"

The prince looked at the queen and the others sitting across from him. "Ah, I think the letter sent by Xena to my father isn't going to reach him. Our vizier, Rüzem, is slimy. He'll probably intercept the delivery. It's best that we somehow get in touch with Tegin Irkin."

Xena leaned forward and rests her elbows on the table. "And how are we going to do that? He didn't exactly seem very friendly to us back in Nahavand."

"Tegin is on my father's side. He'd never side with Kawus," he explained. "If we get him on our side and see the truth then we'll be able to get rid of Kawus."

"Okay, wait just a second. Arielle said there are seven Persian 'Houses'. What about the other five houses? Are they allies with your brother?"

Arielle turned to the prince and folded her arms, eager to hear this explanation. She hadn't even thought of the other Houses in Persia. Leave it to the khanum to ask the important questions. Xerxes was reluctant to answer the question and he knew that everyone was waiting for a response. He fidgeted and shifted in the seat awkwardly.

"Aren't you going to answer my grandmother's question, Xerxes?"

"The…other Houses do not like my father. They all followed my uncle, Hormizd. I don't think they side with Kawus but it's only a matter of time before they choose his side and try to overthrow my father."

"What a damn mess!" Xena growled and slammed her palms on the table. "It's no wonder Hormizd and Peroz were so powerful for decades. They had all the Houses on their side and even in death they cling to the old dynasty."

Arielle clicked her tongue against the roof of her mouth. "Here's what we're going to do. Grandma and Gabrielle will go to Scythia and scope out the area. I need to know how many people are there and if they have any kind of military."

Gabrielle shared a smile with her wife. "We'll get right on that, Arielle. When do you want us to leave?"

"As soon as possible. We can't waste any more time. We've got the Gepids on our left and Persians on our right. Both have very powerful armies high in number. We have nothing but my father's army and that won't be enough to stop either one of these people," she groaned in frustration.

Xena raised her hand like a child who was fervently waiting to speak her mind. Her wife stifled a laugh and Arielle crossed her arms, trying to put on a serious face but given the giddy face of her grandmother, that was difficult.

"Yes?"

"Can I pick the soldiers to come with me to Scythia? I'd like the Sabir men. They're ruthless."

She huffed and waved her hand. "Take whomever you like, grandma."

"Excellent!" she clapped her hands and stood up to leave the conference room.

"I didn't say you could leave. This meeting isn't over!"

"I don't need permission from you. I'm above you." she smiled and waltzed over, pushing the doors open and winked at her sassy granddaughter.

Xerxes rubbed his beard and eyed the queen. "Now I see where you get the attitude from," he says aloud and Arielle frowned in his direction. "Just making an honest observation."

* * *

Later in the day Gabrielle wrote up a contract for Soran and Pamira. She knew this was not a good idea from the beginning but she also knew she wouldn't be able to tell Arielle or Xena otherwise. Sometimes she hated being around really opinionated women for this exact reason. Every now and then she could get a word in but there were times when her opinions were invalid and void in their ears.

Pamira was brought in by two soldiers and left alone. She nervously glanced around the room and Gabrielle could feel the poor girl's nerves from where she sat. This is going to be a disaster, she thought. She stacked the parchment on the desk and smiled at the Persian teen.

"Are all your needs being met, Pamira? Do you need more dresses? I'm sure I could tell Arielle to get some more fabric for the seamstress."

She shook her head. "No thank you. Why have I been brought here? Am I going back to Persia?"

Not exactly. "You'll see. We're waiting for Soran to arrive. He should be here any minute," she tells the girl, knowing her fate was in her hands, literally.

Waiting a couple more awkward minutes, Prince Soran walked in and shyly stared at the Persian teenager and smiled at her. She hid her face and turned away. He cleared his throat and addressed the governor with a head nod.

"Gabrielle. Good afternoon."

"Afternoon, Soran," she stood up and leaned on the desk, holding the marriage contract in her hands. "I have in my hands a decree ordered by your sister," she began and eyed Pamira, "Queen Arielle," she adds.

Soran nodded. "Alright. What is it?"

She took in a deep breath, preparing for the worst to come. "This decree is a…marriage contract," she treads cautiously, seeing the concern in his dark eyes. "For you and Pamira. It's already been signed by both Xena and Arielle so I just need both of your signatures."

Soran slowly turned his head to the girl beside him and saw tears in her eyes. His head hung lowly and he sighed, unsure of what to say. He knew causing a scene would not end well and considering that his sister was no longer a princess, she had higher status than him. His eyes drifted to Pamira, examining her body and profile of her face carefully.

"I'm to be married to…_her_?" he asks in a soft voice which surprised Gabrielle.

"Yes…" she hesitantly held out the parchment and a quill pen.

Soran looked at the contract and back to Pamira again. He snatched the pen and signed his name at the bottom. Gabrielle raised her eyebrows, shocked to see how well he was taking the news. Pamira on the other hand was speechless and obviously broken inside. She was taken from her home and now she was going to be married off to someone she didn't even know.

He grabbed Pamira's hands and she tensed. He presented a big smile and she held her breath, staring up into his eyes. "I promise I will treat you very well, Pamira," he said.

Gabrielle crinkled her eyebrows, watching the astonishing exchange. She became speechless herself much like the Persian girl.

"You'll be a princess of the House of Khushnavaz," he says with his smile growing. "If it makes you feel better, I'm half Persian on my mother's side. My family will take care of you."

Pamira swallowed and her tears stopped. She looked over at the governor, holding the contract in her hand. She wasn't sure what to think and this was entirely random. She went from being a hostage to a member of the Hun Empire in less than two weeks. She couldn't fight this and if she did then she didn't know what would happen to her.

She took the pen and regretfully signed her name. Gabrielle gave an uncertain smile and rolled up the contract to be put in the archives here in Balaam. She kept eyeing Pamira and could only imagine how she was feeling. Being uprooted from her home was jarring. Gabrielle knew exactly how that felt but she soon forgot her life back in Greece. It was a foreign land to her now. She hoped Pamira will grow to love the family she was forced to be married into.

* * *

Soran wandered through the halls of his home and ran over to his sister who was heading back to her bedroom. He grabbed her arm and pulled her aside. Arielle frowned and looked around to see if anything urgent was happening for him to grab her like that.

"You assigned a marriage between me and Pamira," he stated.

She lifted her chin. "I did."

He smiled. "She's gorgeous! I don't think she likes me very much but I'll change that. I hope," he mumbled. "I will show her that I am interested by giving her gifts. I think I will go to the market and buy her some jewelry."

She expected much backlash from her little brother but was miffed by his enthusiasm. She leaned close and smelled his clothes and punched his arm. "Quit smoking opium, Soran!"

"Do you think Pamira likes to smoke opium?" he wiggled his eyebrows. "I bet she does."

"Stop it. I don't like that stuff. My mother smoked that constantly and it's highly addictive."

"Hey, I am not _your_ mother," he put a hand on his chest and she hit him again. "Stop hitting me!" he hit her back.

She shoved him. "Get out of here. Go buy your new wife some jewelry or whatever." She wagged her hand and continued down the path to her bedroom.

Gabrielle rounded the corner and she held the marriage decree in her hand. She waved at Arielle and met her halfway to the bedroom. "Your brother was very…_excited_ about the marriage," she informed her.

"Oh I'm aware. I'm glad he didn't throw a fit. I hope Pamira will eventually come through and enjoy spending her life in Balaam with my brother," she sighs and Gabrielle scratched her scalp out of nerves. "Where's my grandma?"

Gabrielle rolled her eyes. "She's hand picking the soldiers she wants for the Scythia mission. This is what happens when you give her too much leeway."

"I expect nothing less from her. I'm going to rest in my room for awhile. Thank you for all your help, Gabrielle."

"Always."

* * *

The Assyrian Huns arrived at the gates of the palace before sunset. Ernak met with Bayan on one side of the gate, not very thrilled to see him. He refused to let Csaba outside because god knows that a fight would ensue between the two. Bayan had been distant from the family ever since he came to Pannonia with his mistress.

Bayan walked over to the wall of the palace and stared at Ernak through the rod iron gates. He smiled and gripped one of the bars and kicked the dirt with his boot.

"Are you going to open the gates?"

Ernak folded his arms. "Not yet. Why haven't you answered our letters, Bayan? You suddenly show up without notice."

"I heard you were in a bit of a bind so I decided to come to your aid. Aren't you happy to see me? I brought my entire army!" he kicked the gate. "Open this!"

"No! I thank you for bringing your army and I will be civil with you but that's it. I don't want you in this palace so I've arranged for you to stay in a mansion Farah owns down the road."

Bayan laughed and spun around, staring at his men. "And my soldiers?"

"They will be housed in the northern part of the city."

"Hmm." The Harran king nods his head and looks at Ernak with a smirk on his face. "Can I see Aurora? I've come all this way the least you can do is let me see her."

Now it was Ernak's turn to have a smug grin on his face. He took a step closer to the gate and glared at Bayan. "Arielle isn't here and I don't think she'd want you to see Aurora. You made your choice to be with your mistress."

"She's _my_ daughter!" he rattled the gate and Ernak shrugged a shoulder. "Where is Arielle?"

"She's on a mission with Shehzade Xerxes."

Bayan laughed and smoothed a hand over his long wavy hair. "So she's opening her legs to the Persian now, huh?"

It was tempting to open the gates to beat him up, so, so tempting. Ernak kept his distance and inhaled heavily and exhaled through his nostrils. That smile of his was so irritating; he almost wished he could bash his face in. Ernak was so glad Csaba wasn't here to hear this exchange.

"Watch your mouth, Bayan. She is the mother of your child. I'm not going to stand here and listen to you talk poorly about Arielle. You are very lucky Xena and Navaz aren't here _but_ Csaba is. I'll spare you the beating _this_ time. The Szekely soldiers will escort you to the mansion. Good night."

"We aren't going to talk about Eksama?!" he yelled.

Ernak paused and kept his eye on the palace doors. He did not want to continue conversing with this man at all because he feared he'd beat him to shreds. It took a lot of patience and calming his inner self to hold him back.

"I'll come discuss her with you later. I hope you have a good first night in Banat."

* * *

A few days passed since Xena and Gabrielle left for Scythia. Arielle remained confined to her bedroom in order to recover from her injury. She had to lay in wait until they come back to give her a full report. At this point in time she felt useless but used this time to write a much needed letter to her family back in Banat.

She used to hate living with them but now that she was away for awhile she realized she missed them more than anything. It was nice to live with her brother since she hadn't seen him in years. Once she finished writing the letter to her family she blew against the wet ink and grabbed a fresh parchment to write her following letter.

Xerxes knocked on the wall before entering. She looked over her shoulder and smiled, allowing him entry. He sat down on the bed and curiously watched her write a lengthy letter.

"You have nice handwriting."

"Thanks," she admits coyly. "Gabrielle taught me how to read and write Latin. I'm writing a letter to my daughter. I miss her a lot. I hope she'll be able to read this."

"She's a smart girl like you," he says and she laughs nervously.

She set the letter aside for now and gazed at the Persian. "What happened to those poems you promised me?"

He scooted closer to her and placed a hand on top of hers. "I'd be happy to write poems for you. Will you _accept_ them this time?"

She knew what he was hinting. She enjoyed playing this little game with him and nodded her head. "I think so." It was obvious she was uncomfortable by his constant staring. "Xerxes…I like you I just don't know how to express –"

He grabbed her face and planted a kiss on her lips. Arielle's eyes widened and when he pulled away he was waiting for her to react some way like she had before. He expected a slap across the face but that didn't happen luckily.

"So, would you like that poem now or _later_?" he asked with a charming smile.

"We are still talking about poems," she took a long pause, "right?"

* * *

Revisiting Scythia after twenty years was not on a list of things to do. Xena thought she'd never return to this place after she killed Queen Tomiri. She always wondered what happened to the Scythian kingdom after their queen was vanquished. For awhile the Persians must have taken over but that obviously didn't last long.

The moment they trotted across the border of Scythia, the place was filled with hundreds upon hundreds of people. Xena hopped off her horse and walked through the streets. She gave her horse to one of the Sabir soldiers and took off her gloves, taking everything in.

Gabrielle spoke to the soldiers and told them to wait by the border with the horses just in case. She knew that coming here on large black horses might be alarming to the people of Scythia. They didn't want to stick out like a sore thumb. She caught up with her wife and flipped the hood of her cloak off her head and ruffled her hair.

Turning her head around, she eyed all of the citizens in the large streets. This place reminded her of Banat with the brick mansions but they had clothes similar to the Hunnic tribes. Scythians certainly weren't yurt-goers like the Huns. It was clear they liked to live lavishly. Not a single person here looked to be in poor health.

While her eyes were focused on the busy commotion she kept walking and bumped into her wife. Grunting, she came around and adjusted the collar of her cloak and tapped her tall wife's shoulder.

"What are you stopped in the middle of the road for?" she asks and Xena stood frozen in place. "Hello?"

She followed her wife's stone expressionless face and saw a huge castle up the road, sitting on a hill. There was a flag flying at the highest tier of the castle. It was too far to see who it belonged to.

"Oh, I see. Is that Tomiri's old palace?"

Xena nods her head slowly.

"It's obviously occupied by someone," she gathers. "If I could just see the flag," she walked forward and put a hand over her eyes, quirking her mouth. "Hey, do you think we could get a closer look?" she asks and turned around. "Xena?" she twirled around and searched. "Ugh."

Xena tapped a man's back and he spun round with a smile. "Who lives in that castle up ahead?" she asked him.

"Ah, I take it you're not from around here?"

"Just tell me who lives there."

"The Khagana Jiulu lives there."

Gabrielle ran up to her wife and bumped her elbow. "You left me," she hissed. Her wife raised a hand to quiet her and kept interrogating the man.

"Who is Khagana Jiulu?"

He laughs. "The ruler of the Avars! Have you been in Scythia long? If so, you've been living under a rock, ma'am."

Xena grumbled and looked at the castle which was quite a ways from where they were now. By the time they'd reach the hill it would be nightfall. She grabbed the man's arm firmly, lifting him to his toes.

"Tell me _who_ the Avars are," she demanded.

Nervously he stuttered, "They –they're from the Pontic Steppe! They settled here ten years after our queen's death. I'm not sure if you –you know Queen Tomiri –"

She let him down and frowned. "I know her," she curtly replies. "I killed her." She nudged her head, "come on Gabrielle."

The governor grinned at the terrified man. "Thanks for the information. Sorry about that." She paddled his shoulder and walked off to join sides with her wife. "Xena, what are we doing?"

"We're going to the castle to meet this 'Khagana Jiulu'. I feel like the more isolated we are in Pannonia the less we know. I don't want another Boareks in our hands. It's bad enough Eksama took our home. Now we have these 'Avar' people; whoever the hell _they_ are!"

Gabrielle bumped into a few people passing by and she irritatingly groaned. "Eksama is not anything like Boareks, Xena," she scoffs. "Boareks reigned terror on everybody. She nearly wiped out every single tribe!"

She grabbed her petite wife and shoved her into an alleyway. "Gabrielle, do _not_ underestimate Eksama. She may not be head on like Boareks but she _is_ dangerous. Boareks was never able to get into Pannonia and conquer it. Eksama did it in less than a day. I just want to find out who this _Jiulu_ is."

"Okay, I get it." She sighs and they stepped out of the alley to continue towards the castle. "What is a _Khagana_ anyway? Is that like a queen or something? Or maybe like a khatun?"

"I don't know but we're going to find out."

"We're going by _ourselves_? Shouldn't we take the Sabir soldiers? They have weapons."

"_We_ have weapons," she smiles down at the governor.

"There are only two of us…"

"Your _point_?"

* * *

Deep in the heart of the Scythian castle, Jiulu sat in front of a fireplace, sipping a glass of wine. She heard the doors creak open and she didn't fidget or become startled. Footsteps approached the large throne she sat in and then halted abruptly.

"Khagana, two women are outside the castle walls. They desire…an audience with you."

She swished the wine and drummed her nails on the armrest. She set the glass down on a low table with her eyes fixated on the roaring fire. The fireplace was large –large enough to fit a grown man inside or perhaps three of them. She cocked her head and narrowed her eyes then turned up to the man beside her.

He awaited her answer patiently and she smiled softly. His angular features were accentuated in the ember's light from the fire. His long blonde locks that were almost white which matched his eyelashes and thick bushy eyebrows appeared to look like the fire itself in the dark room.

"What do these women want?" she finally spoke.

"I don't know, khagana. They appear to be from a different land. They're not Scythian."

Jiulu nods her head and waves her hand. "Send them in, Kuba."

He cinched his eyebrows. "Khagana," he stressed, "we don't know if they are here to attack you. I don't want anything to happen to you."

"I _said_ send them in."

Kuba snapped his fingers to the guards waiting by the doors. Sometimes he questioned his ruler's decisions but he was obligated to follow anything she said no matter how much his advice and opinions differed from hers. He was grateful to serve her as she was kind to him. She even gifted him a different name than his birth name after he continued to serve her loyally for ten years.

He stood by the throne and anxiously tapped his boot on the hard marble floor. jiulu side eyed him and he turned away to not cause her nuisance.

Xena and Gabrielle were guided into the dark room surrounded with candles. Kuba walked over to the guards and dismissed them with a click of his tongue. Xena raised her eyebrow at the pale skinned blonde man. These people didn't like the sun, she guessed.

Jiulu said from the chair, "Leave us."

Gabrielle turned her head to the throne and saw the 'khagana' flick her wrist. The woman's voice was strong but soft at the same time.

The Avar woman rose from the throne after everyone in the room was gone. Xena was shocked to see the woman behind the chair. She was a tall woman and thin as a rail. She had icy blue eyes and blonde hair like the sun and sharp angular facial features. Her fingers long and bony which gave off a sort of witchy vibe that Xena didn't like already.

Jiulu walked over to the wine table and poured them two glasses. She approached the foreigners and handed them the wine glasses. Gabrielle and Xena looked to one another but accepted the wine.

"You're not from Scythia. What brings you here? I don't normally get visitors," says the blonde Avar.

Xena sniffed the wine, refusing to drink it. "Ah…we come from the Hun Empire. We're just stopping by. I didn't know that anyone claimed Scythia after the end of Tomiri's reign."

Jiulu smiles weakly. "Huns. I don't see many of you around here. This makes my job a lot easier."

"What does _that_ mean?" Gabrielle asks.

"I was going to march to the Caucasus. I know the White Huns live there. Is that correct?"

Xena furrowed her eyebrows. "You were planning to attack Armenia?"

"No," Jiulu calmly replies and sipped her leftover wine. "I want an alliance with the Hun Empire."

Both of their eyes widened and the khagana acted so nonchalant it shocked them both.

"I want to join forces with the Huns." She licks her lips and grins.

* * *

Arielle woke to the loud drums outside and groaned tiredly. She flipped her mass of curls over her head and stared at Xerxes sleeping beside her. She tried to stretch her arms and felt the stitches in her back pinch the skin around it and she hissed.

She literally rolled out of bed and walked over to the large window, rubbing her face. She peered from behind the curtains and saw her parents trotting on horseback through the gates with Cera and Mirac. She gasped and pulled the curtains to a close.

"_Lanet oslun_!" she yelled and ran to grab a pair of fresh clothes.

The shehzade woke to her rustling in her wardrobe and rose from the pillows. He watched her prance and race around the bedroom frantically with amusement.

"Arielle?" he tried to get her attention.

"_Başım belada olacak_," she muttered. "_Sevgili tanrım bana yardım et." _She kept on talking to herself.

Xerxes half smiled. "Arielle..."

"_Ne ben yapacağım_?!"

"Arielle!" he screeched and she finally stopped uttering sentences in her mother tongue. "I haven't the slightest clue of what you're saying but by the sound of it you seem frazzled."

She huffed and threw a pillow at his face. "You have to get out right now!"

He tossed the pillow to the side. "Why?"

"My father…my mother…they –they're coming here! I mean, they're here! You have to leave. Get your clothes on. Come on, let's go. Hurry it up, Perisan." She snapped her fingers.

He rolled his eyes and snatched his clothes off the floor and leisurely took his time putting on his slacks. Arielle breathed heavily and dug her fingers into her hair. He looked back at her frantic state and chuckled and proceeded to put on his blouse and then his boots next.

"I don't see why you're freaking out."

"Because if my parents see you in my room I'll be dead."

He scoffs, "why? I'm sure your grandmother knows and your brother does too by the nasty looks he gives me from time to time."

"But my father…" she ran to the window and saw her parents walking up the stairs into the Adame. "God dammit. Would you hurry up?" she yelled and turned around, bumping into Xerxes who was fully clothed. She smiled and paddled his chest. "Very good. Let's go." She grabbed his hand.

"What did I tell you about calling me 'Persian'?"

"I'll work on it."

* * *

Cera held onto Mirac's hand tightly as she slowly entered the Adame. It was just how she remembered it was when she was last here as a girl. It brought back several horrible memories for her but aside from that, she did feel safe here. She was entirely sure why she had to come to Balaam but she wasn't going to argue with her mother. She learned to stop doing that a long time ago.

Mirac on the other hand had never been to Balaam and was enjoying it so far. He admired the architecture and it was a little bit different than the Pannonian home and certainly wasn't as large either.

Arielle ran around the corner and smiled at her little sister. "Cera!" she charged down the hallway and cupped her sister's face and kissed her cheeks. "_Kızkardeş_! How are you? What are you doing here? I mean, I'm very happy you're here."

Mirac intervened, "your mother thought it best to come here until Cera gives birth," he says excitedly.

Arielle's mouth parted and she took a step back, eyeing her sister's body. "You're pregnant?" she asks skeptically and Cera nodded. "Cera!" she smiled and then lightly slapped her arm. "Why didn't you tell me?"

Cera frowned and hit her sister back. Then she was accosted and kissed several times. She cringed in disgust and pushed her elder sister away. Once she finally got her sister at a fair distance she smoothed her hands down her dress and looked to Xerxes standing behind Arielle.

"Well this is a bit of good news," Arielle says with a smile firmly planted on her lips. "I'm very happy for you, Cera. You'll be a great mother." She looked at her little sister's thin frame once again. "You're going to need to gain some weight though. I'm sure mother has that covered."

Cera huffed. "_She's driving me crazy_!" she signed and waved her hands angrily. "_She won't leave me alone_."

"Yeah, she does that." Arielle looked at her parents talking to Zolten. "I have to go but we'll talk later." she pecked her sister's cheek and walked off.

Xerxes was left in an awkward situation and nervously smiled at the princess who was sizing him up. She looked very suspicious and cocked an eyebrow while staring him down. He took in a deep breath and bowed his head.

"Princess," he says nicely, "Shehzade Xerxes. Pleased to meet you. I've heard a lot about you."

Cera gave a tight lipped smile and folded her arms.

**The Pontic Steppe consists of Russia, Ukraine and Poland.**

**Jiulu – pronounced "yu-lu"**

**Also, I've never addressed this but better late than never?**

**Cera – pronounced "sur-ah"**

**Csaba – pronounced "cha-ba"**


	26. Chapter 26

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Xena and Gabrielle return to Balaam with their special guest to discuss an alliance and a peace treaty. Cera realizes that her child will never know the sound of her voice, but Pamira Karen thinks she might be able to help. Arielle receives some startling news that will change her life forever.

**Sorry for the long wait. Thank you for reading and leaving feedback, everyone! It makes my day :)**

**This chapter will pave the way for the rest of the story. Enjoy :D**

Chapter 26 –_Meeting the Avars Part II_

It took a few days for everyone to settle in and with the new guests in the Adame, most of the rooms were occupied by now. The Balaam household was usually very quiet and more so after Safiya left a few months ago. Soran welcomed the extra bodies in his home and of course he was ecstatic to see Cera. He felt he had more of a bond with her than with Arielle ever since they were children.

Meanwhile Cera, Mirac, Soran and his new wife, Pamira, sat together in the sitting room. Being all around the same age they were able to talk about things that they couldn't with their elder siblings, parents and other adults around. They were very talkative except for Pamira. She sat in silence next to Soran, spaced out and ignored the conversations.

Cera noticed the Persian's silence and waved her hand to the men to stop talking. Mirac and Soran quieted down and Cera snapped her fingers at Pamira to which she finally looked up from gazing at the floor. Cera smiled and signed quickly.

Pamira raised an eyebrow and turned to Soran so he could translate the silent language.

"Um, she says you're very pretty," he told her.

She sadly smiled. "Thank you, princess…"

Cera animated her emotions and spread her arms outward with a big smile. Soran watched her hands carefully while his new wife remained in the dark and very confused. Cera nodded her head to Soran and relied on him to relay her words.

"She says that she wants you to feel welcome in our family and…" he watched Cera sign some more, "and to not be worried because…we will take care of you and…you are a princess of the Hun Empire now so you're one of us," he concluded.

Pamira wasn't very involved in her family's political affairs but she did know that the Sassanians were friends of the Huns but her family didn't like the Sassanians or the Huns. What she did know was that the little time she'd spent with the Huns she was treated very well and with such kindness but the adjustment was difficult for her and the realization of being married to a Hun prince hadn't sunk in yet.

She graciously accepted what Cera said. "Thank you. I'm trying my best but…this isn't my home. Everything is different here –the clothes, the food, the culture."

Soran understood completely but he couldn't really relate on her level. "I'll do my part to make you feel more at home, Pamira. If you want anything and I mean _anything_, I'll make sure you get it. My father loves to spoil the women in his life," he whispered. "He puts my sister up on a gold pedestal."

"And since me and Cera will be staying for awhile we can do stuff together," said Mirac. "I'm sure you and Cera will become good friends."

Cera smiled at the nervous Persian. Pamira sighed and eyed the three Huns sitting in front of her. "I suppose I'll have to learn how to communicate with you, princess."

"I can teach you," Soran says and his wife grinned.

Drums outside alarmed the four and Soran jumped off the floor and ran to the window. He saw Xena and Gabrielle riding through the gates with a huge army behind them and it definitely wasn't the Balaam army. He sensed trouble brewing.

* * *

"I can't believe you arranged this marriage between Pamira and Soran!" Navaz yelled.

Arielle folded her arms and stared at her parents who were furious. They both had the same disdainful expression on their faces and she began to laugh. Anastasia narrowed her eyes and turned to Navaz and crossed her arms.

"What is so funny, Arielle? There is nothing _funny_ about this," said the khatun.

"It's just unusual to see both of my parents together, agreeing on the same thing." Arielle kept smiling and uncrossed her arms. "Anyway, what's done is done, mother. I got the decree signed by grandma and she's above both of you so I don't think we need to have this conversation."

Navaz grunted. "Leave it to your mother to complicate matters."

"This isn't my mother's work! It's clearly our daughter's."

"But she signed the decree so it's her doing too," he argued.

Arielle sighed listening to her parents and slipped away from the conversation, almost going unnoticed.

"We're not done here!" Ana shouted.

"There's no point in arguing about this. You're so tense. Why don't you two go have sex or something? You obviously need it."

Anastasia's face turned bright red. "_Küstah_!"

"Did I stutter?" the queen chuckled at her parents' embarrassed faces. "You think I don't know what you two do when you're alone? _Please_." She scoffed. "Shouldn't you two be married to have sex or does that rule only apply to me? Oh but wait, mother wasn't married when she had my brother so I guess you're both hypocrites." She smiles and marched out of the room.

Navaz and Ana stood frozen, staring at the doorway. He inhaled deeply and smoothed a hand over his salt and pepper hair. "She's _your_ daughter from now on."

She grimaced and jabbed his ribs with her elbow and he gasped for air.

* * *

Xena and Gabrielle walked in with Khagana Jiulu after having a brief discussion with Zolten who almost didn't allow the three of them entry into the Adame. The Avar army was stationed outside until further notice. Upon arriving in the foyer the khagana looked around, taking everything in.

During the ride over from Scythia Gabrielle was wary of the paled skinned blonde Avar woman. She couldn't get a good read on her but her wife didn't seem too concerned about Jiulu's intentions. She knew that Xena was very good at reading people most of the time and the khagana wasn't a threat since she came willingly with a set of rules to follow but Gabrielle was very cautious.

They waited in the foyer for someone to alert Arielle about their arrival. Xena's eyes glanced over at the thin blonde Avar who smiled at her. She sensed Gabrielle was giving the woman an ultimate stare down and nudged her arm.

"Stop staring at her. You've been gawking at her ever since we left Scythia," she whispered.

"I don't understand why she wants to ally with us!" she hisses. "We don't know anything about her or the Avar people. She could be another Boareks for all we know."

Xena rocked back and forth on the heels of her boots, waiting impatiently for Arielle. "She agreed to come into the Adame unarmed. Don't think for a second that I'm not watching her."

Arielle walked in and immediately her eyes went to the guest. She greeted her grandmother with a bow of her head and smiled at Gabrielle.

"Good to see that you've returned quickly and I see you brought a guest. Who is this?"

Gabrielle stepped in front of her wife. "This is Khagana Jiulu of the Avars. She's been ruling over Scythia for the last ten years."

"I had no idea," she says with surprise. "Queen Arielle," she held out her hand and Jiulu took her hand. "I've never heard of the Avars. What does khagana stand for? Queen?"

Jiulu grins at the youthful queen. "It is the equivalent of an Empress," she says and Arielle's eyes widened. "I rule over the entire Pontic Steppe. I know it is a bit overdue but I commend your people for dismantling the Sabir Empire. They were a menace to my people."

"I see Queen Boareks was also a problem for you, empress," says Arielle nervously.

She felt so small right now standing before this woman. An empress! She's only been around the Chinese empresses and that was intimidating enough. Now she understood why she had to behave around people with a higher status than her but when she was younger she didn't care about formalities.

Jiulu laughs lightly. "Boareks would never step foot in my empire, your highness. I crushed her several times when she tried to invade. I taxed her people so heavily that she left the Pontic Steppe region and moved to Siberia. She became China's problem and unfortunately your problem as well."

Xena sighed heavily. "That woman is still talked about even in death," she muttered. Her wife elbowed her and she winced. "We have a lot of discussion ahead of us, Arielle. Khagana Jiulu came back with us because she wants an alliance."

"Oh…" Arielle smiled nervously. "Follow me. We can discuss in our conference room." She waved her hand and walked down the hall.

They rounded the corner and Gabrielle gasped. "Anastasia?"

Ana stopped bickering with Navaz and turned at the sound of the governor's voice. She smiled and hastily walked over to her mother and Gabrielle. She hugged them both and lifted the veil over her head.

"What are you doing here?" Xena asked.

"That's a long story but I have news," Ana's smile grew.

"I can't take any more surprises right now. Did something happen in Banat?"

"No, well, I don't know but we'll talk more later." She sensed her mother's angst. "It's good news, I swear."

Xena hummed softly and grabbed her daughter's arm and continued down the hall. "I hope so but we need to go to the conference room. We're discussing an alliance with the Avar Empress."

"What?" Ana spun around, eyes blinking rapidly. "The who?"

* * *

Sukhra slammed his hand on the meeting table, gaping at all of his sons and Shehzade Kawus. "Those Huns took my daughter!" he shouted.

"I'm aware and I know for a fact that my brother is working with the Huns, Sukhra. I say we bring our armies together and march towards White Hun territory." Kawus suggested.

Sukhra settled down in his chair and scratched his beard. "What does the Shah have to say about this? Is he aware that Shehzade Xerxes is a traitor of his people?"

Kawus smiles and leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table. He eyes all of the Karens who were more than furious to come back and find Pamira missing. He already planned to take his mother out of the palace because once his father finds out that they conspired to get rid of Banu Nousha, the Shah would behead everyone involved.

"My father is too incompetent to be the ruler of our empire. We'll march our armies to Lake Thospia which borders Persia and Armenia. We need to get rid of the root of our problem immediately and that is wiping out the White Huns."

Sukhra liked this idea and nodded in agreement. "And then we will dethrone the Shah and put in you in place, Shehzade?"

"Precisely."

"What about your brothers? Will they revolt against this rebellion and join the Huns?" asks Sukhra with concern.

"If they stand in my way then I'll have no choice but to kill them or force them to surrender to me," Kawus concluded. "Do you have any questions? I have troops ready to move on my command."

* * *

Khagana Jiulu spent the majority of the meeting speaking and her coughing into a napkin did not go unnoticed by everyone in the room. She explained she wanted to join the Hun Empire because she could no longer control the Pontic Steppe and Scythia by herself. Casually, Arielle interrupted several times and went forth to ask several questions about the military and Avar Empire.

Xena and Gabrielle were surprised to see how the young queen was handling this meeting. Aside from Navaz and Anastasia being present, they hardly said anything and let their daughter speak for them. Jiulu was more than receptive and willingly answered all of Arielle's questions in great detail.

She also mentioned she was not married nor did she have any heirs to take over the empire once she was gone. It was a major factor in her decision to consort with the Huns to take control of her people and army. She didn't want to leave her empire in the hands of the Persians and with the resurgence of the Gepid-Frank alliance; she was bound to have issues with them sooner than later.

Gabrielle wrote down all of the dialogue exchange between Arielle and Jiulu. There was a long moment of silence so she could finish her last sentence and she read over the couple of pages she recorded and looked around the table.

She interjected, "Khagana, it says here in your documents that you have an army of four hundred thousand men. Is that number correct?"

Jiulu nods and wiped her mouth with the cloth in hand. "Yes, governor, that's correct. You're more than welcome to take my army and use them to fight off the Persians. I understand you have a bit of an issue with them."

"Yes but this is the work of Shehzade Kawus, so Xerxes says," Gabrielle met eyes with the Persian prince.

Xena tapped her fingers against her cheek and cleared her throat. "I don't understand why you've waited so long to come to us, Khagana."

The blonde Avar coughed in the napkin and stared at the khanum. "To put it simply, I cannot remain in Scythia and my homeland at once. I've traveled back and forth to both places and it has put quite a strain on my body. Your empire is very large and so is mine, if not larger. I have not come here to start a war with the Huns, which is why I want an alliance. Do I make myself clear?"

"Hmm," Xena looks to her granddaughter. "Xerxes is our commander now and Arielle is the queen and de facto for my daughter. We have more family in Banat. Does your alliance extend to the other two kings as well?"

"As I said, my army is yours. I do not wish to continue this debate any longer." Jiulu stood up slowly with the help of Kuba, her assistant and confidant. "I'll leave you all to discuss and I hope to hear a decision made by tomorrow. I will retire to the room you've provided for me."

She and Kuba left the room and Arielle exhaled with a heavy sigh. "Four hundred thousand men!" she exclaimed. "That's three times the amount of our army! And with Eksama in Pannonia she probably got rid of our soldiers. We should take the Empress' offer and ally with her. I don't see a downside to this."

Xena held up her hand. "I'm not saying it's a bad idea but this woman has come out of nowhere. I want to express that caution to you, Arielle."

"I know it's sudden, grandma, but think about it! We'll have a massive army. I'll give you a position too, that is if you want it?" She grins and eyes her parents who frowned her way. "What?"

"Gabrielle and I are willing to help you as much as we can but I don't want any arguments. You do everything we say. Got it?"

Arielle nodded and jumped up from the chair. "Yes, grandma. I will do everything you say. I promised I would when I started this campaign." She sent a smile towards Xerxes. "Would you like to help me round up the Avar soldiers?" she asked him.

"Of course, your highness," Xerxes grinned and side eyed Navaz. He stood and quickly rounded the table and stood by the doors to wait for Arielle.

Navaz watched his daughter leave with the Persian and furrowed his eyebrows. A laugh came from the opposing party and he snapped his head towards the snickering governor.

"Why are you making that face, Navaz?" Gabrielle continues to chuckle while she organized the records.

"He is too comfortable with her."

"More than you know," she mumbles and playfully hit Xena's knee under the table.

"Did you _say_ something?" he leans forward, pressing his hands on the table.

Gabrielle and Xena brought their lips to a tight smile. "Nope."

* * *

That afternoon everyone spread out through the Adame. All was quiet minus the musicians playing flutes and string instruments in the women's quarters. Shortly after the meeting with the Avar Empress, the news of Cera couldn't be contained by Anastasia any longer. She spilled the news to her mother and Gabrielle and after they changed clothes and unpacked their belongings they sat with Cera.

Cera nervously stared at her grandmother who kept smiling. She didn't know how long one could keep smiling like that for a long time. Gabrielle had much of the same expression. Sitting in silence was normal for her but this was a bit different.

She signs, "_Why are you two staring at me like that_?"

Xena was about to answer until her overly excited wife blurted out, "we're just very happy for you! Your mother was bursting at the seams to tell us. Are we going to have a party? Is Mirac's family going to come to Balaam? I wonder if they have senliks in Kazakhstan. I remember they weren't very popular here. Where's Yana? Did she not come with you and Mirac?"

"Gabrielle!" she slapped her wife's arm. "For god's sake, let the poor girl answer one question at a time. You're worse than Anastasia," she chided then smiled at her granddaughter. "Go head, _tatli_ _kiz_."

The princess hesitantly raised her hands to speak. "_Yana went to her tribe to take care of a few things. She's going to ask her stepdaughter, Nadia, to be in charge so she can be with me in Balaam_."

"That's very kind of Yana. I can tell she cares a lot about you. She may not show it very well and she's a little rough around the edges but…"

"Is there a point to this?" Gabrielle said with a raised brow.

"I was just trying to say that Yana's a kind person!" Xena groaned. "You're getting on my nerves."

"You get on my nerves all the time but I never say it," she argues and received a whack to her leg. "One of these days I'm going hit you while you're sleeping. I'm keeping count of how many times you hit me just to let you know."

The khanum released a heavy sigh and turned to Cera who was giggling at the banter. "_Anyway_, back to you. Your mother told me that you've been very sick and that you can't eat anything. I know the sight of food repulses you right now but you should at least try. It'll pass."

"Unless you're like Yeter," says Gabrielle. Her wife narrowed her eyes and pinched her arm. "Ow! I'm just saying the truth! Yeter was sick the entire time she was pregnant!"

Cera's jaw dropped and she seemed to recall that when she was a lot younger due to sharing a yurt with Ursula for awhile. She wrapped an arm around her stomach and allowed the fear to settle in. Sometimes her body rebelled against water so she wasn't sure she could handle the rest of her pregnancy in misery like this.

Xena shoved her wife backwards on the pillows and grinned cheekily at the redheaded princess. "Don't listen to her, Cera. It happens to everybody. It happened to me, your mother, your sister and Farah. Yeter's case isn't uncommon but she had a lot of other complications that won't happen to you. Just focus on _you_."

Keeping count, the blonde inwardly thought. Aside from the small insignificant tiffs she had with her wife, she tried to ignore her and put all the attention on Cera. Smoothing out her hair, she adjusted on the large pillow and quickly pinched her wife's thigh before speaking once more.

"So Cera, have you decided to stay in Balaam for a year? I know your mother will want to stay with you for awhile."

Initially Cera didn't know she was going to be brought here and the thought of staying a year after the birth never occurred to her. She knew her mother was very persistent about helping and she didn't mind. There were a lot of things going through her mind and she forgot the most important thing of all. The one thing that had haunted her almost all her life didn't seem significant until now.

She raised her brown eyes and met her grandmother's eyes. "_My child will know everyone's voice but…mine_," she pointed to her chest.

Joking aside, Gabrielle looked to her wife forlornly. "Mirac will be there to help you and I know he loves you to the moon and back, Cera. I've seen the way that boy looks at you." She tried to reassure the princess.

Xena nodded. "You don't need to say a word to let your child know that you love him or her."

Cera's bottom lip quivered and she burst into tears. She buried her face in her hands and sobbed profusely. Xena crinkled her eyebrows and scooted over and wrapped her arms around the princess' thin body, holding her close.

"I'm sorry that a piece of you was taken away from you, Cera. If I could, I'd do anything to take back what was stolen from you." She kissed the top of the girl's head.

Gabrielle frowned and rose from the floor. "I'm going to get some water."

She quietly excused herself and on her way out she bumped into Pamira who was there for the entire last bit of the conversation. Pamira stared concernedly at the sobbing princess. The thought of Cera's muteness correlating with her unborn child had occurred to Pamira since their first meeting together.

"The princess is very upset," she gathered. "Was she born with the inability to speak?"

"She had an accident when she was a little girl. It almost cost her life."

Pamira gaped at the princess for a long while then grabbed Gabrielle's arm just as she was leaving. "Governor I think I can help her –help her have a better connection with her baby I mean."

This interested Gabrielle and she eyed Cera then Pamira. "Really?" she sounded skeptical.

"Yes but I'm going to need a _kamancheh_. It's a bowed string instrument from Persia. I could offer to teach her how to play it."

"That actually sounds like a really nice idea."

Pamira emits a genuine smile, finally feeling like a piece of her homeland could be brought to light. "I will tell Soran to have a _kamancheh_ delivered to the Adame. I hope she'll be open to the idea."

Gabrielle placed a hand on the Persian's shoulder. "Cera has an artist's soul. I think she will love the idea of learning how to play an instrument. It's a very thoughtful gesture of you Pamira," she complimented and saw the girl shyly turn away. "I know this is not how you envisioned your life but I think you will be fine living here. It just takes some getting used to."

* * *

Despite being surrounded by all of her cousins, aunts and uncles, Aurora was lonely. She was kept in the dark about the politics in the empire and she didn't care for political jargon but she wanted to know what was going on. She did eventually find out that Eksama stole their homeland and that's why they moved to Banat temporarily.

She did like living in the huge Szekely palace and she had a suite all to herself which was a nice touch too. She had everything she ever wanted but now that her mother, grandmother and great grandmother were gone, she felt lonelier than ever. Being the only princess in the palace was not very fun even though she liked playing with the princes she wished Princess Maria was older so she'd have someone to play with and talk to.

Aurora laid on her bed with her head hanging upside down over the edge. She kept staring at the wall to cleanse her boredom. The door opened and she turned her head to see who it was. Once she saw her uncle, Csaba, come in, she went back to her daily activity.

Csaba cocked his head bemusedly. "What are you doing?"

"Staring at the wall. What does it look like I'm doin'?"

He recognized that sassy tone which reminded him of Arielle. He sat down on the bed and pulled her upright. "I thought you might want to practice some archery?"

She picked at the loose strings on her black tights under her dress. "No thanks."

He wondered if his mother ever felt this lonely when his grandmother was gone for long periods. He knew that Arielle was lonely at this age when their mother was absent. He wished that he could do something to help but trying to juggle war, politics, kingship and his own family was challenging.

"I know you miss your mother, Aurora but I know she misses you too. You'll see her again."

The princess grumbled. "How come my daddy doesn't come see me? He used to always do that."

Csaba knew it wasn't his place but he was disappointed his sister didn't tell her the truth about Bayan. He picked up his niece and settled her in his lap. She stared up at him with her big eyes and he brushed her wavy hair away from her face.

"Aurora," he sighs, "your parents got a divorce a long time ago."

It was at that moment her world came crashing down on her face and it showed on her face. He smiled softly and kissed her hand gently.

"A _divorce_?" she whispers. Her uncle nodded. "Why?"

"Well…" he tried his best to explain this as clearly as possible. "Your father hurt your mother a lot." He saw the fear in her eyes. "He didn't hit her," he immediately cleared that up. "But he doesn't love her anymore."

Aurora nodded as she processed this news. "'Cause he likes Sarnai, right?"

He frowned and his miffed silence was enough to validate her question.

"I hear Ku and mommy fight about her a lot." It was like she knew everything already which disturbed Csaba even more. "Did they get married?"

"Um…yes."

Aurora sighed heavily and leaned her head on his chest. "Why did he do that?"

Csaba wasn't sure how to answer this little child's question. He was surprised at how well she was taking this but it appeared she knew all along but needed confirmation. She definitely was more mature than Arielle at this age. He remembered how outrageous Arielle was as a child but that didn't change throughout her teen and young adult years either.

"I don't know," he sadly admitted. Aurora snuggled close and wrapped her arms around his neck. He smiled and squeezed her tightly.

Ku walked into the room with a basket of clothes. She closed the doors and halted. "Your highness," she felt guilt for interrupting.

"Hello, Ku." He said and Aurora turned her head.

"_Halu_, look what I have." She pulled out a letter hidden in her dress, with a wax seal on it and the princess furrowed her eyebrows. "A letter from your mother."

Aurora gasped and hopped off her uncle's lap and ran to her caretaker. She snatched the letter out of her hands and ripped the wax seal off. She barely recognized some of the words and ran back to Csaba, waving the letter in his face.

"Can you help me read this?" she asks politely.

"Sure but what do you say to Ku?"

She spun around. "Thank you, Ku-Ilm." She placed the letter in Csaba's lap. "Read it!" she ordered. "Please?"

* * *

Instead of eating together as a family, everyone was scattered all over the place. Anastasia wanted some stability in her life but at this rate, that was impossible to attain. Arielle was outside with Xerxes somewhere and Navaz was off with Soran doing god knows what. Cera and Mirac retired for the evening. That left Ana, Xena, Gabrielle, Pamira and Nousha in the women's quarters. Alone.

Pamira tried her best to fit in with all of the Huns and sat with the khatun, khanum and governor to share dinner with them. She expressed her idea to teach Cera how to play the _kamancheh_ and Anastasia was pleased to hear the idea especially after what her mother told her what happened earlier.

Xena picked at her wife's plate even though she had her own food. She was almost stabbed with a fork a couple of times but was able to steal small bits and pieces.

"You know, if you wanted some of my food, you could've just asked."

"There's no fun in that, Gabrielle." Her hand slithered across and she nabbed a piece of flat bread stuffed with onions.

"That's it. You can have it." She shoved her plate across the rug over to her thieving wife.

Anastasia rolled her eyes and grabbed a pinch of rice with her fingers and stuffed into her mouth. "You two sound like children." She wiped the juices of the lamb with a piece of bread and looked over the feuding women at Nousha, or her outline of what she _could_ see.

"Is Nousha still sitting by herself?"

Xena playfully shoved the plate back towards Gabrielle and snickered. "Oh Ana, you don't want to open that vessel."

"I've been here for a week now and she hasn't said a word to me. I don't think she's come out of her room until today."

"She hates us and she doesn't want to be here. She thinks we're garbage and savages," said Xena and poked her wife with the fork.

"Xena!" the governor growled. "Quit it. I don't know what has gotten into you lately."

"I'm just in a good mood. Can I be in a good mood? Or would you rather me be a 'grumpy old lady'?"

Gabrielle huffed. "Is there no middle ground with you?"

"It's like you don't even know me!"

Pamira giggled and wiped her hands off with a cloth. She leaned over to Ana. "Are they always this entertaining, khatun?"

"Give it time." Anastasia wiped her mouth and threw the napkin on her empty plate. "I'm going over to talk to her." she grabbed onto her mother's shoulder to stand up.

"Anastasia I'd _strongly_ reconsider," Xena advised, quickly forgetting about teasing her teed off wife.

Not heeding her mother's words, she waltzed across the room and all eyes were on her. The music kept playing in the background and Gabrielle looked over her shoulder, watching the impending explosion. Anastasia stood in front of the concubine in silence.

Nousha sipped the water and lifted her light eyes to the towering khatun.

"May I sit?" Ana asks.

She set the glass down on the floor and waved her hand. Anastasia sat down on a pillow and although she couldn't see very well, she could feel the woman's hate from a couple feet away. Nousha was reluctant to show any respect to at least greet Anastasia and they watched each other for several silent moments.

"This was a bad idea," whispered Xena.

Gabrielle slapped her wife's hand gingerly. "Shh, I'm trying to listen."

"They're just staring at each other!"

Ana turned her cheek slightly and smiled at the Persian. "My mother likes your son. She doesn't like many men. I heard he helped my daughter when she was very injured back in Persia. I haven't gotten a chance to thank him yet."

The Persian brought her lips into a forced smile. "Khatun, I don't know what you're trying to accomplish by conversing with me but I don't want to talk to you."

In the background, Gabrielle's jaw dropped while eavesdropping on the conversation. Xena gently paddled Pamira's leg to grab her attention. She found the situation very amusing.

"Watch this, she's going to blow up," she whispers.

Anastasia held her tongue and tried not to let anger get the best of her. "Nousha, you are no longer in Persia. You are on my soil now and I think it's best that we have a mutual respect for one another."

"Oh? Are we having this conversation because your daughter is sharing the same bed as my son?" she snaps back.

Ana's eyes widen and she whipped her head to her mother and Gabrielle. They immediately turned around and minded their own business at the sight of her wicked glare.

Nousha snickered and moved the food around on her plate. "This little affair those two have is just temporary. I will put an end to it."

While Ana did not necessarily like that Arielle was having sex with Xerxes, she thought of what her daughter told her earlier about being hypocritical. She accused her own mother of being a hypocrite several times and she definitely was. Everyone had their faults which is why nobody was perfect. She was no different and there was no way she could stop Arielle from doing what she wanted. She tried that before and it only drove her daughter away. She didn't want that to happen again or…_anymore_.

She swallowed her pride. "If Xerxes treats my daughter well then I don't…have a problem with their relationship. I can't speak for her father but he is a fair and reasonable man. It'd be wise of you to put your feelings aside and be cordial with me."

Nousha snarled and jumped up, throwing the napkin on the floor. "I'd rather die than see my son in a relationship with a Hun whore!" she spat and stormed out.

Xena cringed at that last sentence and her wife also looked a bit out of sorts.

Anastasia walked back over to the trio and sat back down. "That went well."

"I told you not to go over there," says the khanum. "She's like a short ball of fire."

Gabrielle grimaced. "What's _wrong_ with being short?"

"Nothing, nothing," she placates her wife while avoiding all eye contact.

"Are you mocking me?"

"Why are you taking this so personally? She's short and so are you. So what?"

Gabrielle gasps dramatically. "You didn't have to mention her height at all. You only did that because I'm here, admit it."

"Well now you finally have someone on your own level, now don't ya?" she teased. Her _short_ wife shoved her and she reared backwards slightly. "See? Short ball of fire."

Ana sighed and leaned her cheek on her palm. "I'm not going to enjoy sharing this Adame with Nousha especially if Arielle and Xerxes continue to be around each other." She admits sadly. "Can you two stop it? I'm trying to have a serious conversation!"

Xena held the governor's hands so she wouldn't get slapped again for the fifth time. "Anastasia, _tatli_ _kiz_, don't worry about Nousha. She's never going to like you. Just think of her like…she's Tuya, but worse."

"Oh _great_," Ana grumbles. "Tuya hated my guts. Ellac and Navaz were lucky to have you as a mother in law. At least you respected them."

"Wow a compliment. You must be down." She struggled to hold her wife's hands. "Gabrielle!"

* * *

Just before dawn, Kuba spent majority of his time writing the treaty for his empress. He finished the last couple of words and blew against the wet ink and walked over to the bed. He stood over Jiulu who was sweating profusely. She coughed in the cloth napkin and spat out a glob of blood. She tossed the napkin on the other side of the bed covered in several other blooded napkins.

He knelt down and grabbed her hand. "Khagana," he whispers and kissed her hand. "If there is anything I can do…"

She breathed in sharply and winced at the pain in her chest. "Did you write it?" she croaks.

He nodded his head rapidly. "I wrote everything down like you told me to." He hesitated and presented the quill pen. "I –I just need your signature."

Jiulu stretched out her thin arm and sat up with the help of her assistant. Even the small task of sitting up was wearing her body down. The trip from Scythia to Balaam pushed her body to the limit and it was a miracle she arrived when she did. She knew that to be fact.

She grabbed the pen and Kuba held her wrist to help her guide her hand on the parchment. Slowly, she signed her name at the bottom and then fell back against the pillows, coughing violently. The treaty was the least of his concerns.

He watched her suffer for years as her illness progressed. A tear streamed down his cheek and he gripped her hand firmly. Jiulu closed her eyes and took in a painful breath and exhaled slowly. Kuba widened his eyes and the tightening in his chest halted his breathing.

The Avar Empress' head lolled to the side and her fingers relaxed in his hold. He held his head and sobbed quietly.

* * *

A few hours after sunrise, Arielle along with her parents, waited in the conference room to have another briefing with Khagana Jiulu. She hoped that her parents were on the same side as her because she wanted ultimate control of the Avar army. She and Xerxes stayed up all night discussing plans to take over Persia.

She was never happier in her life until now. She was all smiles which her mother took note of. Her anxiousness only made her parents agitated, as if they weren't already, given they argued most of the night over their daughter. Anastasia felt like she stepped back in time being back in Balaam. Hardly anything was different between her and Navaz. They argued for awhile and then made up by rolling around in bed together for hours.

The same. Everything was the same.

Kuba entered the room and Arielle's eyes lit up. She searched for the Avar Empress and the doors closed behind Kuba. He came in alone and held a large parchment rolled up in one hand.

"Where is the Khagana?" she inquires.

"I…" he took a pause. "I regret to inform you all that…Khagana Jiulu passed this morning."

Arielle put a hand to her chest. "But…but she was fine yesterday."

"I'm afraid that she has been ill for quite some time, your highness. Her health declined the last couple of years due to a lung disease. I was surprised that she survived the journey to Armenia."

Anastasia shook her head. "I'm sorry." She wondered if that was the same disease Kreka was stricken with. Her illness lasted for a long time and she had a very slow and painful death.

Kuba smiles faintly. "Thank you, khatun." He held back tears. "But she was able to write a treaty and I have it with me." He eyed the monarchs. "Shall I read it?"

The three nodded.

He unrolled the parchment and cleared his throat, eyeing the three Huns for a moment before reading his empress' words.

"Khagana Jiulu of the Avar Khaganate hereby gives her entire empire and army to the Hun Empire: to the Pannonian Huns, the Nezak Huns, and the White Huns indefinitely. It is written that the Avar Khaganate is now in complete control of the Hun Empire which extends from Scythia to the Pontic Steppe.

All of the treasury must be handed over to the Hun Empire effective immediately. Khagana Jiulu states that the treasury be split among the Hun tribes equally.

Lastly…"

Kuba paused and the three waited with heavy anticipation. His hands shakily held the parchment before continuing to read.

"Lastly, the ruler of the Avar Khaganate must belong to one sole person. Khagana Jiulu declares that Queen Arielle of the Hun Empire and House of Khushnavaz renege her title as Hun Queen as she is the new Avar Khagana."

He lowered the parchment. The three gawked at him in silence. Arielle's face whitened three shades at the surprising news.

Navaz stepped forward. "May I see that?" he needed to read this for himself.

"Yes, your highness." Kuba handed over the treaty.

"I…I will be an Empress?" Arielle choked.

"Khagana Arielle." Kuba bowed his head.


	27. Chapter 27

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Xena is having a tough time adjusting to the fact that her granddaughter will be above her status-wise. Anastasia offers her daughter some advice when it comes to ruling an empire. When the empire's hierarchy shifts dramatically in a short span of time, Arielle turns to Gabrielle for comfort.

Chapter 27 –_Lion of God_

Gabrielle held a mound of the new khagana's hair away from the vomit filled pan on the floor. She had to turn away a few times but the retching and heaving sounds were difficult to ignore. She kept her distance and Arielle groaned loudly.

Her body convulsed, chest tightened, as her stomach continuously churned in a vicious cycle. Saliva dripped from her lips while the dry heaving did not cease. She grew tiresome of vomiting consistently for almost a half hour or possibly longer. She nearly forgot that Gabrielle was behind her the whole step of the way.

Xena walked into the bedroom and took off her cloak. She tossed it aside and halted at the sound of her granddaughter hacking in the baths and the slight gag of repulsion from Gabrielle shortly after. Following the bodily sounds she came to the baths and leaned against the arched open doorway.

"That better not be pregnancy puke I hear," she says aloud.

Arielle snapped her head upright and wiped her mouth. She silently thanked Gabrielle for all her help and shooed her away with a flick of her wrist. The pounding in her head and chest overcame her ability to speak. She rests her back against the wall and took in a few deep calming breaths.

"I…am," the sourness lingered in her mouth, "_not_ pregnant," she alleged in a low growl.

"_Khagana_, huh?" Xena professed. "My, my, what a promotion, Arielle! From princess to commander, queen to de facto and now empress of an entire empire!"

Arielle curled her lips and regurgitated what was left in her body into the pan again. Any mention of her new position was an instant gag reflex and vomit inducer.

Gabrielle pulled her wife outside the baths. She couldn't stand the sight or sound of Arielle's retching any longer. The smell of it was starting to unnerve her and stir her stomach.

"How long has she been like this?"

Gabrielle moved further away from the baths. "For nearly an hour. Xena, she won't stop! I can't stand it anymore. You're on duty now. Please, I'm going to puke if I stay with her. I can't, I just can't."

The brunette gave a short titter and clapped a hand on her wife's shoulder. Of all the blood her wife has seen over the years she wondered how a little bit of vomit was able to frighten her so easily. Then, she remembered Gabrielle was not only susceptible to bodily fluids, but she also hated being in the room during childbirths as well.

She sat down beside Arielle and grabbed a face towel off a bench and dipped it into the pool of water. She dabbed Arielle's rosy cheeks and smiles with a sparkle in her eyes.

"Do you remember what you told everyone when you were ten?"

Arielle sneers and arched a thick eyebrow. "That I'd never have children? Too late for that."

"You said you were going to be the greatest queen anyone's ever seen," Xena recalled. "And look at you now: an Empress."

"I…I don't know if I can do it," her voice cracked. "I –I thought being commander was the toughest challenge in my life and then I had to take over mother's position but now…" she faltered. "Grandma, I can't be an empress of an empire!"

"Jiulu gave you her empire. She obviously saw a lot of potential in you from the short meeting you had with her otherwise she wouldn't have declared you as Khagana."

Arielle swiped a hand over her sweaty forehead and looked down at her soiled clothes. She rumbled and couldn't believe she did this to herself. She was sure that she vomited more than her pregnant sister which was humiliating.

"I'm a walking disaster."

Xena chortled and set the cloth on the floor. "I wouldn't say _that_ but you are a…mess. Let's get you changed out of those clothes." She offers a hand.

"I feel bad for putting Gabrielle through that."

"I think she'll forgive you."

* * *

Xerxes sat opposite his mother on the floor. With all the chaos and extensive changes, he wanted to spend some time with her and offered to have the first meal of the day together in her bedroom. He knew she was unhappy here but there was nothing he could do.

"Mother, I know that you want to go back to Persia," he begins a heavy conversation.

Nousha met eyes with her son and wiped her hands on a cloth napkin. "I feel like I'm being held hostage here. That poor girl, Pamira, is now married to a Hun prince! Is this how they treat all hostages? Force marriage upon them?"

"That was Queen Arielle's decision. She thought it best to unite the two empires."

"_Arielle_," she grunts, "I want you stop this infatuation you have with her. No good can come of it."

His jaw tightened. "It is not an _infatuation_. I care about her and I enjoy spending time with her," he expressed. "You _will_ respect her and Anastasia Khatun, mother."

"Xerxes," she sighs, "what are you doing? You're the General of Persia, the Shah's son! Why do you waste your time with a Hun woman? You have plenty of women in your harem that you could grow close to. They could give you several sons and daughters!" she smiles and grabs his hand.

He pulls away and saw the disappointment cross his mother's face.

"I don't like my harem, mother. I never have. I'd rather focus my attention on one woman and right now, that woman is Arielle."

Nousha widens her eyes angrily and slammed her fist on the table. "Do you enjoy breaking your mother's heart, Xerxes?" she avows. "Should I just wither away while you continue to have this charade? Do not be surprised if you find me dead one day!"

He faintly grins. "Mother, you are being very dramatic." He kisses her hand. "I love you and I'd much rather have you alive."

* * *

Kuba stood behind his new ruler and instructed her about the policies, taxes and treaties in the Avar Empire. This would be the third hour that passed by and he knew Arielle was overwhelmed by the amount of paperwork she had to look over and sign.

She flipped through the large stack of papers and realized this empire was a lot larger than her family's empire. Khagana Jiulu couldn't have been much older than Anastasia and she had a lot of work cut out for her during her reign. She kept wondering how she was going to control a vast amount of land and live among people she didn't know.

Her main base was in Scythia but the Pontic Steppe had nobody to regulate it at the moment. The empire was left to the Huns but that meant that she had control of all the tribes by proxy. She no longer had to follow her parents' regulations or rules anymore. In a sense she had to treat them like monarchs instead of doting parental figures.

Arielle sat back and crossed her arms, gawking at the large stack of parchment to which she was able to read through half of each stack in a short time period.

"I have a daughter. She's in Banat right now," she looked to Kuba. "Will she belong to the Avar Empire now?"

He nods. "Yes, khagana. She will be an Avar Princess from here on out. She must live with you."

She grins at the thought of seeing her daughter again. It had been quite a long time since seeing her face. She hoped Aurora was behaving herself but with Farah's overbearing older sister there was no way any of the princes and princesses could get away with anything without surveillance.

"I have a chambermaid too. Will she be able to live with me?"

Kuba chuckled at the frivolous questions. "Yes, your highness. In addition you will have several maids at your disposal. I will also remain your advisor."

She rubs her chin and gasped. "What about my grandmother? Can she be one of my advisors?"

"Well, she belongs to the Hun Empire. She can't be under your empire," he relays. He saw the disappointment cross her beautiful features. "But she can be a part of your council."

"I get my own council?" she inquires with doubt. "I'm asking a lot of dumb questions, aren't I?"

Kuba laughs and swipes his nose. "No, your highness. I'm here to serve you. You may ask as many questions as you want. That's what I'm here for."

That eased her mind for the moment until another question popped in her head.

"What about Xerxes? Can he be my commander?"

"Unfortunately not. He is part of the Persian Empire and the Avars are not allies with them." He says. "But he can also be a part of your council and act as an ambassador for the Huns and Persians like he is doing currently."

Arielle stood and pushed the chair away from the table. All this time she wanted to be far away from her family but now that she was forced to be apart from them, she wanted them close. She never realized how much she relied on her family until now.

"I think that's enough for today. Thank you for all your help, Kuba."

He bowed his head and watched her leave. "Khagana."

She turns with raised eyebrows. _More_ work perhaps?

"I can send some soldiers to retrieve your daughter from Banat if you wish?"

Arielle's lips extended into a vivid smile.

* * *

The Avar army stationed outside in the fields of Balaam was very ominous to all the Huns. They constantly gawked at the soldiers from afar. Several children ran out from their yurts to take a closer look over the hill at the hundreds upon hundreds soldiers dressed in red cloaks and turbans.

Even the Hun soldiers were curious about the stationary soldiers who didn't seem to move a muscle under the blistering sun all day. At night they retreated to their tents. It was a process that became a pattern over the course of two weeks.

Xena, curiously, oversaw the army on the hill. She was even so bold to approach the soldiers and walk along the front line of a hundred men, inspecting them. As she eyed every single from head to toe they remained focus and kept their eyes forward.

She stopped in front of a soldier and gaped into his light blue eyes. Another step closer she took. She kept trying to make the young man crack but it was like he was looking straight through her. Each soldier was so in sync with one another it was almost eerie. Even the way they stood, posture, hand positions and clothing were all aligned.

Gabrielle watched from afar and chuckled at her wife's skeptical nature. "Xena, stop trying to intimidate them!" she yells.

Xena lifted an eyebrow and took off the soldier's turban and dropped it on the grass. She took a step back to see if the man was going to move but he remained in his stance. Not even a blink of an eye. There was no reaction from him at all.

"Such discipline," she murmurs. "Pick up the turban."

The soldier stood stilly and didn't budge.

Gabrielle walked over and saw her wife trying to order the soldier around. She grabbed her arm and stepped in front of her. "The khanum of the Huns is giving you an order, soldier."

He kept his gaze forward. "I'm only to answer to our khagana," he spoke. "Forgive me." He briefly eyed Xena's miffed face.

"Did you hear that, Gabrielle?" she smirks at the soldier. "He will only listen to Arielle."

"She _is_ their new ruler now," the governor deduced. "Are you _jealous_?" she goads her wife.

Xena's mouth twisted. "Don't be ridiculous. I'm stunned by their loyalty. If only my men were as loyal to me as they are to a woman whom never met before…well," she paused, "Arielle better know what's she doing."

"It's going to be tough for her to adjust but we're going to help her. You _promised_."

"Hmm."

"Xena…"

"Yeah, yeah. I promised. I don't break my promises," she waves her hand and winks at her wife.

Four riders dressed in leathers, black cloaks and veiled turbans trotted up to the border of Balaam. Several Hun soldiers crossed their spears and ran to form a human wall against the riders. Zolten, in charge of border control, held up his hand and ordered for the riders' weapons to be disposed of.

Gabrielle leaned to the side and watched as the Balaam General interrogated the veiled riders. The leader of the horsemen finally revealed his face and dropped his sword on the ground per Zolten's command.

"Tegin Irkin is here," she says to her wife.

"Oh really?" Xena arched an eyebrow. "We should go see what he wants."

She starts to walk off with Gabrielle and then quickly backtracked. She grabbed the turban off the ground and set it on top of the Avar soldier's head.

"You might need that," she says teasingly then took off.

* * *

"For the last time, I am not here to attack anyone. I want to speak with King Khushnavaz," Tegin Irkin repeated for the third time.

Zolten grumbled. "We are not permitted to let any Persians enter Balaam."

"I've already crossed the Armenian borders. The least you could do is let him know that I am here!"

"Why do you want to speak with the king?" Gabrielle spoke up from behind.

All of the Huns turned around and Zolten backed away from the Persians, lowering his gaze. She kindly smiled at the general and approached the Shah's right hand man. Tegin Irkin scowled at the governor as soon as he recognized her face.

"Your men almost killed the king's daughter. I don't think you want to be in the same room as Navaz," she advised. "I'm assuming you got our letter?"

Tegin frowns. "I did not receive any letter but I did find your little spy when I was scouting in Hamadan. I took him to the Shah and he said you kidnapped Pamira Karen. Have you Huns decided to kidnap Persian royalty as a hobby?" he chuckles.

This man was trying her patience. "What do you want? We aren't letting you pass."

"Since you asked so _nicely_, Shah Kavad wants Banu Nousha returned to Persia. She is the Shah's property and part of his harem. You have no right to keep her here."

Gabrielle looked back at her wife who gave a curt head nod. "You can take her back but," she held up her finger. "You must give your word that Shahbanu Sambice will not harm her."

Tegin emits a tight-lipped smile. "She is no longer welcome in the palace. She has fled with Shehzade Kawus and they are now living in seclusion. That brings me to another matter."

She raised her eyebrows, awaiting his answer. Growing impatient she folded her arms and exhaled heavily.

"Shehzade Kawus is gathering an army with the House of Karen. They will be marching towards Hun borders soon. Shah Kavad wants reassurance that he is protected from his son. I need King Khushnavaz's word on that."

"One moment."

Gabrielle ran over to her wife and pulled her aside to confer. "Xena, what should we do? The Shah wants our protection."

Xena eyed the obtrusive Persian sitting arrogantly on his steed. "This is the most compliance we've had with Persians. We signed a treaty with them and we need to adhere to it. You can be the one to give Navaz the proposal."

"_Me_? Why can't you do it? You're the khanum!"

"Why let your _excellent_ negotiation skills go to waste?" Xena smiles endearingly.

Gabriele grumpily walked back over to the Persian. "I will talk to Navaz," she relays and sneers at her smug wife in the background.

Tegin Irkin nodded. "I will come back within a week to take Banu Nousha and confirm the king's decision. I suggest King Khushnavaz to release Pamira Karen before the reign of terror rains on your land."

She laughs awkwardly. "She…has since been married to Prince Soran, the king's son."

His eyes widened. "I'm not sure if you Huns are incredibly intelligent or incredibly stupid."

"Let's go with the former."

* * *

Navaz drummed his fingers against his cheek while listening to Gabrielle's spiel. So far he was not interested in helping any Persians but he did agree to be allies with them albeit against his wishes. He tried to ally with them before and it turned sour very quickly.

With everything going on in Pannonia he didn't want to deal with a civil war in Persia. He hadn't received a word from Ernak and Csaba about the situation on Eksama so he was very wary over helping Shah Kavad. When Gabrielle mentioned that Kawus was marching troops towards the Armenian border it raised some concerns.

"I think I can speak for everyone when I say that the Persians are distrustful," he began. "But I don't want to break a treaty and betray the Shah."

Gabrielle remained hopeful.

He sighs and curled his fingers into a fist. "I will send some of my best men to Persia to protect Shah Kavad," he decided. "Xena."

The khanum leaned against the wall, examining an Avar weapon while her wife talked to Navaz. Political discussions were never meant anything to her but by law and tradition she had to be present in case her opinion was to be accounted for or needed.

"Xena!" he yelled.

She looked up and smiled. "Yes, Navaz?" she lowered the sword.

"You will go to Scythia with Arielle and make sure she gets acclimated."

"And who's going to be in charge _here_?"

Navaz blinked a couple of times, confused by her question. "This is _my_ kingdom," he says and her smug smile grew. Now he knew that she was toying with him. "Just make sure you take care of her."

"Of course. _Anything_ for daddy's little girl," she snickers. "Oh come on, Navaz! I'm just joking with you."

Gabrielle rolls her eyes. "But you _do_ spoil her," she agreed with her wife.

He grunts. "I do _not_."

The couple shared a look and answered in unison, "uh huh."

* * *

Arielle sat on the floor in her sleeveless black nightgown, drinking a glass of her wine by herself. She leaned her back against her bed while gawking at the fire. Even though it was summertime the fireplaces were always on as the Adame could get quite cold at night.

Two weeks had passed since Jiulu died. She couldn't understand why she was given the title of empress of an empire she never heard of. Her life didn't exactly line up with what she had in mind. She was no longer married to the man she thought she'd be with forever. She was stripped of her status in Harran and forced to take over her mother's title.

But now, that didn't seem to matter. Her life as a Hun princess, queen and commander were long gone. Her entire life changed in such a short amount of time that she had yet to process it. All she could think of was the mistakes she was going to make as a ruler of an empire. She was young, yes, a bit experienced but she was groomed to be a queen for a long time. She never took it very seriously as a child. She realized she should've been more receptive.

Sipping the wine she heard the doors open. Swiftly she turned her head and it was her mother. Of all people to walk in here, she thought. She was hoping the person who walked in might be Xerxes.

Anastasia lifted the veil onto her head and sat down on the floor gently beside her daughter. The flickering flames bothered her eyes so she turned, leaning in close to her daughter.

Arielle pulled away. "What are you doing in here?"

"I wanted to come see you. Am I allowed to do that, _khagana_?" she pinched her daughter's arm. "Nousha is leaving in a week."

"I heard."

Ana flicks her wrist. "I'm so glad I won't have to deal with her any longer. She _loathes_ me."

"Trust me, she hates me more than you, mother."

"I can imagine so," the khatun hinted. "I know what you and Xerxes are doing behind our backs, Arielle."

The khagana's face paled.

"But I suppose I've known all along. I don't need eyes to _see_ that." Anastasia smiles warmly. "You and I are a lot alike but we're also very different."

"Mother, that doesn't make any sense."

"It makes perfect sense! You also remind me a lot of your grandmother. You're both very headstrong and don't let anyone step on your toes."

To that, Arielle finally grinned.

Anastasia grabbed her daughter's hand and forced their eyes to meet. "Arielle, I think you will be a great ruler but if you need help do not hesitate to ask. I had to learn that the hard way."

"But what if I'm not good at it? What if I make several mistakes and ruin the entire empire?!"

"You're going to make mistakes but that's just life."

"What if the Scythians and Avars don't like me? I'll be a Hun ruling over the empire. What if they revolt against me? What if they don't listen to me?"

"Arielle! Calm down," she says, chuckling softly. "I'll give you some unsolicited advice. Be merciful when needed and merciless as a last result. Be fair and generous but firm. Not everyone is going to like you. Our entire tribe wanted me dead!"

She scoffs. "That's because Eksama poisoned their minds, mother. You're a good khatun." She squeezes her mother's hand. "Thanks."

Anastasia kissed her hand and leaned against the bed.

"Did you see Cera today? Is she feeling better?"

"I think she is already tired of me. She will probably feel more like herself in a few weeks."

Arielle shook her head. "Being pregnant is horrible. I hated it."

"It's not that bad. The end result is nice," Ana raised her eyebrows, "Although, you almost killed me during labor."

"I guess I've always been a _pain_ as Csaba says." She sipped the wine.

The khatun places her hand on Arielle's knee. "You'll always be my little princess."

Arielle blushed and swiped a tendril from her face. "Cera's your little princess. Not me."

"You're both my little princesses!" she wrapped her arms around her daughter. "_Benim küçük Prensesim._" She smothered her daughter with several kisses and Arielle tried to pry her off.

"Mom!" she recoiled. "Stop it!" she wiped her wet cheeks with the back of her hand. "So disgusting…"

Anastasia giggled at her daughter's haughty manner. "I named you after Gabrielle, you know. I knew you were a force to be reckoned with before you were born and I wanted you to have a powerful name. Now I definitely know I made the right choice naming you 'Arielle'."

"Lion." She said and turned to meet her mother's pastel eyes. "Xerxes knew the meaning of my name. He said 'it fits me well'."

* * *

_One Month Later_

Ernak was woken up by a soldier at the crack of dawn. The young soldier informed him that a group of men dressed in crimson armor and robes were waiting outside the palace gates. At the first mention of soldiers at the gates he hoped that Bayan brought news about Eksama but that wasn't the case.

The waiting game was beginning to wear him down mentally and physically. Bayan was not well liked by the clan but he was a good soldier and did follow orders. A spy was sent to Pannonia per Bayan's request, to oversee Eksama's plans. The longer Ernak waited the more frustrated he was.

The tired king came outside the palace and approached the locked gates. Indeed, these soldiers were foreign. He didn't know if he could handle more strange foreigners that may potentially harm his people and family.

He stopped at the gates and gawked at the four horsemen. Accompanying them were two young women, dressed in white robes and veils. There was also a large carriage pulled by two large white horses.

One of the horsemen asked, "Are you the king in charge of this respected area?"

Ernak crossed his arms. "Yes. Who are you?"

"We were sent by Khagana Arielle to retrieve Princess Aurora," the Avar horseman said. "My men and I will be escorting the princess to Scythia. My name is Stefan. I'm the leading officer of the Avar Khaganate."

"_Khagana_ Arielle? Avar Khaganate? What is going on?"

Stefan pulled out a letter and slipped his arm through the iron gates. Ernak snatched the letter and skimmed through it. He lifted his eyes periodically, skeptically staring at the Avar soldier. He couldn't believe what he was reading and it was almost like this was a huge joke but it wasn't. Arielle's name and seal was present at the bottom of the letter.

He tucked the document in his vest. "It looks like a lot has happened in Balaam. Meanwhile things are stagnant in Banat," he mused. "Arielle is the new ruler of your people, then?"

"Correct, your majesty. If you would, please inform Princess Aurora that we've come for her?"

Ernak scratched his head and sighed. "Very well. I will send a letter back to Arielle and inform her about the status in Banat. I trust she will _receive_ the letter?" he almost threatened. It wasn't a question and the Avar officer quickly caught on.

Stefan bowed his head. "I am but a servant to my khagana. You have my word, your majesty."

* * *

Ku rushed into Aurora's bedroom with a slew of chambermaids following her. She pointed to all of the clothing in the wardrobe and instructed them to pack everything that Farah and Rabia graciously gifted the princess.

She pulled the curtains aside and Aurora groaned, rolled over and yanked the sheets over her head. While the maids were folding clothes neatly into a large chest, Ku walked over and sat on the edge of the bed.

"_Halu_," she whispered. "You need to get up. I have a bath waiting for you."

Aurora grumbled. "Not now, Ku-Ilm. I'm tired," she says beneath the bedcovers.

Ku pat the girl's leg. "Farah asked the chef to make _menemen_ for you."

There was a long moment of silence and the princess shifted under the sheets. "Does it have cheese?" she asks in a questionable tone.

"Yes."

"Extra tomatoes?"

Ku rolled her eyes. "Yes, _halu_."

"_And_ peppers too?"

"Mhm."

Aurora rolled over on her stomach. "No thanks, I'm not hungry."

The Assyrian grits her teeth and stood up, slowly making her way around the bed. "Well I guess you're going to be very hungry on our _trip_. We might not stop to camp until tomorrow morning."

Aurora sat up and yanked the sheets off her head. "Trip?"

Ku nodded her head. "Yes and this would go a lot faster if you do what I tell you. We're going to live with your mother."

She gasped and jumped out of bed. She shook Ku's arms. "Why didn't you tell me?!" she darted to the bath chamber.

There was a loud splash and all of the maids giggled. Ku sighed heavily and then heard Aurora yelp loudly.

"This water is freezing!" she yelled.

"I was going to take you to eat _first_," said Ku from the other room.

"Oh…"

* * *

Parading through Nikopol, Scythia, Arielle lead half of her new army towards the large palace in the midst of a sea of people. Kuba walked beside her on foot, watching all of the civilians gathered around. She felt a little bit out of place here and it was not only because she was a Hun but also she wore her traditional black kozak with gold beads and chains.

Many of the stares she got were odd ones but mostly everyone sprinkled her path with gold coins and flower petals. While Kuba was on one side of her horse, another soldier was holding onto the reins to guide her through the busy streets.

A hand came to her shoulder and her body tensed.

Xena was taken aback by the reaction. "You should smile, Arielle," she whispered. "You don't look very happy to be here. Everyone is watching you."

"They know I'm a foreigner. I can tell they don't like me." Her heart raced and her eyes darted left to right, gawking at all of the Scythians and Avars waving their hands at her.

"Whatever you do, don't you dare vomit everywhere again."

Arielle took in a couple of deep breaths and looked down to Kuba who smiled warmly up at her. "How much longer until we reach the palace?"

"Not long, khagana," he informed her. "The people are very thrilled to have you as their ruler. They throw coins to ensure you live a long happy life as the khagana."

"Ah," she nervously says. "Lovely."

* * *

Evening came and Arielle couldn't wait to go to bed but it seemed that time would never come. Most of the day and evening was spent unpacking her belongings and preparing her room. The palace was quite large and nothing like the Adames she lived in all her life.

All of the walls were made of stone, not wood like her previous homes. There was an atrium in the middle of the palace that had a blooming garden and fountain with an open ceiling view. Plants and ivy grew on the inside of the walls everywhere. This place was very foreign to her.

Kuba was kind enough to show her the living area which was nothing like the women's quarters in Balaam or Pannonia. There were chairs, sofas that sat above the ground and tables to sit at. Still Adhering to her customs she sat on the floor.

Her new maids thought it strange that she sat on the floor but brought her tea and desserts. Gabrielle sat across from her on the floor and quietly dismissed the servants.

The governor kept staring at Arielle and saw she was quite distressed or maybe in a bit of shock. She remembered that look all too well. It was the same look Arielle had when she was pregnant and came back to Pannonia. She was in such a depressive state that her cocky, bossy attitude ceased to exist.

"Your grandmother thought it was a good idea to search the palace," she tried to lighten the mood.

Arielle lifted her head and creased her brows. "You let her go _alone_? I thought you knew better than that, Gabrielle."

The blonde shrugged a shoulder. "I can't stop her from doing anything. I wouldn't be surprised if she found a room full of weapons by now. She's been gone for almost two hours."

Arielle nodded and tapped her fingers against the glass of tea. She bore into the dark pool inside the glass, staring at her blue-eyed reflection.

A loud boom erupted outside and Arielle dropped the glass and spilled it all over her black gown. Another loud boom was followed by two more. She covered her ears and frantically looked around, fearing she was being attacked already.

Gabrielle hopped up off the floor and walked over to the balcony. She watched the dark sky illuminate with multiple colors of flashing lights. She chuckled and turned around.

"It's just fireworks!" she said and her smile faded when she heard sobbing. "Arielle?"

She ran over and sat down beside her.

"Don't cry, Arielle. You can tell me anything. You know, I am known to keep secrets. Just ask your brother," she winked and the khagana smiled. "There it is; that pretty smile of yours."

"Gabrielle…" she wiped her eyes and nose. "You and grandma will help me, right? You two promised."

"Of course we will. That's why we're here." She kissed Arielle's forehead and rubbed her arm. "Don't worry. You'll be a great empress! And Scythia isn't far from Balaam so your father will be there if you need him."

Arielle nodded and shakily exhaled.

Kuba walked in and bowed his head. "Khagana, the maids have finished preparing your room. I also asked them to prepare Princess Aurora's room for her arrival."

"Thank you, Kuba," she faintly grins to acknowledge all of his hard work.

"Dinner is ready in the dining room. I have come to escort you."

She stood and helped the governor up.

Kuba glanced around the room. "Where is the khanum?"

"God only knows."

* * *

Upon entering the dining room Arielle stepped in cautiously. There was a long table that could easily fit fifteen to twenty people yet there were only three plates set at the empty table and several maids waiting to serve the platters of food.

She turned to Gabrielle confusedly and then turned in the other direction to Kuba. She pointed to the table. "What's this?"

Kuba nervously smiled. "The dining room, khagana."

She walked over to the long wooden table and scraped her finger against one of the chairs. She picked up the silver platted fork and stared at it strangely. Usually the utensils back home were made of wood. The painted ceramic plates also struck odd to her. The plates and bowls she was used to were made of clay or wood.

"Is there something wrong, your highness?" Kuba asked.

"No, I…it's just, I usually eat on the floor."

"Oh. I can arrange that for you." he snapped his fingers to the servants.

Arielle frowned and put up a hand. "It's alright. This is fine."

"Are you sure, khagana?"

"Sure why not," she mumbled. She pulled out a chair and sat down, sliding her palms against the mahogany wood.

Gabrielle soon joined her and sat on her left side with a big smile. She stared at the empty spot across from her and groaned. "I have no idea what she's getting herself into."

"She's obviously up to no good," Arielle chortled. She sat back and the maids set platters of food on the table and watched as they set her plate for her and Gabrielle. Very interesting, she thought. Noticing there were only three plates at the table she whipped her head around to Kuba.

"Aren't you going to sit with us?" she asks him.

"Ah, no khagana. It is not proper for me to eat with you," he says.

She sighs. "What if I _insist_?"

"It's against the rules but I am humbled you were kind enough to offer, your highness."

Xena finally joined the two women that were waiting for her. Surprise and shock crossed her face when she saw a huge dining table and it was to be shared between the three of them. Smiling, she approached Gabrielle and kissed the top of her head and then passed by the squeeze Arielle's shoulder.

She sat down and the maids served her by scooping food onto her plate. Her eyes drifted to Gabrielle and she crookedly grins at the service.

"Maybe we should live here from now on. Huh, Gabrielle?"

"Where the hell have you been?"

"Is that any way to treat me after all I've done for you?" she teased her blonde wife. "For your information, I was just taking a look around. This palace is huge! I think it's bigger than Farah's place in Banat. What do you think of Scythia so far, Arielle?"

The youthful empress picked up a fork and looked at the two other forks beside her plate, unsure of which one to use. If she was supposed to be an empress ruling over an unknown and unfamiliar empire she thought she should at least have something to remind her of home. Three forks. Why?

"Arielle?"

"Oh uh," she set down the fork. "It's a big palace."

The khanum met eyes with Gabrielle briefly. It was clear there was something going through Arielle's mind and by the looks of her wife's expressive eyes and facial expressions, it was best to leave that conversation for another time.

"I'm sure your blonde advisor has plenty of things planned on your agenda but I thought we could take a stroll around the city," she offered.

Gabrielle slowly shook her head and Xena refrained.

"Or we could stay in the palace. Your choice."

Arielle sighed and picked at the food. "Sounds nice, grandma." The food was less appetizing than she realized. She set down the fork and folded her hands on the table. "I am anxious to see Aurora. Do you think she'll like it here?"

Gabrielle chimed in, "I'm sure she will. She'll have this entire palace to herself! She doesn't have to share anything with anyone."

"Let's just hope she doesn't turn into a spoiled brat," Xena snickered. She felt her wife kick her under the table and she let out a terse grunt.

Arielle didn't seem to hear anything her grandmother said and blankly gawked at the platter of food. She twiddled her thumbs and sighed heavily. "When do you think Xerxes will visit Scythia? I appointed him as my ambassador."

Xena paused in the middle of chewing and dropped the half eaten bread on her plate. "I…am not sure but he is the Hun commander now and if Kawus is leading an army towards Armenia, he needs to be on the lookout."

Gabrielle hinted a sly smile. "You like him a lot, don't you?"

Arielle eyed her and her cheeks reddened.

"I knew he liked you from the moment he laid eyes on you," alleged Xena.

"Come on, grandma. Who would like me? I'm so complicated."

"That's no lie but Xerxes puts up with your bullshit," she snickered and pointed a finger at Gabrielle. "Don't kick me again," she warned. "Anyway, everyone knows that he likes you except your father. He's going to keep living in his delusional world."

Arielle pushed the plate away from her and stood. "I'm not very hungry. I think I'll go to bed. Excuse me."

Gabrielle swirled the food around with her fork and looked over her shoulder as Arielle hurried out of the room. She wagged her head and stared at her wife with uneasy eyes.

"She's going to need our help more than I thought, Xena."

"I'll say. She wasn't listening to a word I said! All she cares about is Xerxes and Aurora, which I am very excited to see her myself."

The governor sat back, taking in the new scenery. This palace was very large and unlike the Hun households and definitely different than the Szekely palace. Living here was going to be a huge adjustment for Arielle. This was only day one.

While admiring the huge dining room, Xena sniffed the fruity drink in the silver cup and eyed Kuba.

"What the hell is _this_?" her voice reached across the room.

"It's _sherbet_, khanum. It's freshly squeezed fruits mixed with sweet syrup."

"So, in other words, it's not wine?"

Kuba laughs. "No, khanum."

"I see." Xena set down the cup. "Can I…_acquire_ some wine?" she gave a toothy grin.

"Alcohol is forbidden in the Avar Khaganate."

She raised an eyebrow and saw the shock on Gabrielle's face. "I changed my mind. I don't like it here anymore."

* * *

Being secluded in Banat affected Aurora's mood tremendously and she was no longer a pleasure to be around. She hated spending so much time with her boy cousins and even snapped at Ku from time to time. She was anxious to leave Banat when she found out she was to live with her mother.

The journey from Banat to Scythia was quite long but it wasn't nearly as uncomfortable as it was when she traveled by horse to Balaam. This time she was in a carriage with cushioned benches and shielded from the blistering summer sun.

During the ride to Scythia she was given several snacks and fruits by the Avar soldiers. They approached the capital of the territory and Aurora was getting very antsy while Ku was more tired than ever. The princess peeked through the curtains of the windows and watched several children chasing the carriage.

She smiled and waved at the little boys and girls. She poked her head out the window and several Scythians eyed her confusedly. They indistinctively bowed their heads as the carriage passed by.

"Aurora! Get inside!"

The jumpy princess sat back down on the bench and kicked her legs back and forth. "Are we almost there, Ku-Ilm?"

"Almost, _halu_." Ku massaged her temples and closed her eyes, desperately trying to rid herself of this blazing headache.

The carriage halted and Aurora waited impatiently. Stefan opened the door and extended his hand to aid her down the steps. She didn't bother and jumped out onto the ground and gasped at the sight of Xena and Gabrielle standing outside the palace gates.

She ran towards them and the veiled on top of her head flew off. Ku stepped out of the carriage and groaned.

"Gabby!" she crashed into the governor's legs, hugging tightly, never to let go.

Xena cleared her throat. "No hug for me?"

Aurora switched over and was picked up by the khanum. "I missed you two!" she cheered. "Where's mommy?"

Gabrielle pointed to the massive palace behind them. "She's inside waiting for you."

The girl's mouth parted and took a moment to completely take in the sight before her. "Wow. I will live _here_ now?"

"Yes. You're the Avar Princess now. This palace is yours as much as it is your mother's."

Aurora gasped loudly. "_My_ palace?"

"Look what you did, Gabrielle. You're feeding her ego," Xena poked fun at her wife. "We should get you inside. I'm sure you're very tired." She smoothed her hand over Aurora's wavy dark hair.

"I'm not tired!" she excitedly says and wiggled out of the khanum's arms. "Come on! Let's go!" she grabbed both of their hands and pulled them towards the gates.

Gabrielle whispered, "I think we're going to have our hands full for awhile."

"This is only the beginning, Gabrielle. It's only the beginning."


	28. Chapter 28

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A rift in Ku-Ilm and Arielle's relationship emerges when Arielle's feelings for Xerxes amplifies. Ernak finds himself conflicted when he is forced to go to war against his sister. Xena berates her granddaughter for disobeying orders but is quickly put in her place by Gabrielle.

Chapter 28 –_War upon War: Part I_

A month passed since Arielle moved to her new palace in the capital of Scythia and most of her time was spent signing documents, talking with Kuba about political meetings in the future and charity work. While she was kept busy in the throne chamber, Aurora grew restless.

To take the princess' mind off of confinement she was escorted around the city by her guardians. She adjusted pretty well to her new environment, better than her mother that's for sure. Taking a stroll around the city, Gabrielle held the princess' hand as they leisurely made their way to every merchant.

Xena pressed that their identities were to be hidden in public. She didn't want to cause concern for the Scythians but also, she desired to scope the city out for her own curiosity. She intentionally ignored Aurora's talkative nature and kept focus on the people surrounding them.

Gabrielle watched as Aurora picked up every single necklace in a shop. Her eyes drifted back to her wife's skeptical temperament. After Aurora decided she what necklace she wanted, they bought it from the merchant and gathered outside the shop with Xena.

"Grandma Khanum, look what I got!" she held up the necklace with sapphire stones.

The corner of her lips turned upward. "That will look very pretty on you." She ran her hand over Aurora's burgundy veil. "Don't call me 'khanum' in public," she whispered.

"Why not?"

Gabrielle knelt down and pulled the child's burgundy cape to a close. "We're incognito."

The princess' lips were brought to a thin line. "What does in-cog-nito mean?"

"It means that we're hiding in plain sight." Gabrielle leans in close. "We don't want anyone to know who we are." She poked the girl's nose.

Aurora giggled. "Oh, I get it. It's a _secret_."

"That's right." Gabrielle rose from one knee and couldn't help but stare at her wife.

Those azure eyes she grew to learn signals from were wide and alert. That subtle twitch on the corner of her mouth, the curling of her fingers and noticeably tight jaw muscles, was an indication that something was ticking in her mind and it couldn't have been good either.

"Xena, do you see something?" she tried not to cause alarm to Aurora who wasn't listening anyhow.

The brunette flipped the hood over her head and walked ahead, distancing herself from Gabrielle and Aurora. She hid behind a tall stone building and gaped at the cathedral up ahead. Not only did she recognize the woman standing outside conversing with clergymen, she knew exactly why the woman was here.

Empress Theodora from Constantinople was here in Scythia. A coincidence, I think not, Xena thought. The Byzantine Empress normally dressed in colorful gowns and robes, wore a black gown with a thick veil over her head. She wasn't even trying to hide herself with that massive crown on her head. She wanted everyone to know she was here and the clergymen were very fervent to speak with her. They adored her.

Xena retreated and regrouped with her wife and great granddaughter. Gabrielle had no problem distracting the little girl. It was a good thing they were both talkative otherwise it would've been a very tedious day for Xena if she was left to watch Aurora alone.

"I think it's best we go back to the palace now," she says. Her wife clued in that the situation was important.

Aurora pouted. "But I wanted to explore some more!"

"Another time, _tatli_ _kiz_," Xena paddled the child's head. "This is your home now. Wouldn't want to explore everything in one day, right?"

The girl sighed. "Okay, but can we go in-cog-nito again?" her eyes had a certain glint to them.

The older women smiled and guided the princess down the path towards the palace. Gabrielle held onto Aurora's swinging hand and quietly observed her wife's subdued nature. She knew Xena saw something but it wasn't to be discussed in front of Aurora and she certainly wasn't going to ask until they were in a place of safety and security.

* * *

Ku lingered in the khagana's bedroom, admiring the stone walls, columns and tapestries of deceased Avar rulers. She was fooling herself when she convinced herself to admire the room when she was truly admiring Arielle from afar. She was in the room for quite some time and her eyes focused on Arielle sitting on the balcony.

She'd like to think that Arielle was a very good friend and hope that wouldn't change since Arielle's hierarchy distanced them even further than before. In the short time adjusting to life in Scythia she was quickly reminded she was a handmaid to Arielle and nothing more. There were several maids in the palace and Ku felt different than the rest. She never truly related to the other maids back in Pannonia either.

Arielle brushed a large section of her straightened hair behind her shoulder. Ku preferred the empress' hair to remain in its natural form and hated to press a hot iron to the uniform spiral curls. Arielle's straightened hair also reminded her of Anastasia Khatun and that wasn't very appealing since she secretly feared the woman from the moment she met her.

Ku thought she lingered far too long and cleared her throat, standing behind the empress. Arielle turned in the chair and smiled brightly.

"Ku, have you been lurking?" her tone was a bit playful at best.

"I…have a few letters for you." She presented the three scrolls. "A letter from your parents, King Ernak and one from," she hesitated, "Shehzade Xerxes."

Arielle quickly leapt from the chair and hurried over to retrieve the letters. She opened Xerxes' letter first which did not go unnoticed by Ku's keen eye. War was approaching in Lake Thospia and she knew that was very close to Balaam but that wasn't dire information to her. A poem from Xerxes was written especially for her at the end.

The smile on her lips grew while reading every line. Ku-Ilm's eyebrow rose at the unsubtle giddy look on her friend's face.

"Any news on the Persians?" she knocked Arielle out of her dreamland.

Arielle rolled the parchment and set it aside. "Kawus has his army stationed at Lake Thospia."

The lack of concern and severity of the situation was prevalent in Arielle's voice. Ku didn't like that Arielle was so complacent when it came to any mention of Xerxes. She wanted her friend to be happy and god knows that she was incredibly depressed, angry and hurt when she finally divorced Bayan. Any man in Arielle's life was not only a concern to her family but also to Ku.

"That's _all_ he said?" the Assyrian's uncertainty was laid bare.

Arielle detected a hint of spite in her tone. "What's with the attitude?"

Ku snubbed her and raised her chin. "I don't have an attitude. I just don't think you should focus so much of your attention on Shehzade Xerxes."

"I like him a lot, Ku. You _know_ I do."

"Yes and I think you should be more careful around him."

Arielle folded her arms. "And why's that? I already am aware that he is a Persian Prince and our people have clashed since the creation of the Hun Empire. But he's different, Ku."

The fair haired Assyrian arched her eyebrow suspiciously. "You've only been with one other man, Arielle and look how that turned out. You can't have sex with every man you find enticing and think they're the best thing for you."

Arielle's jaw dropped. "Who are _you_ to talk to me that way?" She stepped forward, closing the distance between them. "Are you jealous?"

"I'm your _friend_! How could you think I would be jealous?" her tone indicated she was very hurt by Arielle's accusative words.

Xena and Gabrielle walked into the middle of a heated conversation that was about to erupt into an argument. They were glad they sent Aurora off to the servants before entering the throne chamber. Ku and Arielle turned their backs to one another when the elder women were present.

"Is everything alright in here?" asked the governor.

Ku inclined her head to the women. "I'm going to check on the princess."

Gabrielle and Xena followed the chambermaid's abrupt departure then eyed a very obvious disturbed khagana. Gabrielle jabbed her thumb over her shoulder, pointing to the doors.

"What happened between you two?"

"Nothing."

Arielle dismissed the topic and opened the letters from Ernak and her parents. The last thing she wanted to read about was Bayan's inclusive opinion in Banat concerning Eksama. The divorce was final last year but her wounds were still fresh. This would be a good time to act on all her years of royal grooming to put aside her personal relationships with everyone and treat them like foreign monarchs seeking aid, she reminded herself.

She felt the four eyes upon her, watching every move she made. It grew more and more difficult to hide her overly expressive face and eyes especially with her grandmother's constant staring.

"My father wants me to assist in commanding my army to fight against Kawus and the Karens. The Persians already set up their camp in Lake Thospia."

Xena eyed the other letter in the khagana's hand. "And the other message?"

"_Bayan_ is in Banat with the Harran army. Ernak said that Eksama's army is at the border of Pannonia and Banat, ready to attack them at any moment. I've already told Kuba to send a portion of the Avar treasury to Ernak."

"I see." Xena briefly looked at her wife's disconcerted face. "Not that Kawus isn't important, but I've discovered something that could potentially lead to a bigger problem if it isn't addressed."

"Such as?"

Xena sighed. "I saw Empress Theodora today talking to a group of clergymen outside the main cathedral. She's not here by sheer chance, Arielle. Justinian controls all of the churches in this area and I know without a doubt that someone reported that you are the Avar Empress."

"Justinian isn't a high priority right now," Arielle waved her hand. "I want to focus on Kawus. I will leave to go to Balaam in a few days. I trust you two will be by my side." she grabbed all of the letters and stalked off angrily.

Gabrielle traced a finger along her lips and then crossed her arms. "Are you going to find out what she and Ku were arguing about?"

"I thought I'd leave that up to you." Xena smiled.

"Or we could split it. You take Arielle and I take Ku. Sound fair?"

"I don't like talking to Arielle. She talks back to me like a little princess."

The governor lazily shrugged her shoulders. "Well I think Ku is afraid of you so it seems logical that I would be the one to talk to her. You're so good at making Arielle cry anyway."

"I don't make her cry…" Xena mutters.

"It was a joke!"

The khanum pinched her wife's arm longer than usual and Gabrielle gasped loudly, tensing her entire body. "Your jokes aren't very fitting for the moment, _Gabrielle_."

* * *

The bow glided along the taut strings of the _kamancheh_ and it made a subtle creaking, scraping noise. Cera cringed at the horrible noise and Pamira chuckled softly at the princess' efforts. Soran fulfilled his promise and was able to get a _kamancheh_ delivered to Balaam within a month or so. Now it was up to Pamira to teach Cera how to use it. So far, the lessons were going well.

"You don't have to press so hard, princess. Use light pressure against the strings," she advised.

Cera inhaled heavily and tried again while pressing her fingers on the tips of the strings at the head of the instrument's neck. Focusing, she slides the bow gently across the strings and for once it didn't sound like a screeching noise to bust eardrums.

"Perfect!" Pamira encouraged. "I will teach you four easy notes. They're essential to playing almost any song."

While the music lesson continued, Yana came into the bedroom, hoping not to disturb the two. She arrived in Balaam a couple of weeks ago after she squared things in her tribe with her stepdaughter. The two weeks since her arrival were very busy and she did no such attempt to avoid Anastasia.

In fact, Yana was almost sure she was going to have an argument with the khatun over Cera. Neither one of them were younger or older than the other which made the situation tense.

Pamira caught Yana putting away clothes from the corner of her eye. She smiled and kept instructing Cera how to properly play the stringed instrument. She kept adjusting the princess' hand placement and bow on the strings.

"Chieftess Yana would you like to sit awhile and listen?" she offered.

The clothes would have to wait. Yana sat on the floor and Cera's cheeks flushed. She could tell Cera was nervous to practice around an audience other than Pamira. To ease the girl's nerves, she pretended like she wasn't paying much attention during the lesson.

Pamira nods her head continuously, watching every move of the princess' fingers pressing against the tautly strung strings. "Maybe in a few months you can show everyone how much you've learned by playing a song!"

Cera's doe eyes widen in fear. She shook her head and Yana touched her shoulder gently.

"You're doing great so far, Cera. I'm sure you'll be able to play something in a couple of months," said Yana. "I've actually been meaning to talk to you about your…party."

Pamira got the hint and advised that was enough practice for the day. She gently grabbed the instrument from Cera and walked over to set it back into its leather case for tomorrow or possibly later in the evening.

Yana's eyes followed the Persian teen and grinned at Cera. "As you might have guessed, your mother and I don't exactly see eye to eye on everything concerning you."

Cera nods regrettably. "_She is very adamant when she wants things done her way_."

"I'm trying my best not to overstep my boundaries around your mother." She leaned over, "she is my superior after all," she whispered.

Cera put a hand over her mouth, hiding her smile.

"With the impending war between the Persians I don't think your mother will allow a slew of guests inside this Adame but I think I can convince her to allow all of my brothers and Inzhu to come to your party," she says and Cera shrugged a shoulder.

She added, "I'm not familiar with senliks but I want to incorporate some Nezak traditions. I hope your mother won't mind. I haven't spoken to her about it yet."

Cera exhaled and ran a hand down the small swell of her abdomen. She wanted to avoid a fight at all costs between her mother and Yana. She also knew that Navaz was busy preparing to war with the Persians so he was going to be virtually no help at all to quell her mother's overbearing viewpoint on a number of topics.

This was nothing like she imagined it would be. In reality, she wanted to be surrounded by her entire family. She missed her brother and nephews the most. She even missed Farah's presence sometimes because she enjoyed listening to the queen spout off on tangents from time to time. At least Mirac had several siblings that cared about her.

* * *

A month living in this monstrosity of a palace and Gabrielle still managed to get lost in the labyrinth. She finally located Ku-Ilm after an embarrassing hour of wandering around. She waited outside Aurora's bedroom until the chambermaid exited.

Ku stepped out and closed the doors quietly then jumped at the quiet governor leaned up against the wall. She put a hand to her throbbing heart.

"Governor," she inclined her head, "you scared me."

"I didn't mean to," Gabrielle chortled. "You're not an easy woman to track down, although I should be kicking myself because I didn't think to check Aurora's room," she jokes.

Ku blinked several times.

Gabrielle rubbed the back of her neck and laughed awkwardly. "I wanted to speak with you about the argument you had with Arielle. I don't like to see you two argue and it's rare to see you both at odds."

She immediately tried to avoid the question and descended down the corridor. "It was nothing, governor. Really," she assures.

Not convinced, she followed Ku and grabbed her arm, pulling her aside. "Ku, you don't have to be afraid of Arielle." She gazed firmly into the Assyrian's honey pooled eyes.

"I –I'm not afraid of her."

"Then tell me why Arielle was in your face. I'm a great keeper of secrets," she enticed the young maid.

* * *

Xena braced herself for the conversation she was going to have and she cursed Gabrielle for coming up with the idea. She had been cordial with Arielle for awhile now and enjoyed helping her as much as she could but she hated confrontation when it came to the women in her life. Anastasia was somewhat easier to deal with except when she was in one of her "my way or else" attitudes. She didn't have that luxury with Arielle.

"Why can't you be like Cera?" she mutters to herself while strolling through the palace.

She came to a halt as a melodious voice trickled into the corridor. She followed the singing and peeked through Arielle's bedroom doors that were left slightly ajar. Xena did a double-take, whipping her head left to right, wondering if what she was hearing was true to the ear.

Keeping her distance, she pressed her ear against the door, listening to Arielle sing a heavy-hearted song quietly as if trying to keep the curious ears away from finding out her little secret. Xena's lips curled into a smile and arched an eyebrow.

"_Yeni bir yüz gösterecek, üzülerek biraz_," Arielle carried the tune while polishing an Avar sword. "_Yok olmaz erken daha, biraz geç kalın ne olur…_"

She swiped the oil along the blade, inhaling deeply. "_Ne olur baharlarımı, bırakın bir süre daha_."

Arielle finished cleaning her new weapon and stared at her own reflection in the shiny blade. She pulled a strand of hair behind her ear and frowned.

"_Tanıdık değil bana güz_," her voice trailed off. "_Güz_…" she sighed and lowered the sword.

"That's a nice little hidden talent you got there," Xena appeared a mere few feet away.

Arielle gasped and touched her heated cheeks. "Grandma," she fumbled and set down the blade. "I…I didn't know you were standing there."

"Oh I wasn't. I was listening at the door," she snickered. "I didn't know you could sing, Arielle. Is there anything you can't do?"

"Be a good friend, apparently," she mumbled. "I was so mean to Ku earlier. I'm sure you and Gabrielle heard us."

Xena took a seat next to her and laced her fingers over her knee. "I don't know what you two were fighting about but Ku was very upset. I don't normally see that sweet girl with such an angry face."

There was no point in masking her rude behavior so she decided to blurt it out. "I accused Ku of being jealous of my relationship with Xerxes."

"Arielle," she wide eyed her ashamed granddaughter, "I told you that girl's in love with you and don't you deny it." She pointed a finger in the khagana's face. "How could you say that about her? She loves you and takes care of Aurora. She's probably the most doting maid I've ever seen."

"I know," she admits, "I don't deserve her. She's the most kind and forgiving person I know. But what she said to me stung like an open wound." She turned to Xena with conflicted eyes. "I really like Xerxes a lot, but Ku doesn't want me to get close to him."

Xena reared back against the pillows, studying the empress' face. "I like him too but I think Ku is trying to look out for you. She doesn't want to see you get hurt again."

"I understand." Arielle lolled her head from side to side. "I'll go apologize to her before we leave to Balaam."

"Good."

"Oh and grandma…"

Xena's eyebrows rose. "Yes?"

"Don't you dare tell _anyone_ that I know how to sing."

* * *

Beneath the large Scythian cathedral, Empress Theodora gathered with the clergymen at a long table to converse the sudden rupture in their Christian world. The subject of the Hun-Avar ruler was the topic held in all of the churches in Scythia and soon to reach the Hagia Sophia in Constantinople before Theodora's return.

Bishop Salman twirled the large crucifix hung from a chain around his neck and gave a terse smile to the Byzantine Empress.

"It is an honor to have you here, Empress," he spoke for everyone.

She appreciated his gratitude and put a stop to the tense table full of clergymen. "I thought it was my duty to pay a visit to one of the most important churches in Scythia especially since you have a new ruler."

"We are equally as distressed as you, Empress. I imagine the Avar Empire is going to undergo several changes with the pagan Hun ruling Scythia."

Theodora didn't try to hide her disgust. "I'm very familiar with the Hun woman," her upper lip twitched, reminding her of how she was spied on several years ago. "It is a shame that Khagana Jiulu passed so suddenly. She gave the churches a large portion of her wealth every month. We cannot count on Khagana Arielle to be so generous."

The gruff bishop smoothed down his grey long beard, pondering what was to come of his cathedral and all the Christians in the city.

"Do you know for a fact that this pagan woman is tolerant of Christians, Empress?" he asked.

She turned her nose up at the question, a bit insulted he'd ask it in the first place. "Khagana Arielle and her people have been at war with my husband's empire for a long time. I don't expect that to change anytime soon. I also don't expect her to give charity to the church either."

"What do you suggest we should do your highness?" Bishop Salman creased his thick eyebrows together.

She smiles maliciously. "Request a meeting with her and plead your concerns. We do not want to appear hostile. Not yet anyway."

* * *

Such arrogance, Xerxes thought. He was ashamed that he went along with his brother's plan in the beginning. That seemed like a lifetime ago now. A little over a year passed since he left Persia and served under the Huns as their ambassador and now commander. Despite his hidden deceit, they allowed him to stay and live among them as one of their own.

He overlooked Lake Thospia and on the other side of the water laid his elder brother's camp with an abundance of soldiers. He never thought it would come to this; fighting his own sibling for the sake of saving the entire Hun Empire and his father's life.

Navaz trotted up to him into the sweltering field. "My daughter has arrived with her soldiers."

The prince did nothing to hide his luminescent face. "I will discuss battle plans with her then." He turned on his heel.

"Shehzade," the king barked and Xerxes froze. "You will do no such thing," he smiles deviously. "My daughter has appointed her grandmother as the overseer for strategic warfare. You will be working with Xena."

The lump in his throat was ever present. He didn't want to appear weak in front of the king. A simple bow of his head sufficed before he sauntered off back to the campsite.

Navaz ran his fingers through his groomed dark beard speckled with bits of silver and sniggered. Any person would've expressed a level of fear working with Xena and relaying that message but he was smug about it all. He made it clear to Anastasia that he didn't want Xerxes near their daughter. What worried him was the lackluster reaction from Ana whenever he spoke of Xerxes. She wasn't the least bit concerned.

* * *

"Alright Xerxes, this is how it's going to go," Xena began, "I'm in charge of battle plans and everything I say will be reiterated to the Hun and Avar armies. I've fought against your family for a very, _very_ long time so I know all of their tactics. If you have any extra information Gabrielle will record it in her notes and we'll work together. Any questions?"

Xerxes stood before her and the governor inside the large tent, flabbergasted and at a loss for words. He nearly forgot all of his manners until the governor gave a hideous glare.

"N-no," his voice cracked. He rubbed his Adam's apple. "No, khanum."

"Great." She slapped a hand on his shoulder and walked to the desk with a map sprawled out. "Let's get started then."

He spun around and watched the two women get to work and whispering to each other while they examined the map of Lake Thospia.

"If you're overseeing the army then what is Arielle, I mean, Khagana Arielle, going to do?"

Xena guffawed. "Aren't you curious? She's in charge of archery and ballistic weapons line."

* * *

_Two Weeks Later_

Two armies. Two siblings. Two borders. Ernak sat on his horse on the front line facing opposite of his sister. He didn't want to do this and he rather wouldn't. He'd been in several wars throughout his life and this was the first time he felt nervous. The Szekely soldiers weren't the best fighters and truthfully he'd never seen them in a war at all.

Bayan's army brought him mild comfort but right now he didn't need comfort, he needed confirmation of a victorious battle. The field was eerily quiet as Ernak stared at his sister sitting atop her brunette horse dead center in front of her massive Gepid army. She had five times the man power than he did but as his father, mother and Xena told him countless times: quality over quantity.

Eksama galloped to the center of the field alone. With her eyes clearly set on her brother, she hopped off the horse and drew her sword, raised it high into the air and then drove it in the ground.

Csaba furrows his brows and turned to his uncle. "What is she doing?"

"Don't let your guard down," Ernak growled and trotted downward to meet with her.

"Uncle! What are you doing?! Are you insane?!"

Csaba nervously clenched his jaw and held onto the horse's reins. He caught a certain someone glaring in his direction from the corner of his eye. He kept trying to keep his focus forward on the exchange between Ernak and Eksama.

"Don't look at me, Bayan."

"I am here only for the battle, Csaba," he snidely replies with a light laugh.

Ernak met with Eksama in between the armies and dismounted the horse. He pulled out his sword and stuck it in the ground and approached her but kept a reasonable distance between them. He hated to see his little niece's face bear any resemblance to this woman.

This entire war was wrong and he knew it. He wondered what his father felt when he drove his blade through Bleda's chest so long ago. Did he feel any remorse? Would he remember his brother as a vile and horrible being that he was? Or did he remember the good qualities of the brother?

"It doesn't have to be like this, Eksama."

She flicked her long auburn braid over her shoulder. "You don't want to fight me?" she placed her hands on her hips.

"No."

"I've already taken Pannonia because you refused to comply with my rules. I gave you a choice and you refused to take it. I'd love nothing more than to rule with my brothers by my side."

Ernak emits a cynical smile. "Yet you tried to assassinate our khatun and threatened to kill every female heir in the clan. I'm happy to say that your daughter has assimilated quite well in the family."

The arrogance across her face quickly disappeared.

"Yes, I have Austraia and she's alive and well. I don't know much about the Gepids but I do know they're very similar to the Visigoths. They kill female infants and children. I suppose you have some compassion in that black heart of yours since you hid your daughter so well."

Heat rose to the Gepid Queen's freckled cheeks and she lifted her chin proudly. "Using my daughter as a tool isn't going to deter me from taking Banat, Ernak."

He silently retreated and climbed onto his horse and pulled the sword from the ground.

"I'm not going to let you _take_ Banat."

* * *

Prince Edemen stood in front of a full length mirror while he was being fitted for a new leather vest. He was tired of standing and occasionally being poked by multiple pins. He lifted his arms so his mother could pin the long sleeves to be hemmed at a later time.

"Why can't I be in the field with father?" he asked her.

Farah hesitated and pinned her son's sleeve. "You're not old enough yet." She calmly explained but truthfully she was worried about Csaba and tried her best to hide it from her sons.

"I'm going to be twelve soon, mother. I'm not a little boy! Aman and Aladar are little but I am old enough to go to war."

"You are not!" she poked his arm with a needle. "Kurt is three years older than you and he's not in the field. You should be praying that your father returns safely instead of fantasizing about war."

Edemen hung his head. "I just want to help."

Farah warmly smiled and cupped her son's face. "There will be plenty of time for that when you're older but for now, let me enjoy spending as much time with you as possible."

She pulled him into a tight embrace and kissed the top of his head, never to let go. Edemen groaned with his cheek smashed up against her breast.

"Mother!" he protests. "Let go of me!"

The sounds of swords, horse hooves and yelling caught his ear. He gently pushed his mother away and ran onto the balcony. Two seas of tiny ants from afar joined into one mass of confusion and chaos. Edemen's mouth parted as he watched the armies conjoined and became one.

Hope of Ernak stopping the war before it began was long gone now. Farah clasped her hands together, closed her eyes and prayed that everyone was to return alive and unharmed.

* * *

The Hun and Avar armies were divided into teams. Xena, Xerxes and Gabrielle were in charge of the front lines while Navaz had the backup legions and Arielle was solely in charge of archery. Each team had shifts every few days to keep an eye on the Persians across the lake.

Arielle kept herself awake for three days straight until she nearly passed out on her horse. She was given time to rest and without anyone noticing, especially her father, Xerxes snuck into her tent. Without being able to keep her eyes open to converse with him for more than a few minutes, she fell into a deep sleep.

Xerxes had an arm wrapped over her bare chest, sleeping soundly with her body spooned against his. Her long tresses sprawled across the pillows with Xerxes' fingers entangled in the strands.

During their sound slumber Gabrielle rushed into the tent urgently. She frowned at the two cuddled on the animal skins. She grabbed Arielle's sword and whacked the khagana's hip and took the opportunity to smack the Persian's hand resting on Arielle's hip.

Arielle jolted awake and gasped at the governor's raging eyes. She scooped the blanket and covered her bare breasts. "Gabrielle…I…what's going on?" she ran a hand through her hair.

"We are being attacked!" she yells and threw the sword onto the bedroll. "Get up and get dressed before someone sees you two." She angrily pushed through the tent flaps and left.

Arielle hurriedly grabbed her armor and boots. Looking over her shoulder, she smiled at Xerxes' muscular backside while he scrambled to lace his boots.

* * *

In the middle of the night Kawus decided to attack. He sat idly for two weeks and the Huns watched him closely and carefully but they weren't expecting an attack at night when the camp wasn't prepared. Xena watched from the camp as the first legion of soldiers ran onto the dark field. She knew the first fleets of soldiers were going to die. They signed their death wish moments earlier when she gave the command.

She heard footsteps approach and kept her eyes forward, focusing on the battle.

"Where is she?"

Gabrielle huffed and took a moment to catch her breath. "In bed with Xerxes."

The khanum fluttered her eyes and she released a throaty growl. "I need archers. I won't send out another legion to their deaths. We'll lose all of our main fighters."

Hun and Avar soldiers ran amuck in the camp, scurrying to grab weapons and their horses. A midst of the cries of agony on the field, Navaz was heard from afar, berating the soldiers for their lack of preparation. Galloping through the back of the camp, he finally saw Arielle riding across the field, waving her hand at the archers located on the far left side. Shaking his head, he grabbed one of his own men and threw him on the ground to quell his frustration.

Xerxes ran with disheveled hair and half his armor on his body. He breathed out heavily and joined the governor and khanum. A feeling of guilt washed over him as he surveyed the bloody field. His brother was the cause and he wore half of that blood.

"Having sex with my granddaughter again, Xerxes?" inquired Xena in a calm tone.

He recoiled like a small boy. "No, I, no, khanum. We fell asleep."

"Hmm. Don't let my lack of emotion deceive you. I'm furious." She sauntered across the field with her hands behind her back, observing the massive damage already done to the first two fleets she sent out.

Xerxes eyed Gabrielle and smiled faintly. "Should I –"

"Absolutely not." She folded her arms. "Kawus doesn't attack like a regular Persian. Are you sure you told me everything about your brother?"

"Yes, governor. I swear. What can I do to help?"

"Do your job as commander and stay _away_ from Xena."

* * *

As Arielle quickly found out, arrows weren't helping to keep the Persians away. In fact, the Persians weren't the main problem at all. It was the lake itself. They were separated by the body of water which meant Kawus' men would have to make their way either across the lake or go around it to get the Hun encampment.

She expected a full on lecture from her grandmother after this surge was over and done with. Xerxes was in charge of commanding the army and she kept him from the field. Her thoughts swarmed all over, thinking of not only ridding themselves of Kawus but also what Ku said to her back in Scythia. She was too reliant on Xerxes.

Dawn was approaching slowly and Arielle sent another wave of arrows to rain on the Persians filling the field. She raised her hand and called out the command and eyed the arrows soar across the dim-lit sky.

Her eyes drifted to her grandmother who didn't look very happy about the sudden attack or the outcome of this raid either. Xena stood with hands on her hips, eyes narrowed and a pursed mouth.

Arielle galloped over and swiped the sweat off her forehead. "This isn't working," she alleged.

"_Obviously_." That curt reply hurt Arielle to the core. "We've lost fifty men in just a few hours. I sent Gabrielle to the defense lines."

"Why? We don't need defense right now! We need offense."

Xena whipped her head around. "I think you lost your right to call the shots, Arielle. I don't need the archers anymore. They're no use to us right now. The Persians are too far from us."

"Then…then I'll move my men closer."

"No."

"But I can –"

"Arielle! Do as I say!"

The khagana clenched her jaw tightly and glared at the field. Now that the battlefield was more visible she was able to see how Kawus orchestrated the attack. A glimmer in the lake caught her eye and she steered her horse forward and rode toward the center of the field.

Xena's eyes widen in horror as she watched Arielle ride out by herself. She snarled and turned to a group of Avar men waiting behind her for their next command.

"Go after her!" she ordered.

* * *

The ringing in his ears clouded his mind to the point where he couldn't make out what was happening around him. Csaba's eyes shot open and he stared up at the clear blue sky, breathing sharply. He held a hand to his rib and raised his hand.

Blood. He winced and sat up, holding his palm to the gash on his ribs. He was surrounded by corpses of his men. He ripped the fur hat off his head and crawled on all fours, weaving through the field of bodies. The sound of bones shattering and spatter caused him to turn his head.

He gaped as a Gepid soldier drove a blade through one of the Assyrian soldier's chest. The kill wasn't satisfactory for the Gepid and Csaba stared in disgust as the Assyrian's heart was ripped from his chest and thrown onto the field.

He heaved and vomited on the wet bloody grass. He kept crawling until he was able to stand. He was sure some ribs were broken and his shoulder was dislocated. He couldn't recall what happened before he blacked out but he did remember Ernak yelling to keep attacking and keep the borders safe.

A wall of soldiers lined the borders to keep Eksama's army out but it was only a matter of time before that human wall was crushed. The stone wall that surrounded Banat was only a mere obstacle for the Gepids.

He kept walking, bruised and broken, until he reached Oran lying on the ground. He fell to his knees and cupped his cousin's face that he liked to call his brother.

"Oran!" he cried, slapping his cousin's cheeks. "Oran! Don't do this to me!" he screamed.

The Gokturk Khan's eyes fluttered open and he released a hefty exhale. He smiled at the green eyes above him.

"Csaba?" he croaked.

"Thank god." He kissed his cousin's forehead. Teary eyed he couldn't keep the smile off his lips.

Oran groaned at the stinging pain in his leg and tried to sit up. With Csaba's aid and an arm wrapped around his shoulder, he sat up, moaning loudly. He took a look at his shattered lower leg and sighed.

"Well, _that's_ disappointing," he joked. "Did…we win?"

Csaba grunted and pulled his cousin up slowly. "We need to get you inside the city." They began hobbling away from the chaos.

"What about you? You don't look so good yourself, cousin."

"Don't worry about me. I'm fine."

Csaba looked back at the intense war and saw Bayan correlating all of the attacks, sending waves of men into the field. There was no sign of Ernak so far. He hated to say but he was impressed by Bayan's skills commanding an army. It was a miracle they were able to hold back the Gepids from raiding the city thus far.

* * *

Gabrielle held back the soldiers on the sidelines, waiting for Xena's signal. Luckily it was daylight and she could clearly see Xena from the camp, although she was hundreds of yards away. The anticipation caused the adrenaline to course through her body the longer she waited.

Her eyes followed Arielle riding into the thick of battle and her jaw dropped. A group of Avar archers followed their empress, shooting at Persians that attempted to attack Arielle. She covered her eyes and peeked through her fingers.

It was like Arielle was a ghost riding through the field –untouchable –and void of any harm coming her way.

"Oh my god," she muttered.

Arielle lowered her body, wind whipping through her hair; she increased speed, riding for the lake ahead. As soon as she gained enough speed she steadied her balance and slowly put one boot on the saddle and stood up gradually in a crouched position.

Balancing on one leg, she rose to a full standing position and smiled at the lake. With the toe of her boot she yanked on the horse's reins and the animal skid on its hooves to a jarring halt. She jumped over her horse's head, soaring through the air, taking a straight dive for the lake.

Gabrielle gasped and put her hand up to grab her wife's attention. "Xena!" she yelled, knowing that her voice wasn't going to be heard from so far away.

Arielle landed on a hard surface beneath the water. By appearance she looked as if she were walking on water. She spotted Kawus lurking in his camp and smiled at him, looking him dead in the eye. Casually, she walked across the hard surface and kicked the water with her boot.

* * *

"He built a bridge just beneath the surface of the lake," Arielle informed everyone.

Xena sat with her legs propped up on the table, folded arms and dagger-like eyes.

"That was the most…irresponsible thing you've _ever_ done!" she griped. "Who do you think you are to ride out without a command, Arielle? You got lucky that Kawus pulled back his army before you were goat meat."

Arielle grimaced but she expected this reaction. "Well, thanks to my _irresponsible_ actions we now know how the Persians were able to cross the lake so easily."

Xena slapped a hand over her face and groaned.

Gabrielle swallowed and put a hand on the khagana's arm. "She's right, Arielle. You shouldn't have gone out in the field by yourself. You're no longer in a position to take risks like that. You're in charge of an empire. What if something happened to you?"

"It's not like she was going to listen to me anyway," she shrugged Gabrielle's hand off. "_Right_, grandma?"

Xena's hand slid down her face and she took a moment to breathe calmly before answering.

"You still don't get it do you?" she pushed her legs off the table. "If you told me what you planned to do and why then I would've let you go but _instead_ you decided to be reckless. I don't like recklessness on the field, Arielle. That's what will get you killed."

"Fine. I'll tell you next time when I decide to be _reckless_." Arielle stormed off.

Gabrielle pinched the bridge of her nose. "She _definitely_ takes after you."

Xena's mouth closed to a thin line. She drummed her nails on the table incessantly, trying to calm her nerves.

"Aside from her reckless behavior, you have to admit she has a keen eye. She's very smart and goes with her gut every single time. In China she smoked out the entire city with that goose feather trick."

Xena grumbled and rubbed her temples to soothe the throbbing headache.

Gabrielle bit her lip in a quirk of a smile and walked behind her wife. She massaged the tense shoulders in hopes to relieve her wife's nerves and release the stress weighing down upon her. Digging her fingers into the knots she crinkled her nose.

"By god, Xena. If I knew you were this tense…" she paused and kept squeezing her wife's shoulders. "Do they have masseuses in Scythia?" she chuckled.

"Gabrielle." She pats her blonde wife's hand and brought her around to take a seat atop of the desk. "Thank you for not pointing out that I've been reckless in the past."

The governor shied away with a sly grin. "So, you _noticed_ I didn't say anything."

The corner of Xena's lips twitched.

"You're welcome."

"I don't want her to make irrational decisions like that without consulting me first. I won't deny that she's very good. Maybe a little _too_ good," she mumbles. "But behavior like that is like knocking on death's door. I've been put in situations that I wished I would've never been in due to my actions."

Gabrielle set a hand on the khanum's. "We both knew what we were getting ourselves into when Ana put us in charge of grooming Arielle to be queen. Take a big helping of your own medicine, Xena. She's never going to change who she is."

"Unfortunately I must agree with you." Xena tapped her cheek and smiled warmly at the jade eyes. She kissed Gabrielle's hand.

Truly she was the grounding force in her life for as long as she could remember. She couldn't imagine her life without the poet she once stole from Athens a lifetime ago. That time in her life was exceptionally difficult mentally and physically for her. At several moments in her life she wanted to give up and it became a struggle to live day by day. She was always reminded of Gabrielle's words of wisdom from a young age that she was. Now, at a ripe age, those feelings blossomed into something more than a marriage and lifelong bond. She was never alone and it took so long for her to think that let alone say it.

* * *

Arielle stormed into her tent and she flipped over the table laid with maps and battle plans. Growling she kicked the flying parchment and grabbed a candle and snatched one of the maps and held it over the flame.

Xerxes entered slowly, tiptoeing around the irate empress. A flaming parchment fell to the floor and he immediately stomped on it, putting out the fire. Arielle spun around with wiry eyes and flushed cheeks. Anger had beyond consumed her and all he could do was smile which infuriated her to no end.

She shoved him back with a forceful push of her hands. He didn't falter and so she pushed him back again. And again.

The Persian grabbed her hands and held them close to her chest. Her nostrils flared, exhaling heavily in short spurts.

"_Kizgin aslanim_," he uttered in her mother tongue.

Arielle stared at him with a furrowed brow. Being called an angry lioness was not a compliment in her eyes but she was too miffed by his response to lash out. Slowly, she lowered her guard around him and her breathing returned to normalcy.

"You're speechless now," he said with confidence.

"You know my language now?"

He smirked. "I am learning."

Her fists unclenched. "Why?"

"I want to hear the world as you do," he spouts off poetically.

She cocked her head, gazing into his dark eyes questionably. "What's wrong with you? Why do you like me? Can't you see that I am nearly impossible to deal with –that I disobey orders, commands, and don't care about anyone's view but my own?"

Xerxes stifled a laugh and held her hands close to his chest.

"I know," he said.

She raised an eyebrow. "You _know_?"

"I am very aware of _who_ you are, Arielle, and how you operate. I know it all and I like you for _you_. All of you."

**If anyone is curious about the song Arielle sang earlier in the chapter.**

**Link:**

[Sezen Aksu -Kursuni Renkler](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mRV8s7YJpCQ)


	29. Chapter 29

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> To cope with the immense stress in her life, Anastasia resorts to smoking opium to numb her feelings. Csaba is severely wounded in his line of duty, leaving his family wondering if he'll ever recover. Gabrielle tends to her wife's injury after a battle with the Persians. Sparks fly between Xerxes and Arielle after the war.

**Thank you to everyone reading along!**

Chapter 29 –_War upon War: Part II_

Mirac sat in bed next to his wife, sketching a portrait of her. He occasionally looked over to study her face when she wasn't looking. He sketched Cera with his back turned and even though Cera was busy with a sketch of her own, she tried to peek at his artwork. Playfully he shrugged her hand off his shoulder and kept inching away from her.

She smudged her fingers along the canvas, examined her charcoal sketch and smeared her charcoal covered fingers along her cheek accidently. Grunting she tried to wipe her face and evidently worsened it, blackening one side of her face.

Mirac kept feeling the mattress shift and he looked over his shoulder at Cera attempting to wipe her face with a cloth. Chuckling softly he went back to sketching and then she reached for his hand and yanked it behind his back.

"Cera!" he barked.

The sketchpad fell on the floor and he turned around with a frown. His face softened when he saw his palm resting on her abdomen. Cera's brown eyes widen gleefully as did her smile. He twisted his mouth, waiting anxiously.

"I don't feel anything," he said.

She kept a big grin and held up her other hand. Finally, he felt a few small flutters against his palm and he looked into her sparkling eyes.

"_çok güzel_," he spoke softly.

"_You should talk to the baby since I can't_," she signed with a big grin.

Mirac pulled his hand away and let out an awkward laugh. "What am I supposed to say?"

She shrugged her shoulder and waved her hands around to indicate him to say just about anything on his mind. His face appeared a bit apprehensive at the gesture so Cera pouts with her lips, fluttering her eyelashes and sneakily traced her finger against his arm.

With a roll of his eyes he relented. "You make it very difficult to say no when you make that face."

Yana slipped into the room to deliver a few linens for the room. She opened one of the large wardrobes and folded the linens neatly on a bench inside. As she was tending to the laundry she heard her little brother talking softly.

She leaned backward, peering from behind a half wall and raised an eyebrow. She grew accustom to hearing her brother talk aloud since Cera was unable to but the sight she saw was quite comical and even, dare she say, sweet.

After she finished putting away the last of the linens she walked into the inner bedroom and smiled. Mirac lifted his head and his cheeks reddened upon seeing his elder sister lingering at the end of the bed.

"Don't let me stop you," she avowed. "Go on, keep talking."

He rubbed his neck and bit his lower lip out of nerves. "I didn't know…you were standing there, Yana."

She could tell he was a little embarrassed. "I was just dropping off some linens and I was going to ask Cera if she wanted anything special from the kitchen," she casually said.

Cera quirked her mouth and couldn't think of anything and shook her head.

Yana nodded and slowly treated. "Alright then I will leave you two alone since you obviously have a lot to _discuss_," she openly teased her brother. "I'm going to see Anastasia Khatun to talk about the party. I'm sure I'll return later just to let you know."

Mirac groaned. "_Okay_, Yana. You may go now," he said under his breath and flicked a dangling strand of hair from his brow line. "Did you _know_ she was there?" he asked Cera.

The princess had a certain glint in her eyes.

* * *

Anastasia was updated constantly about the war a couple of hours away from Balaam. She received several letters from Navaz which were read by Zolten. She was tired of hearing talks of war and didn't like to hear that their side was neither winning nor losing at this point.

She kept to herself throughout these three weeks, secluded in her room, inevitably waiting for another letter from Navaz. To keep her mind occupied she focused on Cera for the most part but delved into her old habit of smoking opium in her suite. It was one of the reasons why she declared she shouldn't be bothered.

Yana knocked on the khatun's door and entered shortly after a few raps. Her eyes widened at the cloud of smoke in the room and she put a hand over her mouth, wafting the opium fog with a heavy hand. She treads cautiously and wrapped her veil over her mouth and nose.

As she parted the cloud of smoke she found Anastasia sitting on the floor with crisscrossed legs and a two foot tall brass water pipe in front of her. Yana uncovered her mouth and Ana raised her eyes, drawing in a large inhale and slowly blew out the smoke.

"Yes?" she stared at the chieftess. "If you've come with bad news I don't want to hear it."

"Ah," Yana smiled faintly, "I wanted to talk about Cera's party."

Anastasia nodded and paddled the empty pillow next to her. Yana sat down and kept gawking at the water pipe. Ana grinned and said, "Do not tell Cera about this. She hates it when I smoke opium."

So this has happened _before_, Yana thought.

"I won't, khatun. I…I already informed my brothers, sister and father about the party. We have a few months to prepare and since you're already doing so much I thought I could help you."

She was never one to organize parties and in fact she wasn't very good at it, despite enjoying the celebration and guests. She inclined her head for Yana to continue.

"I'm not familiar with senliks as I told Cera already. We do have something similar in Kazakhstan but the women and men celebrate separately. We could have all the women in the women's quarters together and the men could gather elsewhere."

Anastasia furrowed her brows and glared at the woman. "Mirac will not be in the same room as Cera?"

Yana fearfully answered, "That's correct but they _will_ spend the evening together."

She remembered the amount of compromise she had to endure when Farah had her senlik combined with Szekely traditions. That was a hassle, complicated and ended in a lot of arguing between Kreka and Rabia. She not only had to do that once but twice and she wasn't even consulted on the second celebration.

"I don't approve."

Yana frowned. "We could have two celebrations. A Pannonian party and the following day a party with Nezak traditions," she suggested.

The khatun blew a large puff of smoke into Yana's face and leaned in close. "She's _my_ daughter, Yana. I don't want two parties."

"And she's _my_ brother's wife," she quickly reminded her superior. "I want nothing more than to make Cera happy and I want to include Nezak traditions. Whether you like it or not, khatun, Cera's child belongs to our tribe first and yours second."

Anastasia fluttered her eyes and dropped her jaw.

"I think Cera should have the final say. I will discuss the options with her and get back to you," Yana said and rose off the floor. "Remember that is _your_ grandchild, khatun. I realize you are under a lot of stress and pressure to keep the empire afloat. I am merely here to make your life easier and I care about Cera very much. I'm not here to steal your glory."

Zolten urgently ran into the room, interrupting their conversation. He bowed and awkwardly stared at Yana and Anastasia.

"Forgive me for intruding but I bring news from the field."

Ana waved her hand. "What is it now?"

He eyed Yana and stood in silence.

"You can speak freely in front of her," she assured him. "What did Navaz say?"

"It's not a message from the king but from your daughter," he informed her.

Anastasia set down the water pipe's hose and creased her eyebrows together. This was the first time in weeks she received anything from her daughter. If it wasn't a letter from Navaz it would be from her mother second.

"Arielle?"

He swallowed and gawked at the look of shock on her face. "She requests your presence."

* * *

Gabrielle confined herself inside the tent and drew up a map to combat the Persians. While she heard quite a lot of yelling from Arielle outside she started to hear loud explosions. She only hoped those sounds were coming from their side and not the Persians camp.

It was hard to distinguish what was occurring outside in the field from within the tent but she tried to focus and draw up a plan per Xena's demands. She scrambled to smear the ink across the parchment and heard her wife enter with a loud growl.

Xena took off her headdress and threw it on the floor. She was drenched from head to toe, hair dripping wet and armor heavy. She detached the soaked cape from her shoulders and it fell to her boots with a loud thud.

"_Eight_ days!" she waved her finger in the air. "Eight days they've been attacking us!"

Gabrielle periodically lifted her eyes from the map. She paused at yet another explosion. "I hope those catapults are coming from us."

Xena spun around with a tight smile. "Those aren't catapults, Gabrielle. They're siege towers. And the Persians have two of them continuously firing at us."

"Siege towers!"

Xena nodded and walked over, leaning her palms on the desktop. "What do you have for me? Did you come up with a strategy?"

"Well…I wish I would've known about the siege towers," the governor muttered. "When you fought against Peroz with Navaz you used a Roman tactic to trap them but that plan isn't going to work since they have towers!" she tossed the parchment and sulked.

A loud clap of thunder roared across the sky as soon as Arielle rushed into the tent. She breathed heavily, covered in mud and soaked from the pouring rain. She clomped her way across the rug and wiped the globs of mud from beneath her eyes.

"Remember..." she slowed her breathing, "remember when you told me to tell you when I wanted to be reckless?"

Xena crossed her arms. "_What_ did you do?"

The drums in the camp sounded and Gabrielle immediately stood from the chair which she sat in. her eyes wandered and Xena whipped her head around with a wry way about her gaze. They both slowly turned their focus to Arielle.

"Arielle…" the governor made her way around the desk, "did you _invite_ someone to the camp?"

The flaps of the tent were parted by the two guards posted outside in the storm. Anastasia walked in and flipped the dark hood off her head and lifted her face veil. She brushed her wet long sleeves and smiled at everyone.

"I may not be able to see the chaos but I sure can hear it and I don't like what I hear," she announced.

Arielle sheepishly smiled at her mentors. "I invited mother to come help us. A little late to inform you two but I was a bit preoccupied. I hope you don't mind."

Xena stepped forward with clenched teeth. "I do _mind_," she hissed. "Anastasia," she grabbed her daughter's hand. "You shouldn't have come here. It's dangerous."

"I'm very aware mother but Arielle asked for my help. She wanted some insight on the campaign I lead with Ellac and Navaz years ago. If you recall, I won that war against the Shah Brothers."

Xena swiped her wet bangs away from her forehead. "I recall." She glared at Arielle. "You and I are going to have a little talk later."

* * *

Eksama pushed what little men the Huns had left behind the large wall that surrounded Banat. She not only slaughtered hundreds of men on the field but she also watched the war from afar underneath a large canopy. Now that she had her brother's army cornered she began firing at the wall with her front line of ballistic machines.

Behind the wall, Ernak continued to command the archers to keep firing at the Gepids. Every few minutes the ground shook from the explosives aimed directly at the wall. He lost a few archers every single time the wall took a massive blow.

He wiped his forehead and eyed the palace where his entire family was and breathed deeply. He no longer felt confident that he was going to win this war against his sister. As soon as the archers toppled over the wall he sent in new men to replace the ones lost.

Bayan ran down the stairs of the west wall and waved his arms to grab Ernak's attention. He too lost a lot of his Assyrian soldiers but he was the only person besides Ernak to remain unharmed. Csaba and Oran left the field but soon rejoined but ultimately were so severely wounded that they were sent to the palace to recover.

"She's going to tear down this wall!"

Ernak nodded and felt another hit. "I know…" he regretfully whispered.

"When that wall comes down she's going to raid the entire city!" Bayan yelled in between the explosions. "And then we're all fucked!"

The king frowned sadly and looked up at the dark clouds looming over the city. The air was moist, indicating rain. He almost welcomed the downpour as it might be a sign that could deter Eksama's men from breaking down the wall.

Bayan eyed the south wall begin to crumble and men fell to their deaths. With the little energy he had he didn't want to see his end by a Gepid's sword. He grabbed Ernak's arm, knocking him out of a hazy daze.

"I sent for aid!" he says loudly.

Ernak whipped his head around and tightened his jaw. "Arielle will never make it here in time!" he assumed Bayan meant Arielle.

Bayan smiled. "I figured! I sent for someone else!"

The king stared confusedly at Bayan and he turned to see the south wall had been broken down completely. Gepids began to make their way through the opening and swarm the area. He panicked and ran with Bayan to the west wall.

They climbed the stairs quickly and Ernak commanded the men below to protect the gates to the palace up ahead. He felt a few raindrops hit his nose as he tiredly ran to the remainder of the south wall and looked out onto the field of corpses.

He spotted Eksama sitting leisurely underneath a canopy, guarded by several of her men. No doubt she was enjoying this, he thought. Out in the distance he saw a large army heading towards the field. He cocked his head and turned to Bayan.

"Is this the backup you spoke of?"

Bayan nods with a smug grin. "I asked Ebnedzar for assistance."

Ernak's gloom outlook on this war left his mind and he embraced Bayan and gave him a big kiss to the cheek. He slapped him on the shoulder.

"I hate you a little bit less than I did before!" he cheered with a hearty laugh.

Bayan arched an eyebrow, unsure how to take the backhanded compliment.

* * *

Meanwhile in the palace Farah tended to Csaba's wound in the infirmary. Her sons were concerned for their father and begged her to allow them to stay to oversee his progress. The infirmary soon turned into a gathering for all the princes.

Oran was looked after by his mother even though he wasn't in nearly as bad condition as Csaba. Ursula forbade Yeter and Nisa into the infirmary and encouraged them to stay in a room together with their infant children. They were constantly watched over by Rabia.

Austraia took it upon herself to entertain the children by telling stories to distract them from the rumbling explosions outside. For the most part they paid attention except for the older princes. Edemen, Issik and Kurt lurked on the balcony, watching the battle and Gepids pouring into the city.

As far as Kurt knew, his father was alive but with all the chaos he couldn't make out who was who. He scanned the field and walked further out onto the balcony and a smile formed.

"Uncle Ebnedzar came!" he shouts. "He came with the rest of our army!" he ran into the infirmary.

Ursula sighed with relief and looked to Farah's sunken red eyes. She left Oran's side and grabbed the queen's wrist.

"Let me take over for awhile. You've been watching him for days."

Farah shook her head and sobbed uncontrollably the longer she stared at Csaba's unconscious state. Kurt's excitement faded when he saw Farah at her wits end. He rushed to her side and pried her off the bed which wasn't too difficult due to her lithe body.

He wrapped his strong arms around her thin frame and forcefully but gently, dragged her away from the bed. She continued to resist and dropped to the floor as he still had his arms around her waist. Tears streamed down her cheeks and she buried her face in her hands.

Aman and Aladar hesitantly walked over to their wailing mother. Aman, being the braver one of the twins, placed a hand on her shoulder.

"It's okay mom," he says in a soft voice. "Father will get better soon."

Farah choked and looked at her sons and smiled weakly. She cupped both of their cheeks and then brought them into a tight embrace.

* * *

With time not on their side, Anastasia quickly went over a few strategies that they could use to combat Kawus and the Karens. The siege towers were the main obstacle and with those still operating in the field nobody stood a chance even with the catapults aiming at the soldiers invading the field.

Arielle took in everything her mother said carefully. She absorbed the information like a sponge and understood what needed to be done. She wasn't sure if this plan was going to work but it could deter the Persians a bit longer so they could devise a more secure plan.

Underneath a canopy outside in the pouring rain, Anastasia stood with Gabrielle and Navaz. The three were not keen on staying in the camp but were not only ordered by Xena but also Arielle, to stay behind.

Gabrielle had been through several wars throughout her life and witnessed Xena ride out onto the field more times than she could count but this time she didn't want to see her in the field at all. But as she learned a long time ago; she couldn't stop her wife from doing anything.

Xena, Arielle and Xerxes trotted towards the canopy on horseback, dressed in dark heavy cloaks. Xena lifted the hood just above her eyes and smiled down at Gabrielle. She could see the anxiety and fear in the blonde's jade eyes.

"We've informed the front lines about the plan," said Xena. "Arielle, you will do what I told you."

The khagana smiled. "I remember the plan perfectly, grandma." She tapped her head.

Gabrielle stepped out into the rain and grabbed her wife's hand. "Come back in one piece."

"Don't I always?" she winked. She slowly steered her horse backwards and whistled at the Avar soldiers waiting for her to ride out into the field. Trotting ahead slowly down the hill, a legion of Avars followed her.

Arielle nudged her head to Xerxes and they split, one riding east, the other west. Anastasia sighed heavily and tapped her fingers on her folded arms. She felt Navaz's arm creep up behind her and her head turned upward.

"I don't like it that you came here," he thought to tell her.

"Who am I to defy our daughter's orders?" she teased and leaned into him.

* * *

Increasing speed, Xena guided the soldiers towards the center of the field. Her heart raced in her ears as they neared the lake where the siege towers were stationed. Holding her breath she drew her sword, riding directly towards a wall of Persians protecting the lake.

A ramming technique she learned a long time ago working for the Romans was never a strategy she liked to use. In fact it was deadly but she didn't tell Gabrielle that. The Persians guarding the lake were resilient and she couldn't fathom the stubbornness.

With a loud cry her sword swiped through a few Persians and the wall of soldiers was broken by an invasion of Avars behind her. The focus was not the ground soldiers at all. It was merely a distraction. She rounded the soldiers, galloping across the bridge beneath the lake. The goal was not to kill as many Persians as possible but to thwart their attacks.

Killing a minimal amount of Persians, she rode around the lake, making a large circle, dangerously close to Kawus' camp. She ducked at the arrows being aimed directly towards her. Her eyes focused on Arielle on the west side of the lake with two catapults.

Arielle raised her arm in the air and commanded her men to fire the catapults. The shot was directly aimed for the tower on the west. Xerxes waited for her signal and on the east side, he waved his hand to the ballistic line to aim for the other tower.

Xena looked back at Kawus scrambling in his camp. At this point he was panicking which brought a smile to her lips. Rounding the soldiers to the west side of the lake she felt a stab to her shoulder and inhaled sharply.

Gabrielle saw from under the canopy that Xena had been hit with a Persian's arrow. She gasped and watched as Xena broke the arrow shaft in half and kept riding through the field.

"What? What happened?" asked Ana. "Gabrielle! Tell me what happened!"

"Your mother," she paused, holding her breath, "was hit."

Arielle's eyes focused on her grandmother continuing to ride through the field, guiding the army back towards the Hun camp. She could see the pain written all over her face. Narrowing her eyes, she commanded for the catapults to keep aiming at the siege towers.

Taking it upon herself, she scanned the field and there was a group of Persian archers. They were continuing to shoot at her grandmother. She pulled out her bow and arrow from the holster. What a horrible aim, she thought.

Pulling back two arrows at a time, she released the arrows and hit two Persians. Whilst yelling at her men to continue firing, she continued shooting arrows with incredible speed and accuracy until the group of Persians fell on the muddy grass.

Gabrielle ran forward as soon as her wife returned to the camp. The sight of the arrow didn't alarm her as much as the paleness of Xena's face. She reached forward and tried to aid her wife off the horse and Xena grabbed her hand, attempting to dismount from the saddle gracefully.

Slowly her grip loosened and she slid off the saddle. Navaz darted forward and grabbed her before she collapsed to the ground. He scooped her into his arms and brushed by Anastasia, entering the nearby tent.

Ana grabbed Gabrielle by the arm. "Is my mother hurt badly?"

Gabrielle pats the khatun's hand and felt a lump in her throat. "She'll be alright." She has to be, she thought.

Multiple explosions from the field snapped Gabrielle back into reality. She spun around and saw both towers crumbling. She smiled at the fall of the siege towers and the Persians retreated from the bridge, running back towards their camp.

"Your daughter is just as crazy as your mother," she marveled.

Anastasia grinned and squeezed the blonde's arm.

* * *

Dawn approached and Ebnedzar was finally able to reunite with his little brother. They embraced and pat each other on the backs, laughing at the victory from Eksama's wrath. Not only did the Hun army push out the Gepids from the inner city, they also dissuaded Eksama from further attacking.

Ernak pulled away with a great big smile. "I really owe you one, brother."

"She's going to come back you know," he says to dampen the mood. "This was a battle won and a war lost, Ernak. Our insane sister is going to attack again."

The king nodded and sighed heavily. "At least let me enjoy this moment."

Bayan was busy helping the soldiers gather up the wounded to be transported to the mansion where he lived and the palace up ahead. He locked eyes with the sons of Attila and shied away, continuing to order the men around and pick up the pace even though everyone was beyond exhaustion.

He felt a hand on his shoulder and turned to see Ernak's beaming face.

"I really hate your guts," Ernak's smile faded and Bayan's eyes widened. "But you are a good soldier and excellent commander." That smile crept up on his lips again and Bayan relaxed his tense shoulders at the genuine praise.

"Thank you."

"If only you were a good husband to my niece," Ernak snidely said and slapped the Harran king's shoulder several times. "But perhaps I will put in a good word for you to Arielle since she is an empress now."

Bayan cleared his throat. "_Empress_?"

Ebnedzar chuckled at the awkward exchange between the two kings.

"Ah, it seems I forgot to mention that tiny detail," Ernak snickered. "Arielle is now the Empress or Khagana of the Avar Empire. I'm impressed with your skills on the field and I would like to work with you again but that is a discussion for another time."

He wrapped an arm around his elder brother's broad shoulders. "Come! We shall go see the women and tell them how victorious we were," he sauntered away with Ebnedzar.

Bayan muttered to himself and ran a hand through his long wavy hair.

"Are you coming, Bayan? I have wine and it's not that shitty Banat kind!" Ernak roared in laughter shortly after.

* * *

Rabia quietly entered the infirmary and closed the door. All of the princes were cuddled in a corner on the floor, sleeping together on a mound of pillows and blankets. Austraia was also asleep with her back against a wall and Muqan cuddled against her with his head resting on her thigh. Utighur lay his head on her other thigh, breathing deeply.

She smiled at the slumbering princes and made her way to the beds where Oran and Csaba lay, resting and recovering. Ursula was asleep on a chair next to Oran's beside and Rabia expected as much when she saw her little sister lying down next to Csaba on the bed.

She titled her head and loomed over her sister. She grabbed a blanket at the foot of the bed and draped it gently over Farah. A tug on her dress caused her to turn and she peered down at a very tired prince.

Aladar rubbed his eyes and yawned. "Teyze Rabia…" he mumbled.

She knelt down and smoothed out his bed hair. "Yes, _tatli cocuk_?" she whispered back.

"Is the war over?"

"Yes and we won!" she cheered quietly and kissed his forehead.

Aladar smiled and looked over at his parents. "Will my father wake up now?"

Rabia turned to her sister and Csaba then grabbed the prince's hand, ushering him away from the bed. The mind of a child was so simple but this child was no ordinary child and she certainly couldn't lie to him. He had his mother's incredibly smart intuition and sharp mind as well as her good looks. He wasn't a dumb boy by all means even though his questions were the same as every other six year old in the world. He expected a truthful answer.

She stared into his eyes that reminded her so much of Farah's. She sometimes wished she inherited even half the brains her sister had.

"He'll be alright, don't worry," she tried to assure him but the look on his face showed he wasn't convinced.

"But mom was crying all night!" he said louder than he should have.

Rabia nodded her head slowly and watched some of the children stir. "She's just worried about your father like you are. He'll wake up soon."

He crinkled his nose and pursed his lips. "You _promise_?"

"I promise." She pecked his hand. "Hey, there's some lokmas in the dining hall," she coaxed him to delve his feelings into eating sweets. "You'll be the first to eat the freshest lokmas of the day."

Aladar looked back at his slumbering twin brother. "Can Aman come too?"

"Of course!"

He smiled. "Okay!" he padded over to his brother and shook him awake.

* * *

Gabrielle dabbed a damp cloth on her wife's ghastly wound. Sleep didn't even occur to her and she remained awake for the remainder of the afternoon all the way up until the following morning. The hope of her wife waking up did not come though a sense of relief overcame her each time she saw the rise and fall of Xena's chest.

She was still alive and she was breathing, although a bit sharply and painfully, Gabrielle imagined. She replaced the bandages three times since the hit. Navaz was kind enough to remove the arrow's shaft yesterday and stayed to pick out the splintering wood with tweezers.

As she kept her eyes firmly on her wife she counted how many times she'd been put in this situation throughout their lives. Each time was the same; the same fear of death encroaching on them both. It never made it any easier.

She wanted to slap her and she would probably keep that in mind later after the recovery period ended. Every single time Xena went into the field a little piece of Gabrielle left. This time she wasn't in the field alongside her and she understood why. Xena wanted to be in charge of everything much like Arielle.

Gabrielle did all that she could and now it was time for the waiting game. This was the worst part of it all –not being hit by an arrow but the waiting. So much waiting. She held her wife's limp hand and swallowed the large lump in her throat which traveled to her tightened chest.

"I know you'll be alright," she says aloud. "Just like all the other times."

The corner of her mouth twitched.

"You are insane and I will never get tired of saying that."

She leaned forward and brushed a strand of silver hair away from Xena's sweaty cheek.

"You've always complained about your hair," she mused. "But I like it. It definitely suits you."

All she could think about was how she might get slapped later for remarking on any comments concerning her wife's few strands of silver sprinkled through the raven locks. A sense of mocking fear surged through her as she thought Xena might be listening to every single word she was saying out aloud.

She continued to wait in silence, holding onto the khanum's hand, squeezing it gently. The exhaustion began to weigh on her and the lids of her eyes started to shade her vision. She felt a return squeeze of her hand and jolted awake.

"Xena?" she whispered.

A twinge of a smile formed on Xena's mouth and Gabrielle beamed. Leaning over to inspect her wife's wound she found slight discomfort on her wife's face. A breathy exhale escaped her lips before she fell into a deep state of sleep again.

Gabrielle sighed and sat back. At least she was alive but that also meant she was listening. The governor grinned, somewhat satisfied that she'd been heard and Xena was alright. The firm grip on her hand was still present more than comforting.

She gradually descended onto the floor, still holding onto her wife's hand, and fell asleep with her knees curled close to her chest.

* * *

Anastasia anxiously awaited in Navaz's tent for his return. She bit her fingernails and heard boots approaching. She tried to stand up and a gentle hand pushed her back down on the sprawled rugs. Navaz smiled and sat down next to her.

"Is she alright?"

"Yes," he said and relief crossed her features. "I checked on her and she's asleep and so is Gabrielle."

Ana nods. "Good, good."

He stripped himself of his armor hours ago and was now in a light fresh tunic and fresh pants. He kept his gaze upon her and grabbed her hand to hold in his.

"I doubt Kawus is going to pull back anytime soon."

"I wouldn't expect any less from Persians but he is odd. He doesn't attack like a normal Persian would and he had siege towers! Who has siege towers?!" she scoffed.

Navaz stifled a laugh. "We're going to be at war with him for a long time."

She nodded and felt a firm grip on her hand. Turning her head slightly she smiled softly, blinking her pale blue eyes that were once so vibrant. For such a tall, strong and intimidating looking man, Navaz was soft and had a huge heart. Nothing changed with him. He was also an incredible enabler when it came to Arielle and the woman he once called wife.

"You _know_…" she trailed a finger along his muscular bicep. "Your daughter really likes Xerxes."

He groaned and that instantly turned his mood sour. "She's _your_ daughter now, remember?"

Ana grimaced and punched his arm, quite hard actually, more than usual. He winced and cowered in fear of her. The two stared at each other and then laughed softly.

"You must stop doing that," he jests. "Why are all the women in this family so violent?"

"It's in our nature I suppose," she says nonchalantly and playfully flutters her eyelashes.

He shifts and averts his gaze elsewhere. "I will send someone to take you back to Balaam."

"I want to stay," she protests. "With you. I want to stay with _you_," she professed coyly.

"You can't stay here, Anastasia. This is a war zone."

"What's your point?" she scooted closer to him. "I've been in several war zones with you." her fingers traveled up his chest and she bit her lower lip.

Navaz widens his eyes and he immediately stood up. "_Ana_."

She leapt forward, not expecting him to retreat. "Sit down!" she ordered.

He did as he was told and the sneaky smile returned to her lips. He inhaled deeply and closed his eyes as her hands roamed along his chest then to his abdomen and then to his thigh. His eyes shot wide open and he grabbed her hand.

"What are you doing?"

"Oh I see. You are refusing me now?"

"No, no!" he smiled tensely.

"Good." She shoved him down to the floor and climbed on top of him. She pinned down his arms. "You have guards posted outside this tent, right?"

His mouth parted. "Yes?" he says unsure.

"Tremendous."

* * *

In the middle of her tent Arielle sat, pouring a pan of water over her hair. She'd hardly gotten any sleep and desperately wanted to wash her hair of the mud and dirty rainwater. She was missing the baths in her new palace right about now.

This water was frigid but at this point she didn't care. She poured another pan of the cold water over her arms and closed her eyes as the water rained down over her head and face. Setting the pan down, she smoothed her palms over her curly soaked locks.

"Good morning."

A familiar voice sounded behind her and she turned around. She shyly smiled at Xerxes and wrapped her arms around the wet towel around her body.

"Morning yourself," she greeted. She wiped her face with a cloth and rung out the water remnants of her long hair into the pan set on the floor.

"How do you manage to keep such long hair?" he asked with mild curiosity.

Arielle chuckled and tugged at the knots in her hair with a simple run-through with her fingers. "My mother's hair is almost to her ankles."

He raised his eyebrows. "I've seen. It's quite impressive."

She focused on ridding her hair of the knots and looked up to his wandering eyes. He decided to sit and watch her. Laughing under her breath she reached for a comb and extended her hand.

"Might as well make yourself useful."

He gawked at the comb and then she slid down onto the floor, waving the comb in his face. He grinned and took the comb and gently ran it through her curls. They sat in silence for a few minutes until their eyes met briefly.

"Your parents really love each other."

She rolled her eyes. "I don't think they truly _loved_ each other until many years after their divorce." She paused and laughed. "You know, if my father could throw rose petals behind my mother when she walked I bet he would!" she joked.

Xerxes arched an eyebrow. "Still, it's obvious they care deeply for one another. And your grandmother and the governor too."

Her cheeks flushed. "Yes. They –they've known each other for such a long time. Before I was born even." She tried to avoid all subjects related to love. "They've known each other since my mother was a teenager."

"Is that so?"

"Mhm."

Xerxes could tell she was being rather shy which was odd for her. He continued combing her hair in silence. "Arielle."

Oh no, here it comes, she thought.

"Hmm?"

"I think you've figured out I'm not going to leave and you're afraid of that."

She rubbed her throat. "I'm not afraid of _anything_."

"You don't have to act tough around me, Arielle," he found it amusing. "Although I admire your spirit but I guess you're just going to continue to push me aside out of pride. That's pretty _low_ of you," a smile appeared.

Arielle frowned. "Shut up."

"There it is. I was wondering when you were going to spout off with that obnoxious mouth of yours," he chortled.

She leapt forward and pushed him onto his backside and leered over him. The towel around her body slowly slid off her tattooed body and the Persian's eyes wandered to her bare breasts.

"Got something else to say, _Persian_?" a curl to her lips formed into a mischievous smile.

"Maybe?"

She grumbled and met lips with his forcefully and he could feel the air practically being sucked out of him. She yanked her mouth away with a satisfactory smile.

"What about _now_?"

"I –I don't have any objections."

She smiled and ripped the towel off her body and threw it behind her. She reached for the laces on his pants and sat on his thighs. Xerxes grabbed her hands and she gave a menacing frown.

"Your…father?"

"Is probably having sex with my mother," she says indifferently.

* * *

Late in the afternoon Xena awoke with a sharp aching pain in her left breast. She tried to sit up and moaned softly. She felt a weight on holding down her right arm and scooted over on the cot. Grinning, she gazed down at Gabrielle sleeping on the floor with no blanket or mat beneath her.

She hissed and reared her head back on her folded cape. "God dammit!"

Gabrielle shot up and immediately cupped her wife's cheeks. "You're awake!" she kissed her cheeks, forehead, nose and then her lips generously. Pulling away with a grand smile and kissed her wife's forehead again.

"Gabrielle…" she complained. "Alright, alright!"

"Oh." The blonde retracted her hands. "Sorry."

She momentarily forgot about the wound. "I stayed up all night waiting for you to wake up. I thought you weren't going to awaken."

Xena scoffed. "_Please_." She put a hand over the bandaged wound. "I promised I wouldn't leave you besides I could _hear_ you."

"Oh really…" she sheepishly sank down on the floor. "What did you hear _exactly_?"

"You like my _hair_," she grossly sneered at her petite wife. "At least one of us likes it." She teased and then coughed.

Gabrielle reached for a skin filled with water and aided in helping Xena sit up slightly to sip the water. After taking heaping gulps of water she eased her back down to a gentle resting position. The goofy smile on her face was enough to cause Xena discomfort by laughing so she refrained.

"Should I expect a lecture from you about my _recklessness_?"

"Not today." Gabrielle said. "Maybe later." she winked. "I'm just glad you're alright."

Xena nodded and took in a painful breath. "Yeah, it could've been worse. The arrow could've been laced with poison."

"_Xena_!" she groaned and heard her wife release a short snicker. "What am I going to do with you?"

"You _love_ me."

Gabrielle rolled her eyes dramatically. "You're lucky in that respect."

"I'm just a lucky person." She waved her hand, feigning innocence.

"I'll say." Gabrielle shook her head. "Kawus is still across the lake, fuming at the bits I'm sure. He will attack again but I'm sure he'll have to gather more troops. That will buy us some time."

Xena nods and grazed her fingers along the bloody gauze. "I'm going to find that bastard who shot me."

"It's been taken care of. Arielle killed the archer and then _some_…"

The khanum puckered her lips and gave a curt nod of her head. "Good girl."

"You didn't keep your promise."

"What are you on about?"

Gabrielle nudged her head to the arrow wound. "You promised to come back in _one_ piece."

Xena sighed heavily. "I still have all my limbs, don't I?"

* * *

Navaz yawned and stretched an arm over his head. He rolled over to Anastasia's slender bare backside, lying on her side, sleeping soundly. He rested his weight on his elbow and carefully ran his fingers through her hair sprawled across the fur skins. A lot of damn hair, he mused.

He was about to reach beneath the blanket until one of his soldiers entered the tent. He frowned at the young man with a bowed head.

"_What_?"

"A letter from Shehzade Kawus, your highness." The soldier briskly walked over and handed over the scroll and backed out of the tent swiftly.

He sat up with the blanket draped over his lower half and read the Persian's letter. His growl awakened the woman beside him and he turned to her with a smile.

Anastasia rolled over and brushed a mound of hair behind her shoulder. "Who was that?"

"A soldier. I got a threatening message from Kawus."

"Oh?"

He rumbled. "He said he will stop at nothing to take all of Armenia and any territories I possess."

"_Persians_." She spat. "Thinking they can own the world. Such entitlement!"

She reached for her dress and lazily slipped it over her head and slid her arms through the sleeves. She felt an arm wrap around her waist and she snapped her head around.

"Not now," she whispered.

"Why not?"

"My mother awaits me!" she paddled his cheek and grabbed onto his shoulder to stand up.

Disappointment and mild aggravation was apparent on his face at any mention of Xena.

"Don't you want to know if my mother has recovered?"

"Of course…" he relented. "She has Gabrielle with her," he adds meekly.

"Navaz!" she whacked the back of his head and snatched her veil off the floor then exited the tent.


	30. Chapter 30

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Anastasia reveals that she might have residual feelings for Navaz to Gabrielle. While Xena offers to help her granddaughter negotiate with the Scythian clergy, Gabrielle stays behind to help fight the Persians. In Balaam, Cera fears for the safety of her unborn child when she is plagued with intense, unbearable pain.

**We made it to 30 chapters, y'all! I will be making the chapters much longer from here on out because there's just so much to cover so I hope y'all enjoy that lol. Thanks for reading!**

Chapter 30

_Constantinople_

Khagana Arielle. The one person Justinian didn't expect to claim the deceased Avar Empress' throne. He expected more from Jiulu after all he had done for her. Over the years he had hope that the Huns wouldn't make their way back into Scythia but that hope was washed away. Justinian relished the control over Christian Scythia but now that posed quite a problem since Arielle was the new ruler of that area.

He lay dormant as his enemy's empire slowly fell apart. Ever since he came to know that Eksama conquered Pannonia his chances to weasel his way into the broken Hun Empire was wide open. He could rush into Banat and Dalmatia and take everything if he wanted to but instead he waited. His desire to wait and see how things were going to play out between the daughter of Attila and the rest of the clan overcame him.

Recently, he sent his wife, Theodora, to search Scythia and get in touch with the head Bishop of the renowned cathedral in Scythia. He waited for her arrival any moment now.

The wait had not lasted long as his wife walked into the room. He turned with a smile and set down a goblet of wine he'd been sipping on for more than an hour.

"Theodora," he greeted her with a kiss to each cheek. "How was your trip to Scythia? I trust you have news for me."

"Not good news I'm afraid," she relays and his eyes twitched. "As you know, the Hun princess is the Empress of the Avar Empire. I fear that she will not abide by the agreement we previously had with Khagana Jiulu."

Justinian rubbed his beard pensively. "Yes, I'm aware that the Huns are not our greatest allies at the moment. When have I ever been friendly with them?" he laughs lightly. "I've sparred them a great deal of hurt. They have their hands full with Eksama and the Persians, I hear."

"Their empire is fractured," she rejoices with the emperor. "But not entirely."

"Because of the new Hun empress," he murmured. He turned to the window, overlooking the Black Sea and sighed heavily. "Theodora, I want to make a pact with the new empress."

She frowns at the idea and approached her husband. Laying a gentle but firm hand on his shoulder, Justinian spun around to face her irate gaze.

"I'm in no position to question you but…I don't understand why you'd want to ally with our greatest enemy," she tells him vehemently.

"If she's smart she will listen to reason to prevent an all out war against her own _kind_. You can't take the Hun out of anyone no matter what empire they rule over."

"But she's a pagan!" she screeched.

Justinian narrows his eyes and his wife quickly composed herself, straightening her posture and rolling her shoulders back and met his gaze with a calmer demeanor.

"We'll see how much she cares about her people when I offer her a deal." He took a step closer and pinched Theodora's chin. "It's simple, dear wife. She allies with us or I will make a pact with Eksama and wipe out the entire Hun Empire –every single tribe will be swept clean." He smiles at his plan.

* * *

This humidity did absolutely nothing to help her recover even days after the injury. Xena cursed under her breath as she shifted on the floor. She wrapped a blanket around her body and tried not to make hard movements with her left shoulder. She expected Gabrielle to reprimand her for deliberately riding into the heat of danger but so far she received nothing but kindness.

Her body was not immune to arrow or blade wounds yet she hadn't gotten that through her thick skull yet even after all the years of experience she had on the field. She came to the realization that her body was not the same as it used to be. Yes, she was in impeccable shape and maintained her figure and she wasn't riddled with disease or illness but she wasn't thirty anymore.

An arrow wound could've killed her and she was lucky to be alive right now. As much as she liked being on the field, riding on horseback, sword in hand, decked in armor, she knew that she just wasn't able to do it anymore. Gabrielle, ten years younger than she, told her this several times before but she refused to listen.

Now, she wishes she would've.

Arielle walked into the tent wearing a dark backless dress that showcased all of her tattoos that her father despised. After Xena finished fidgeting with the blanket she gazed at her granddaughter's slender bare arms covered in dark tribal ink.

She never was one for ink markings on the skin even though it was common among the tribes. Ebnedzar had several as did Oran. She even came to find out Csaba had a few hidden. She wondered if Anastasia knew about that.

"It's nice of you to grace me with your presence," Xena smiled with tight lips. "It's been three days since I've seen your face."

"Sorry about that," Arielle shies away. "Mother told me you were doing well so I didn't feel the need to bother you."

Xena blinked. "Nice to know that you _care_," she remarks.

"It's not like that, grandma!" she laughs. "Anyway, you asked for me? What did you want to talk about?"

This discussion had been planned out ever since Xena laid eyes on her daughter when she appeared on the battlefield. She warned Arielle about behaving recklessly and making haste decisions but no matter what she said, Arielle never listened. She didn't appreciate that she wasn't consulted on Anastasia's sudden arrival. It irked her to no end. Anastasia was no child but a woman with several years experience as a queen and warrior on the field, but she would still always be Xena's little girl in her eyes.

She decides to rival Arielle and toy with her for a moment to see her reaction to what she was about to say.

"I wrote Ku and told her to bring Aurora here," she says.

All color drained from Arielle's face.

"Since you're such an important person now I figured Aurora should get used to the field. It's in her blood after all." Xena waited for the eruption.

Arielle clenched her fists. "How could you do that?" her heart sank. "She's only five years old! She's a little girl! She shouldn't be anywhere near a warzone! Why didn't you consult me about this? How dare you –"

"_How dare_ _I_?" Xena interjects with a sly grin. "Relax, _tatli_ _kiz_." She reclined on the pillows. "Aurora isn't coming here."

"…what?"

"I know this must be a hard thing for you to grasp but I'm not _just_ your grandmother," her voice firm yet gentle. "Your mother is _my_ daughter just like Aurora is _your_ daughter."

Arielle licked her dry lips and tipped her head downward, unsure of where this conversation was going.

"You put my daughter in imminent danger. She can barely see for god's sake, Arielle!" she snapped, causing the young empress to flinch.

"Oh…I see _now_," she whispered. "I didn't think about it like that. I should've told you first, I know."

Xena raised her chin. "I'm not really in a position to argue with you anymore, Arielle. You're no longer beneath me as a princess and I'm really one for _hierarchy_ but you're an empress now. I'll be there to help you as much as you need but you –" she paused.

Arielle didn't feel like an empress right now. She felt like the fifteen year old princess she used to be. The idea of being a ruler of a huge empire had yet to sink in even after a few months since her reign began.

"Can I advise you?"

"Please do."

"I _advise_ you to keep me informed of everything you do and plan to do," Xena touched her left shoulder and winced. "I'm supposed to be your ambassador and I don't like being clueless so please, next time inform me of your plans."

"I will. Thank you," the khagana smiled and her grandmother returned the gesture. "I'm so used to _you_ telling me what to do that now…I'm not sure what to do. I'm an empress!" she cheers excitedly. "But you're still my family and I don't want that to change."

Xena nodded. "Just remember not to show any favoritism with your fellow _allies_. That includes me, Gabrielle, your mother, father and yes, that also includes Farah, Csaba and Ernak. They're your family but they're also monarchs just like you."

She thought of all the times she had continuous arguments with Arielle since she was a child and what Gabrielle told her. She was hard on her but for good reason but now that Arielle was older, she could no longer treat her the way she used to. She also realized she never gave her any compliments and only focused on the negatives.

"You did a very good job knocking down the siege towers," she says.

At that, Arielle's face lit up. "You think so? I thought the execution could've been better."

"Yeah and maybe I _could've_ been more careful," she eyed her shoulder wound.

* * *

Even though the Persians were in dangerously close proximity, the two warring sides regrouped, gathered the wounded and dead from the field. Everything was quiet on the field and both camps were visible to one another.

Gabrielle still had to act as governor for the empire and that meant documenting every detail that occurred during the siege. While she tended to Xena's injury that set her back a bit and she unfortunately had to leave her side and find a quiet place to write.

She stationed her desk underneath a canopy outside so she could enjoy the fresh air while she wrote. She just finished writing about the desecration of the Persian siege towers and set the parchment aside. She noticed Anastasia walking by herself and struggling a bit, unsure of her whereabouts.

"Ana!" she called out, alarming the khatun.

She set the quill in the ink well and hurried over to hook arms with Anastasia and lead her to the canopy. It was strange to see Ana in this state. She'd known the khatun since she was thirteen years old and now approaching middle age, she never imagined Ana would have three children, become the queen mother of the empire and have her sight taken from her.

"Sit with me. I was just finishing up my work," says Gabrielle and offered Ana her chair.

"You don't have to baby me, Gabrielle." She did gladly take the offered chair though. "I can get around better than you think."

The governor smiled and organized her work into a leather folder. "I know you're capable of taking care of yourself, Ana. You always have been. But you should give me and your mother at least _some_ credit."

"Oh," the khatun smiles and waved her hand. "I would be lost without you two and quite _literally_ now," she joked. "I know my mother isn't happy that I'm here but she doesn't have to worry for much longer because Navaz is _forcing_ me to go back to Balaam today."

"A wise man," Gabrielle alleged.

Ana turned her head to the tent across the field. Her other senses heightened after she lost nearly all of her sight and she still wasn't used to it. She didn't like hearing quiet conversations from afar although sometimes it was useful. She could hear Arielle talking with her mother and creased her eyebrows.

Gabrielle packed the folder into her satchel and stared at the khatun's curious face. She eyed the tent and slung the satchel strap over her shoulder.

"Arielle is doing fine in Scythia," she assured the worried khatun. "It was a tough adjustment at first but I think she's doing much better now. Aurora loves the new palace. I'm sure she's bossing around those maids right now."

Anastasia's lips twisted into a smile. "I do miss her. She was very unhappy in Banat."

"Maybe…you could stop by?" she suggested and Ana's eyes amplified. "You could bring Cera too. Scythia isn't that far from Balaam."

Being a proper woman that she was now, Ana had a hard time containing her emotions but her smile did nothing but expose the ecstatic feeling she had inside.

"Well," she regained her poise, "I _do_ miss being surrounded by children. I was very spoiled in Pannonia and Banat when I had all of the children around me. And I'm sure Cera would love to see Aurora and…the palace of course."

Gabrielle chuckled at Ana putting on her stern queen exterior.

An Avar soldier dressed in his crimson armor and robes approached the governor. He inclined his head and held out two metal tubes, holding very important letters.

"Governor, I have a message from Sukhra Karen and another from Advisor Kuba."

She side-eyed Anastasia then grabbed both messages, thanking the messenger soldier. She set down the letter from Kuba and held Sukhra's in her palms. The metal tube was beautifully decorated with gold leaves etched on the case. _Persians and their obsession with gold_.

She screwed off the top of the tube and set it aside and pulled the scroll out with a finger. She could almost _hear_ the Persian's severity in the words written in the message as she read silently. She figured that the subject of Pamira Karen was going to turn up sooner or later but she didn't expect it to be during a war.

"I have to take this to Arielle," she said after finishing reading.

Ana gripped the chair's arms. "What did it say?"

"Sukhra demands his daughter be returned to him. Arielle is going to have to talk to him personally because as of now…" she paused, looking out at the Persian camp across the lake. "Pamira belongs to the Hun Empire."

"I knew it was a bad idea to let Soran marry that girl but who knows? Maybe the House of Karen will become our ally now that Pamira is part of our tribe."

Gabrielle raised an eyebrow and smiled knowingly at the khatun. "She's part of _Navaz's_ tribe," she corrected.

"That's –that's what I meant."

"You said _our_ tribe, meaning you and Navaz."

Anastasia shifted uncomfortably and pulled the dark veil over her face to hide her well known emotions.

"I'm still in charge of the empire, Gabrielle. I control Navaz's kingdom even though _my_ own tribe is scattered. I just meant that Pamira is part of our family now."

She tried to fix whatever mixed message she was trying to convey and she did it so poorly that Gabrielle's smile inflated at the khatun's disposition.

* * *

The attack a few days prior put an immense amount of stress on the ballistic weapons legion. Navaz was not normally in charge of ballistic weapons but since all of the catapults belonged to him he made sure that necessary repairs were made. As he stood off to the side, making sure the machines were properly tended to he couldn't help but shake his head.

Arielle was an excellent ballistic weapons commander and she's proven that several times but he wished she was more careful with the catapults. They were fired several times during the attack and at least three out of six were damaged. He wasn't sure if any of them could be repaired if Kawus was to attack again.

Also, more than fifty bows were beyond repair and even Arielle almost ruined her infamous bow during the attack. Navaz put a note in the back of his mind to commission a new bow for her with a stronger pull. He couldn't fathom that a woman of her weight pulling a bow more than fifty pounds but apparently she was stronger than she appeared to be.

One of General Zolten's officers stayed to oversee the repairs and Navaz whistled, drawing his attention to come talk. Hayk ran over but kept an eye on the soldiers.

"Yes, your majesty?" he bowed.

"Tell Gabrielle that I want a bow commissioned for my daughter," said Navaz.

Hayk nodded and quickly walked over to the tents. Shehzade Xerxes overheard the conversation between Hayk and the king. He casually sauntered over to the White Hun King and stood beside him. Navaz caught the Persian out of the corner of his eye and frowned.

"Shehzade," he greeted sourly.

"I heard you are going to have a bow made for Khagana Arielle."

Navaz grunted as a response and refused to look at the prince.

Xerxes smiled knowing that he was not well liked by the king at all. "I have an excellent bowman back in Persia. I would be honored if you allowed me to have a traditional Persian recurve bow made for her."

The king smoothed his thumb and forefinger along his mustache and exhaled deeply.

"We use only the best materials. She seemed to really like _my_ bow a lot," said Xerxes, continuing to talk while he was being blatantly ignored. "I even promised Princess Aurora to help her design and make a bow."

Navaz's eyes widened and he turned to the prince. "You stay _away_ from my granddaughter, Shehzade," he growled. "And while you're at it, stay away from my daughter too."

"I'm not like my brother, your highness," Xerxes chose his words wisely. "I'm not Bayan either. If Arielle allowed it I would make sure that Bayan was no longer a lingering problem for her _or_ your family."

Navaz creased his eyebrows and rubbed his lips together, glaring at the Persian. His temper somewhat simmered down after Xerxes made a threatening comment about Bayan. He really hated that man and he was glad to know that Bayan was disliked by a _Persian_ as well.

"Arielle is very special to me," he said. "Her being an empress does nothing to change the fact that she's my most prized possession."

The prince gathered that from his first meeting with Arielle's father. Certainly, he was very protective of the women in his family.

"I like your daughter very much."

"I know…" Navaz mumbled. "Do you have a wife back in Persia, Shehzade?"

"No…your highness."

Navaz smiles at the prince and pats his shoulder. He walked closer to the catapults to get a closer look of the repairs. "You may commission the bow to be made," he called out. "Tell Hayk to give the order to Gabrielle. I will pay for the labor and materials."

* * *

"Hmm."

Arielle went back and forth between both letters she received. She hoped that this wouldn't come to light until much later but it was obvious that it was unavoidable. Her grandmother was right about Empress Theodora sticking her nose where it didn't belong.

"Hmm," she says aloud again.

Xena drummed her fingers on her knee impatiently. "Are you going to stare at the letters all day or make a decision?" she griped.

"I'm thinking!"

Gabrielle offered a suggestion. "Why don't you go back to Scythia and speak with the clergy? I could go speak to Sukhra Karen with your father."

"I guess I could do that." Arielle deduced and looked back at her grandmother. "What do you think I should do?"

"Let Gabrielle handle Sukhra. She's much better with political affairs," Xena complimented her wife and sent a smile her way. "As for the clergy…I want to go back with you. Those so called _men_ _of_ _God_ are going to rip you apart. They work for Justinian _not_ for the church."

"Xena, I don't think you should be traveling," Gabrielle interrupted before Arielle could get a word in.

"I'll be fine," Xena replied sharply. "Scythia's only a few days ride from here."

Arielle was caught in the middle of her mentors and raised her hand to speak.

"Well, I was –"

"You're hurt! You shouldn't be riding anywhere. What if your stitches open and you start bleeding out? Or you get a fever?"

Xena groaned and scratched her scalp anxiously. "Gabrielle, I appreciate the concern but I've had worse injuries than an arrow to the shoulder."

Arielle clapped her hands several times to grab the women's attention. They finally stopped bickering and she huffed, eyes darting from side to side, frowning at the two women.

"_Thank_ _you_," she released a deep breath. "Gabrielle, I'll take care of grandma. Nothing will happen to her."

"I'm not a child," Xena barked.

"No but you're as stubborn as a mule," Arielle combated. "Just because I've had several years of training doesn't mean I'm skilled in conducting political meetings. I would really like grandma's help so I'm going to take her back to Scythia with me."

Xena smiled smugly at her wife. "You hear that, Gabrielle? She needs my _skills_."

"I'd _pay_ to see you negotiate with clergymen," Gabrielle teased.

"Governor! Officer Hayk here. Might I have a word with you?" he called from outside the tent.

This may have been one of the busiest days she had in awhile. Gabrielle stepped outside to the officer with his back turned. She remembered that the men here weren't permitted to _look_ at any of the women in Navaz's family.

"What is it? More news from Kawus?"

"No, governor. The king is commissioning a Persian bow for Khagana Arielle. All costs will be covered by the king and paid to Shehzade Xerxes."

Gabrielle's mouth parted and she was speechless.

"Okay…" she rocked back and forth on her heels. "Can I ask _why_?"

"The king deems it appropriate, governor."

"Hmm, alright. I need to speak with Navaz. Tell him I will meet with him soon. We're going to speak with Sukhra Karen."

Hayk bowed and ran back to the other side of the camp, leaving her in utter shock and confused.

She walked back into the tent with two pairs of eyes waiting for her to spill. Startled by their mirrored expressions she felt cornered by the blue eyed women.

Xena narrowed her eyes, zeroing in on her wife's bemusement. "What was that about?"

"Navaz…is having a bow made for Arielle," she relays and looked to Arielle's happy grinning face. "It's a gift from Xerxes."

Arielle emits a pearly white grin. "Wow! A bow? For _me_?"

Xena's eyes dart from Arielle then to Gabrielle. "Your father sure knows how to spoil you. _Where_ can I find someone like that?"

"Do _you_ want a bow too?" chided Gabrielle.

* * *

Sukhra was informed that he was going to meet with the Hun king. He waited in his tent for the king's arrival. He didn't expect a private meeting with the Hun king and was advised by Shehzade Kawus to be overly cautious during the meeting.

Navaz and Gabrielle were escorted through the tent's entrance and Sukhra sat up on the cushioned bench on which he sat. Navaz took a step forward and swords were pointed at him and his accompanied guest.

"I recommend your men put down their weapons, Sukhra," said Navaz. "We don't want this meeting to get off to a bad start."

The Karen nobleman nodded to his men to stand down. "To what do I owe this visit, Hun king? Did you get my letter about my daughter?"

"That's why I'm here. I brought my governor to record our conversation. I hope you don't mind."

Gabrielle smiled at the Persian and pulled out her notepad and feather pen. She was given a place to sit at a small table and dipped the quill in the ink, ready to write. She and Navaz were given harsh glares from Shehzade Kawus when they entered the camp. If they were smart they wouldn't harm them as the Hun camp was just across the lake, armed and vigilant.

"My Khanum kidnapped your daughter," began Navaz. "I didn't order her to do that. That order came directly from my daughter who is now the ruler of the Avar Empire."

Sukhra was chomping at the bits and bobbed his leg up and down, glaring at the Hun king.

"You must understand that the only reason your daughter was taken was to spite you for attacking Pannonia. You held the entire clan hostage for the sake of obeying Shehzade Kawus' orders."

"I want my daughter, Hun king!" Sukhra yelled, slamming his fist on the bench.

"I do feel your frustration, Sukhra. I have a daughter of my own. I don't wish any harm to come to your daughter. She's well taken care of at my home in Balaam."

Gabrielle lifted her head and saw the tension between the two men. Navaz took a long pause before speaking again.

"I can't give your daughter back to you because she's been married to my son, Prince Soran."

Sukhra's lip quivered and he stood up angrily. "_Married_?!"

Navaz smiled and nodded. "Yes, she belongs to the Hun Empire. You are bound to me now. Your House is tied to mine through your daughter's marriage. This being said…your allegiance to Shehzade Kawus and his rebellion is _void_."

Not long after the discussion Sukhra was forced to submit to Navaz. He didn't put up much of a fight to argue but sent menacing glares. Gabrielle quickly wrote a treaty which should have been signed months ago when Soran married Pamira.

She blew on the wet ink and presented the document on the table. Navaz and Sukhra stood at either end of the table and stared at the foreboding marriage alliance treaty.

"I need both of your signatures." She held out two quill pens. "Once this is signed you forfeit your allegiance to Shehzade Kawus and fight on _our_ side. Do you agree?"

Sukhra grunted and snatched the pen out of her hand. "I do," he hissed.

The names were signed and Gabrielle took the treaty and gently placed it into a folder. She took a step back, wondering what was going to happen next. This was probably the most amenable meeting she ever had in her entire life as a scribe.

Navaz grinned triumphantly. He held out his hand to the Persian.

"I look forward to our families merging as one. My son is very pleased to be married to your daughter. May our children live happily and give us several grandchildren in the future!"

Sukhra firmly gripped the Hun king's hand, staring intensely into the dark eyes opposite him.

Gabrielle and Navaz left the Persian's tent, walking out of the Persian camp escorted by Avar soldiers to ensure their safety. She released a sigh of relief and smiled up at the king.

"That went better than expected!"

"I wouldn't celebrate too soon, Gabrielle. I am expecting Kawus to retaliate once he finds out his main ally has abandoned him. We should get back to the camp immediately before we're attacked."

She looked over her shoulder to see Sukhra walking towards Kawus' tent.

"Good thinking." She quickened her pace.

* * *

If she would've known that she'd have to attend classes with private tutor she would've stayed back in Banat. Aurora loved being in a new palace and the best part was that she could ask the maids to do whatever she wanted. Most of the servants were Scythian and very few were Avar.

Kuba assigned a tutor to the princess and every day she sat on the floor, learning how to read and write in the ancient Scythian language. She was previously schooled in Pannonia to learn Latin, Syriac, the Hunnic language spoken all across the empire and now she had to learn Scythian.

Aurora sighed heavily and dropped the quill into the ink well and stared up at her female tutor.

"I'm tired of learning for today, Tabiti."

Tabiti chuckled and tapped her finger on the desk. "We're almost finished, princess. Don't you want to be a great and smart ruler one day?"

"I just said I was tired!"

Ku came by to check on Aurora's studies and her arrival disrupted the session which irritated the tutor. Aurora gasped and jumped off the floor and ran to her caretaker.

"Ku-Ilm!" she hugged the maid's legs. "Can you tell Tabiti that I don't want to study anymore? My head hurts."

Ku eyed the dark haired Scythian woman and smiled nervously. "Ah, well maybe you should finish your lesson for the day."

"But my head hurts…"

Ku knelt down on a knee and brushed the girl's hair behind her ears. "I think you should mind Tabiti. She's a very good teacher. Once you finish your studies I will take you to meet your mother. She just arrived not too long ago."

Aurora grinned from ear to ear. "Mommy is here?!"

She darted out of the room and Ku stood, smiling at the princess' overexcited nature. She turned to Tabiti with apologetic eyes and bowed her head, lowering her gaze. She knew that many of the servants didn't like her because of the close relationship she had with Arielle and Aurora. She had much of the same issue when she was in Pannonia and Banat.

The only person that showed her an ounce of kindness was Kuba. She knew she had a hierarchical status among the other maids because she tended to Aurora and Arielle constantly. She thought she might tell Arielle about her problems but would she listen? She didn't know if Arielle had the time to pay attention to her troubles these days.

* * *

In Arielle's absence her entire room was redecorated by Kuba's orders. All of the tables and chairs were removed and replaced with low couches and round tables to eat off. He also had several rugs brought in from the market square in the city.

She was very surprised to see a little bit of her home brought to her. She hoped that she didn't insult Kuba when she kept remarking at the odd furniture but apparently he wasn't offended at all. She didn't expect him to do any of this for her.

An early dinner was served inside Arielle's bedroom. She and her grandmother were so glad to take much needed baths and wear anything but armor. Xena sat on the low sofa with Aurora on her lap.

She tore a piece of bread and dipped it into a saucer of broth and fed Aurora, smiling at the little princess. Aurora chewed quickly and eyed the bandages on Xena's shoulder.

"What happened?" she pointed to the gauze.

"I…was hit with an arrow." Xena thought no reason to lie to the girl.

Aurora gasped. "Does it hurt a lot?"

"Not so much anymore. Gabrielle helped me."

The princess nodded and wiped her mouth of the crumbs. "Where's Gabby anyway? How come she didn't come with you?"

Xena toyed with the girl's long silky hair. "She has some business to take care of. She should be here in a few days but enough about that. Ku told us that you've been learning Scythian." She poked Aurora's chest. "How is that going?"

Aurora rolled her eyes. "I've had enough of school talk today, grandma khanum." She hopped off Xena's lap and sat on the floor to grab more bread. "You're gonna give me a headache."

Xena and Arielle stifled laughs. While the princess kept nibbling at several saucers on the silver platter, Arielle sighed deeply and sipped the almond sherbet.

"If you're worried about the meeting with the clergymen, don't be." Xena reassured her granddaughter, setting a hand on her knee.

Arielle presented a weak smile. "I'm just worried what they'll think of me. What if they hate me?"

The khanum scoffed. "They _definitely_ hate you," she muttered, sipping some water. "Be kind but firm. Don't let them walk all over you. Remember, these men work for Justinian. They're going to attempt to get a rise out of you."

"_Kind_ _but_ _firm_," Arielle repeated. "Mother told me the same thing." She shifted on the couch and leaned an elbow on a pillow. "Was mother a good negotiator with the Romans?"

What a loaded question, Xena thought. "She learned quickly how to be a queen, _very_ quickly. She didn't have years of training like you did. She had to learn as she went. She was thrown into the role of being queen as soon as she married your father. I wasn't there to help her for a long time," she recollected on those hard times. She tried to bury those thoughts deep, deep in her mind, never to resurface.

"But anyway," she digressed. "Your mother was very good at speaking with Romans but not without help. Gabrielle coached her how to speak with emperors and ambassadors."

Arielle creased her eyebrows and nodded. "I see. And you and Gabrielle don't mind helping _me_, right?"

Xena smiled warmly and gripped the empress' hand. "I'll always be here for you."

"Thanks." Arielle blushed.

"I do have to say that your mother was not easy to deal with when assumed her role as Queen of Balaam. Actually, she was sometimes _impossible_ to talk to. She was always in a horrible mood and never liked what I had to say. I guess one could say…that was partially _your_ fault." She snickered.

Arielle's lips thinned. "How is that _my_ fault?"

"Because she was pregnant with _you_!" Xena roared in laughter, alarming Aurora.

"Very funny, grandma," the khagana rumbled. "Speaking of babies…I'd like to give Cera a wonderful gift for her party."

Aurora's ears perked up. "Teyze Cera's having a party?"

"Farah didn't tell you? Cera's having a baby soon."

"Ooo, a baby!" Aurora cooed. "Can I come to the party?"

Xena smoothed a hand over the girl's hair. "Everyone is invited, _tatli_ _kiz_. You'll have some time to come up with a gift."

Aurora quirked her mouth and tapped her cheek. "A gift," she whispers. "How do you pick a gift for a baby anyway?"

* * *

Kawus did not take the news of his only ally in the war being taken away from him lightly. Days after the treaty was signed, Sukhra took his sons and troops from the Persian camp and regrouped with the Huns across the lake. Navaz expected retaliation and he got one no later than four days after the Karens left.

Gabrielle's wish to leave was cut short as soon as the first catapult was fired towards their camp. She was held up in her tent, devising a plan that Navaz and Xerxes could use to combat Kawus. She'd been at war with Shah Peroz and Hormizd before and they were for the most part, predictable but Kawus wasn't.

His ruthless tactics reminded her of the infamous Sabir Queen Boareks. That woman was the master of trickery and even though she didn't have a massive army she certainly left her mark everywhere she went. She desecrated several tribes in a span of half a year and did it so well that everyone feared her.

Kawus had a similar strategy in his attacks. His endless supplies of ballistic machines were detrimental to the Hun and Avar armies. Navaz's army was mostly comprised of archers and they were very skilled in their craft but arrows weren't going to stop nine catapults in the field.

The ground shook and Gabrielle grabbed the ink well that nearly tipped over on her desk. Despite the camp being attacked she was rather calm and kept drawing up a plan on a map. If only Arielle hadn't destroyed those catapults last week this battle would've gone a lot smoother and quicker to end.

Navaz ran into the tent and slammed his palm on the desk. "We are getting killed out there, Gabrielle!" he growled. "I only have two working catapults!"

"You didn't bring any other explosives with you?"

The corner of his mouth twitched.

"I'll take that as a no," she sighs and pushed the map towards the angry king. "You need to take out Kawus' catapults somehow. You might have to use ground soldiers and ride into the field."

"But if we do that we're going to lose three hundred or more…"

She tightened her jaw. "Would you rather lose your entire kingdom or a few hundred men?"

* * *

Day five.

Kawus continued attacking but after five out of nine catapults were destroyed he was forced to use ground reinforcements. Since he knew his traitorous little brother's strategy in war he thought it would've been easy to fight against Xerxes.

After the sixth day he figured out that Xerxes wasn't using any Persian tactics in war at all. In fact, he recognized some of the tactics were Roman. He paced around in the camp, glaring at the Hun king opposite the lake. He kept his eye on the Hun Governor who was apparently instructing Xerxes and the Hun king the entire time.

In Arielle's absence, Gabrielle took it upon herself to instruct the archers. She walked behind a few rows of archers and gave the command to fire at the Persians for the third time in a row. The clusters of arrows rained down on the field and only hit a small group of Persians.

She grunted and ordered them to keep firing nonstop until she said otherwise. While the chaos ensued she walked over to Navaz who was overseeing the battle.

"I sent a letter to Shah Kavad days ago. He should've received it by now."

Navaz raised an eyebrow, keeping his head forward. "And _why_ did you do that?"

"Kawus isn't going stop until every single Hun and Avar soldier is dead. He's going to run out of ammunition by then!"

"So let him!"

"Navaz, I've known you for a long time. You've always been clear and level headed during a battle but this time is different. You're clouded by your own anger and you aren't thinking straight!"

He spun around to the petite governor. "I don't pay you to get inside my head, Gabrielle."

"You don't pay me! Your wife does!" she shouted and then her eyes widened at the word vomit.

He too had a look of shock and surprise. His hard features softened.

She cleared her throat. "_Anastasia_ –Anastasia pays me," she quietly corrected herself. "And money isn't the issue here, it's you. I _had_ _to_ write the Shah. Let's hope he responds promptly and by god, hopefully provides a solution!"

* * *

"I'm proud of you, _tatli_ _kiz_. You have managed _not_ to throw up before this meeting." Xena snickered, standing beside Arielle seated on a cushioned bench.

That was far from the truth. Arielle's stomach felt like it had been punched several times as she lay in wait inside the audience chamber. She didn't have much time to prepare for this meeting with the Bishop. She kept going over the things her mother and grandmother told her.

Kind but firm.

Eloquent not threatening.

Attentive but not passive.

Persuasive not manipulative.

Bishop Salman was shown into the chamber by Kuba and a couple of guards. Two clergymen followed in after him. Arielle smiled tersely at the men and waved her hand for the soldiers to leave them be. Bishop Salman stepped forward and dropped to a knee.

He kissed the hem of her dress and then stood with a bowed head until he was far enough away from her. He and the clergymen raised their heads.

"We are honored that you're our new Khagana," he says politely.

Arielle grinned. "I'm glad to be given this position. I hope to achieve great things as your ruler. Xena Khanum will be sitting in for our meeting. I hope you don't mind?"

The Bishop eyed the tall Hun woman dressed in black robes, willowy pants and pointed boots that curled at the toe. Nervously he inclined his head towards her while her face remained expressionless.

"Xena," his voice cracked, "mother of Anastasia Khatun. What an honor it is to…finally meet you in the flesh." He clenched his teeth.

Xena finally smiled and with a curt yet slow incline of her head, the beads on her headdress clinked against one another. "Likewise…"

After a long pause Arielle decided to address the issue at hand. "Bishop, you expressed some concerns about your church's funds in the letter I received."

"Yes, khagana," his eyes averted from Xena. "Khagana Jiulu previously gave our churches in Scythia a large sum of her treasury. We used the money for construction, charity and a portion was given to the Hagia Sophia. I have the documents to prove –"

"That's not necessary, Bishop. I believe you," she interrupted. "I have no problem giving money to your churches but I will not give _any_ coin to the Hagia Sophia in Constantinople. As you may know Emperor Justinian is not an ally of mine."

The Bishop chuckled. "I'm not sure how the people will react when they find out charity has been dispersed by an _infidel_."

Arielle's eyes amplified at the outright insult and she was about to lunge forward until Xena put a hand on her shoulder, gripping firmly. It was a signal to calm her from lashing out.

"Bishop Salman," she breathed in sharply. "I'm tolerant of _all_ religions. My advisor will record the amount you require and it will be given to you. You're dismissed."

"Your highness…"

"_Dismissed_!"

She snapped her fingers to the guards to escort the clergymen out. Her chest rose and fell heavily as she gawked at the group of churchmen leaving the audience chamber.

Xena folded her arms and peered over at her steaming granddaughter. "If I wasn't here you would've attacked him. You must learn to control your temper, Arielle."

"That arrogant fuck!"

"Hey, hey."

"Did you not hear what he called me?" Arielle sprung up and paced in a circle. "Infidel," she mocked. "You tell me to control my temper yet you would've ripped that man to shreds!"

Xena frowned. "I don't want you to be like _me_, Arielle. Learn from my mistakes."

Kuba interrupted their conversation which was about to become heated by the looks of the khagana's face. He held out two letters, one for each of the women. Arielle snatched the letter and ripped the wax seal furiously.

Xena kindly took the letter with a smile and carefully unrolled her letter. It wasn't something she wanted to read at all especially since Gabrielle wrote that Kawus continued to attack not even a few days after her departure with Arielle.

As she kept reading she noted that Xerxes was severely injured during the attack. She quickly rolled up the letter and firmly gripped it with her hands then turned her attention to Arielle.

"Who is that from?" she asked.

Arielle sighed. "It's from Ernak. He, Bayan and Ebnedzar were able to push Eksama out of Banat but Csaba has been unconscious for a few weeks. I better not tell mother this or she's going to be super depressed."

Xena nodded in silence.

Arielle eyed the letter her grandmother was hiding. "And who's that letter from?"

"Ah…it's from Gabrielle. The Persians attacked not long after we left the camp," she concluded with no desire to specify any further details.

Arielle noted her grandmother's perturbed face. She wasn't convinced of the khanum's short answer and tried to swipe the letter from her. Xena speedily rounded her arms and held the letter behind her back.

"What _else_ was written?"

"I just told you; Kawus attacked. That's all."

* * *

Thankfully Xerxes was able to put a stop to the catapults firing at the camp but in result was impaled by one of his brother's soldiers. Gabrielle tended to the wounded prince inside her tent. She applied pressure to the most severe wound on his right shoulder.

She gaped at her wet bloody hands and panicked. The blood just kept pouring out no matter what she did. She crawled on her knees to a basket filled with medic supplies and ripped a bandage with her teeth and then wrapped it over Xerxes' wound.

"Still breathing," she whispers breathily. "Okay…"

She huffed and tied the bandage tightly around underneath his arm. She was barely able to get his armor off in time and now he lay with his dirty undergarments on. She ripped his blouse and tore the sleeves off to get a better look at his various other wounds.

It'd been a long time since Gabrielle had seen a male's body in the flesh and the sight of muscular arms and abdomen was enough to make her mind wander. She raised her eyebrows at the gashes ridden all over broad chest, ribcage and navel.

She took a bit too long ogling his chiseled physique and began washing the wounds with a damp clean cloth. Once the gashes were cleaned she applied some medicinal herbs to seal the wounds. Some of the gashes would definitely need stitches but she was more concerned about the shoulder.

"Oh Arielle, I see _why_ you like him…" her fingers laced with medicine gently slid across his defined pectorals.

Navaz rushed into the tent to see a nearly naked prince and Gabrielle knelt over him. He raised an eyebrow and Gabrielle turned with a bowl of medicine in one hand.

"The Shah sent his younger sons to push Kawus' men back," he told her. "Is he going to pull through?"

She nodded. "Hopefully. I wrote Xena and told her what happened and I specifically told her not to tell Arielle about _this_," she implied Xerxes' condition.

He eyed the bloody cloths sprawled across the floor. He watched as a blade went straight through Xerxes' upper half and it was the most gruesome thing he'd seen in a long while. As much as he didn't care for the prince he wanted Xerxes to recover. He also didn't want to be the bearer of bad news if Xerxes didn't recover.

"Let me know if his condition changes," he looked Gabrielle in the eye and she smiled faintly.

* * *

Oran was held up in the infirmary, completely immobile since the war. His leg was shattered and had to remain in a splint for a few months until healed. He grew tired of waiting in bed and although he could get up when he wanted to, the physicians were strict and refused to let him out of the infirmary much less the bed.

Since he couldn't go anywhere he had periodic visits from his sons and Yeter even brought their infant son, Taspar. After his older sons came to visit he was enjoying the sight of his wife nursing their small son. He had a big smile on his face and Yeter weakly grinned in response.

He sat up in bed and ran his palm over his son's wispy dark hair. His hand traveled up to his wife and cupped her cheek.

Sighing, enjoying the sight before him, no more than ten feet over, laid his cousin, Csaba, still unconscious. Farah remained by his side every day and night, watching over him like a hawk. He felt horrible that he was far less injured than Csaba.

"She hasn't moved from that chair in three days," he whispered.

Yeter peered over at the thin queen and crinkled her eyebrows. She tried her best to get along with Farah over the years but they truly never got along or reached a mutual agreement with each other. Still, she hated to see Farah in this state.

Farah ignored her sister's pleas to leave the infirmary to eat and rest to regain her strength. She'd always been thin and no one would've ever guessed she birthed three children much less twins, by her svelte figure. But now she was withering away slowly, her eyes red, and cheeks sunken and her skin had lost all color.

Ernak waltzed in quietly and he shielded his eyes at Yeter nursing the baby prince.

"I'm sorry," his cheeks flushed with embarrassment. He quickly walked over to Csaba's bed and stared at his nephew's wife.

"Farah," he said and she looked up at him for a brief moment. "Your sister has expressed her concerns about you. She told me you haven't left this room in weeks except to tend to your sons.

She wiped her nose and kept staring at Csaba.

"I think it would be a good idea for you to take a bath, eat and get some much needed sleep," he advised. "We have the best physicians to watch over Csaba. If anything happens you'll be the first to know."

Farah growled, "No! I'm going to stay here. I want to be with him!" she snapped around, breathing heavily, glaring at the king.

He understood her pain and frustration. "Farah, don't make me use force."

She stood her ground and refused to budge. Sitting in the chair, she folded her arms and her eyes had gone dry for days now, unable to shed a single tear.

Ernak shook his head for what he was about to do. He picked up the slender queen and threw her over his shoulder then proceeded towards the doors. Farah screamed a slew of foul words in her mother tongue as she was forcefully being carried out of the infirmary.

The doors shut behind them and Oran and Yeter could still hear the foul mouthed queen's shouts echoing down the hallway. Yeter sighed and pulled her son away from her breast and fixed her dress.

"It's for her own good," she said and Oran nodded in agreement.

* * *

Xena waited outside the palace gates as soon as she heard Gabrielle was returning from Lake Thospia. She spotted the blonde riding towards the gates with a horde of Avar men. She smiled; waving her hand which Gabrielle kindly returned the hand wave.

The weary governor hopped off her horse and handed the reins to an Avar guard. She immediately greeted her anxious wife with a kiss to the cheek. Then when nobody was looking, or so she thought, she pecked her lips.

Xena cringed and took a step back. "You smell like death."

"Thanks," she remarks sarcastically. "_How was your trip, Gabrielle? It was good, Xena. I'm so glad you're not hurt, Gabrielle_," she mocked her wife.

"I was getting to that part," Xena cocked her head with a glinting smile. "Is Xerxes…" she trailed off.

Gabrielle waned at the question. "He was taken to Balaam as soon as I left. You didn't tell Arielle…" she hoped not.

"I didn't but she's going to ask about him. What are we supposed to tell her? She's smitten with that boy –man," she corrected awkwardly.

"I can't believe I'm going to say this but," she eyed her inquisitive spouse, "we're going to lie to her."

Xena erupted in laughter. "Lie? Lie to _Arielle_?"

"I'm serious!" she reiterated. "He was practically impaled, Xena!" she snipped and the tall brunette's laughter simmered down. "I've never seen such a horrible injury in my entire life. If he recovers then we'll tell Arielle."

She walked up the stairs to the palace and Xena stood, star struck.

"_If_?"

* * *

Two days after her arrival, Gabrielle slept through almost both days, completely exhausted from the events beforehand. She woke to the emptiness in her stomach and turned over to see Xena sleeping soundly on her back, a hand over her chest and mouth slightly ajar, breathing softly.

She rested her cheek on her elbow, watching her with a big smile on her lips. She traced a finger on the brunette's toned arm. Xena was not known to be a heavy sleeper and that proved right time and time again. She was careful not to wake her but Xena's keen skills of sleeping lightly did her no favor.

Gabrielle bit her bottom lip as soon as she watched those blue eyes flutter open. She apologized, "I woke you…"

"That's alright," she winced in pain at her wound, "I was going to wake up sooner or later. At least I get to wake up to your face," she looked into those jade eyes.

"Wow, you're in a good mood. Too bad I've been counting all those times you've punched me. I was contemplating hitting you in your sleep," Gabrielle teased.

Xena gasped audibly. "You would hurt me when I'm wounded? That's low, Gabrielle."

"Seventeen."

Xena snorted. "What?"

"You've hit me seventeen times this year."

"You really _have_ been keeping count." Xena chuckled and slowly rose out of bed, stretching one arm over her head. "You know, I still have amazing reflexes and –"

_Whack_.

Xena spun around to glare at her smug wife who just threw a pillow at the back of her head. She tried her best to keep face and not laugh. She snatched the pillow off the floor and threw it back at the blonde.

"You're lucky I'm injured, Gabrielle," she warned.

* * *

Aurora sat with her mother and Ku on the floor, eating breakfast before she had to go off to class. She reached across the table and grabbed an entire saucer of apricot jam and spread a generous helping on her flat bread.

Arielle raised an eyebrow at her daughter's ravenous appetite. While she picked at her own food and chewed on some warm bread and cheese, she kept watching Aurora fill her entire plate with jams, fruits and cheeses.

"Are you going to save some for Gabrielle and grandma khanum?" she inquired.

The princess froze and set down the knife. "I just _really_ like this cheese."

Arielle chuckled and lifted her eyes at the latecomers. She gestured for her grandmother and Gabrielle to have a seat and they were welcomed by Aurora's quick embrace and big smile. She waited until they were situated and able to fill their plates.

She pushed around the melon on her plate and eyed them both. "Is Xerxes still at the camp?" she asked.

Gabrielle froze and felt a nudge on her thigh from Xena. "No…no he's in Balaam right now. He had to sign some documents with your father and the Karens." She lied, hoping that would suffice.

Arielle nods, unsure of whether to continue to pry for answers. She dipped the melon slice in a bowl of honey several times, unaware that the entire slice was nearly drenched. The quietness around her was unnerving and she dropped the fruit on her plate.

"Well, I was expecting a letter from him. Do you think he'll write one?"

Gabrielle paused and eyed her wife. "I –I'm sure he will. Soon, Arielle. _Soon_."

"Are you going to marry Xerxes?" Aurora asked casually.

Xena choked on her water and coughed. Gabrielle lends a hand and gently slapped her on the back. She regained her composure and stared with wide eyes at Arielle who also mirrored the same expression.

"Aurora…_tatli_ _kiz_," Arielle smiled uneasily, "why would you ask that?"

"But daddy married Sarnai because he likes her. You like Xerxes too, right?"

Arielle snapped her head towards Ku.

"I didn't say anything! I swear!" the maid alleged with raised defensive hands.

"I'm…not going to marry Xerxes," she calmly explained to her daughter. "_Who_ told you that your father married Sarnai?"

The princess peeled an orange and looked up at her mother. "Csaba did."

It took every bit of her not to scream in a fit of rage. She was reminded of the letter Ernak sent. Her brother was very hurt. That was the only driving force for her to remain calm. That and all eyes were on her, especially the elders across the table.

She exhaled deeply and grabbed her daughter's arm. "Aurora, I want you to know that we didn't get a divorce because of _you_."

The girl giggled and broke the orange apart with her hands. "I know _that_!" she stuffed some orange slices in her mouth. "Well, excuse me ladies but I have class. Come on, Ku!" she jumped up and ran to the doors.

Ku grumbled. "That girl, I swear."

Xena drummed her fingers on the table, matching her chewing pattern. She kept glaring at her granddaughter who wasn't paying attention to her in the slightest. Arielle finally turned her gaze away from Aurora's departure and flinched at the glare opposite of her.

"That child has you all figured out."

Arielle sneered. "I'm not going to marry Xerxes. I still don't know very much about him."

Gabrielle minded her own business and coolly sipped the sherbet, eyes darting between Xena and Arielle. It was then that she noted the glint in her spouse's eyes. That look she knew all too well and there was about to be a smart remark. She waited in anticipation for the back-talk to commence.

"You seem to know his anatomy very well," Xena chided.

_There it is. You can't resist yourself, can you_? Gabrielle set down the silver cup and licked her lips, smiling at the dumbstruck empress.

"Since you're so curious about my sex life, grandma," Arielle began, "I've only had sex with him three times and it was…_glorious_." She grinned and left the breakfast table.

Xena pushed away her plate and wiped her mouth. "I've lost my appetite."

"You asked for that," said Gabrielle. "He _does_ have a nice body," she adds meekly.

"Gabrielle!" she reached over and slapped her thigh.

"Eighteen!"

* * *

Pamira continued instructing Cera on playing the stringed instrument over the last month and a half. She was proud to say that Cera knew how to play almost an entire song. At first she had doubts that the princess would be able to play anything at all but it worked out beautifully in the end.

Cera slid the bow along the strings, emitting a melodious tune. Pressing her fingers on the neck of the _kamancheh_ she huffed at the dull sound each time she tried the hardest note she recently learned.

"You'll get it eventually, princess," Pamira encouraged.

The redhead smiled and started over, playing the song again for the fourth time. While she played the instrument she felt her unborn child squirming within her. Her eyes lit up and she placed a hand over the active child. She pressed her palm on the side of her belly as it was one of the few ways she could effectively communicate.

Pamira leaned over with a big grin. "See, your baby likes the sound too. He _or_ she enjoys the music."

Cera lifted her head to Pamira as her hand roamed across her stomach. She then asked, "_Do you like living here with us?"_

The Persian sat back and touched her hair anxiously. "Everyone is very nice here and Soran tries to impress me by showering me with gifts for _every_ day of the week," she chuckles.

Cera nodded with a beaming smile. "_Did you_…" she paused, "_consummate your marriage_?"

Pamira's cheeks puffed bright red. She signed the marriage license months ago and although Soran was very patient with her, she knew eventually that she'd have to lay with him otherwise the marriage was considered void. She thought of several other women who were in her position back in Persia. Alliance marriages were hardly filled with love and sometimes the men would have a mistress on the side. She didn't think Soran would do that but she didn't know him well enough to make that assumption.

"_Take your time_," Cera quickly signed, knowing she might've made the girl nervous. "_Soran is a good person plus he thinks you're really gorgeous_," she rolls her eyes playfully.

"He does?"

Cera gave a knowing smile and peered down at the small swell of her abdomen. Her fingers gently tapped across her belly, attempting to stir the child. She sat for awhile and then contorted her face at the dull cramping in the crevice of her pelvis. She exhaled sharply and dug her fingers in her hips.

Pamira noticed the discomfort on the redhead's face. "Princess? Are you alright?"

The dull cramping intensified and Cera's eyes widened. If she could scream, she would. Her breaths shortened and she felt a warm liquid in between her legs. She creased her eyebrows, cradling her abdomen. She scraped her nails along the rug and moaned softly.

Pamira leaned over and saw blood stained on the princess' dress. She gasped and consoled the princess. "Yana!" she shouted. "I'm going to get help. Don't worry, princess. You'll be alright," she smiled weakly.

* * *

Soran and Mirac entered the foyer of the Adame after spending most of the morning and afternoon scouting the perimeters of Balaam. Soran was glad that he had someone here his own age to talk to. He didn't mind spending time with his father when he had the time or when Safiya live there. But it was a relief to be surrounded by another male instead of the copious amount of women.

The two spoke about going to hunt since the weather was nice in the summer. Laughing together and chatting in hushed voices, they stopped at a train of women briskly walking down the hallway. Soran frowned and his eyes followed the women making their way towards the back of the Adame.

Four maids, the king's physician, Balaam's midwife, Yana and Anastasia Khatun all in a single file line turned the corner towards the bedroom wing. Soran and Mirac followed the women and then Soran spotted Pamira at the end of the line of women.

"Pamira!" he waved her down and she halted her stride. "What's going on?"

"Oh, um," she looked at Mirac. "The princess was in some distress so I told –"

"Cera? There's something wrong with Cera?" asked Mirac in a frantic tone.

He looked down the hallway and was about to dart until Soran caught his arm. He pulled away and then was wrapped into a bear hug. "Let go of me!"

"It's better if you stay away!" Soran advised. "The women aren't going to let you in there, Mirac!"

"But…she's my…wife."

Soran released his hold on the Nezak. "I know. They'll come get you if they need you."


	31. Chapter 31

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cera learns of some disturbing news given to her by her mother. Gabrielle thinks that Xena should take a step back from commanding the army. A jealous competition for the throne of Persia ensues between the Sassanian brothers. Late one evening, a horde of women come knocking on Navaz's door, asking for aid and refuge.

_ **Warning** _ **: This chapter touches on a rather sensitive subject. This is a pretty heavy chapter.**

Chapter 31 –_The Shah: Part I_

Cera stirred awake in a pool of her own sweat. She moaned softly and a couple of maids dabbed her neck and forehead. Barely able to get a hold of her senses she shifted in the bed and there her mother was sitting beside the bed, sleeping sitting upright. She reached over and grabbed her mother's hand.

Anastasia jumped and smiled at her daughter's touch. She returned the firm grip and caressed the princess' face, tears swelling in her eyes. Cera arched an eyebrow at her mother's distress then felt a stabbing pain in her lower abdomen.

She placed a hand over her semi-flat stomach and she panicked. She ripped the sheets off her body and her fingers grazed the gown, drenched in sweat and blood. Breathing heavily, she started to hyperventilate.

Ana heard her daughter's hard breaths and moved to sit on the bed. She wrapped her arms around her daughter and squeezed tightly as she felt some resistance.

"Cera," she held her squirming daughter. "Cera, _tatli_ _kiz_," she tried to calm her and the princess wailed, tears streaming down her cheeks. She kissed Cera's temple and struggled to keep her close.

She dug her fingernails into her mother's arms and tried to push her away, hitting her chest and shoulders repeatedly.

Ana grunted and her cheek was hit by Cera's elbow. "Yana!"

The chieftess ran into the room and witnessed the princess swinging her arms, kicking her legs and drenched in tears.

"Sedate her!" she ordered before getting whacked in the mouth.

"Khatun!" Yana ran to aid her and Anastasia put a hand over her bloody lip and stood up, shaking her head.

"Take care of her first," she mumbled and walked off, wiping the blood with the backside of her hand she cursed quietly.

* * *

Anastasia left the room and closed the door, leaning her back against it. She exhaled shakily and hated to see her daughter that way and not being able to completely see her reaction was probably a blessing in disguise. After spending over a day in that room was torture enough and she knew that once Cera woke up that all hell was going to break loose. She never knew that thin girl had such strength.

Gaining her composure she wiped her teary eyes and proceeded down the hall. Mirac met her halfway and she halted. She didn't have to see to know who it was that stood before her.

"Khatun," he greeted, looking over her shoulder at the bedroom Cera was in. "How is she? I haven't heard anything. I stayed up all night."

How could she tell her daughter's husband that he was no longer going to be a father? The news was going to crush him and perhaps he might go into a rage much like Cera just did. She didn't know how he was going to react and took a step back, evading a situation she hated to address.

"Mirac," she sighs heavily, "I'm very sorry," her voice cracked and she rubbed her throat. "We tried everything."

He got the gist of what she was saying and she was trying to be vague but he knew. He knew exactly what she was talking about. His head hung and he felt heaviness in his chest upon hearing the news. At this point he was more focused on his wife.

He sniffled and raised his chin. "Cera? Is she okay?"

Ana smiled weakly. "Yes. Your sister is in there with her."

"May I go see her?"

"Of course." She gripped his shoulder and went on her way down the dark hallway.

* * *

Navaz quietly entered the queen's chambers and found Ana curled up on the bed. He knew he'd find her here as she liked to seclude herself in order to hide her feelings and emotions. He imagined that she'd shed enough tears since this morning but not enough to disturb the maids, Cera and Yana. As she aged, she slowly turned into her mother and built a shield around her at all times.

He was not known to convey his emotional distress in front of his subjects or family. It was probably why he and Anastasia fought so much when they were married. He guarded his feelings carefully and he also had his overbearing mother over him for so long. She was in charge of Balaam until he was old enough to take the crown. He knew that his mother put a strain on his marriage with Anastasia and later, Fairuza.

The king approached the bed and climbed over the thick wool blanket and Ana quickly wiped her eyes. He draped his arm over her and encircled her slender waist into his large arm.

"I…didn't hear you come in," she said softly.

His nestled his chin in her hair and kissed her cheek. "You don't need to hide from _me_, Anastasia."

She laced her fingers in his and shakily exhaled to calm her nerves. She spooned her body against his and toyed with his thumb as she kept replaying the event from last night in her head over and over. And this morning, she didn't expect Cera to react silently but she was surprised at her daughter's rage that overcame her.

"What was it?" he whispered.

She faltered, "What?"

"The baby. What was it?"

She swallowed the lump in her throat. "A girl."

He gave her hand a firm squeeze and kissed the top of her head. She nestled in his hold and kept picking at his fingers to ease her nerves. He didn't pull away and instead laid his head on the pillow, staring up at the ceiling in silence. Somehow, he didn't know what to say in this situation or if he should say anything at all.

"I didn't think I'd have to go through this again," she admitted.

Navaz cinched his thick eyebrows and lifted off the pillows. "What do you mean _again_?"

Her inner cheeks went sour and paled as she realized she spilled too much information. She gripped his hand tightly and tried to ignore the stare from behind.

"Nothing."

He rolled her onto her back and stared into her pastel eyes. "Tell me, Ana."

"There's…there's no point in bringing it up. It was a long time ago."

He didn't so much as bat an eye as he kept the staring contest going. It was apparent to her that he was not going to stop or release her until she spoke of the truth she swore to keep a secret.

"Arielle," she began, looking up into his dark eyes, "was…carrying a child before Aurora. She –she got rid of it and I found out…after the fact."

Navaz raised his eyebrows and snarled. "Why didn't you tell me?" his voice calm yet stern. The anger boiling inside him was on the surface of erupting.

"I promised her I wouldn't tell anyone but I told my mother and Kreka knew and so did Ursula. They knew before I did! Navaz, don't be angry. That was over five years ago."

He shut his eyes and breathed deeply through his nostrils. "You told your mother but not _me_?"

"Navaz…"

"I really hate that man," he thought of his hands wrapped around Bayan's neck. He decided not to displace his anger unto her and smiled, kissing her hand. "Shall I send a letter to your mother about Cera?"

Anastasia nodded, surprised at his sudden change of mood.

* * *

"Be careful!" Xena griped while her shoulder was being wrapped by Gabrielle.

Annoyed at the fact that her wife still couldn't sit still for a simple bandage-wrapping session, she pulled the gauze tightly only to annoy her further. She got a mean look, knowing what was to follow –a slap or a punch. She did remind Xena several times of all the occasions when she was hit by her playfully and otherwise. Now that she was keeping track, she noticed that Xena held in the urge to smack her because there was definitely going to be some retaliation after the wound healed.

She tied a knot on the back of Xena's shoulder and bit the remainder of the gauze off with her teeth. She dug her fingers into her wife's dark hair and playfully ruffled her locks. She was going to enjoy annoying her until her shoulder was mobile again.

"Next time, leave the battlefield to Arielle. I would appreciate it if you stopped hurting yourself otherwise we're going to have another session like this one."

Xena mocked her wife, muttering words under her breath. She rubbed her dull achy shoulder and sat back against a mound of pillows against the wall.

"I don't want Arielle to get injured."

Gabrielle scoffed. "So you would rather injure _yourself_? Great plan, Xena. You're too…" she trailed off as her spouse turned her head slowly with a cynical gaze.

"You were about to say _old_, weren't you?"

Gabrielle cheekily grinned. "No…I wouldn't dare."

She raised her hand, ready to smack her until she thought of the tallies Gabrielle had been keeping for months. She retracted the hand and instead lightly punched the wall behind her to satiate her desire to hit something rather than _someone_.

Picking at the food leisurely, Xena picked off a handful of grapes from the vines and popped three into her mouth. She eyed Gabrielle and a devious smile formed with her mouth full. She threw one grape at the governor's face and it bounced off her nose. If she couldn't hit her at least she had some ammunition at her disposal.

Gabrielle huffed and picked the grape out of her rice and set it aside, glaring at her wife. "Really? We're going to resort to this kind of behavior?"

Xena shrugged her shoulder and slowly chewed the grapes then threw another one, hitting the governor in the middle of her eyes. She cackled and ducked down as soon as Gabrielle sent three grapes flying her way in retaliation. She hid her face behind a pillow.

Advisor Kuba entered the living area and paused at a sight of grapes being thrown back and forth between the two women. He cleared his throat and they stopped their little game. Gabrielle set down the spoon filled with rice, ready to fling at Xena and reddened in the face from embarrassment.

Xena chuckled and cautiously lowered the pillow. "Good afternoon, Kuba," she greeted and took notice of the letter in his hand. "Arielle is in the gardens practicing archery with Aurora if you're looking for her."

"Thank you for letting me know khanum, but this letter is for _you_." He stepped closer and presented said letter. "It's from Anastasia Khatun."

"Ana?" her eyes widened with delight and snatched the letter from his hand.

Reading the letter she expected some joyful news from her daughter but instead she read the most horrible news. As her eyes scanned through the words, her smile dissipated and turned into an apparent frown, causing Gabrielle alarm. Puckering her brows, tears swelled once she finished reading the dreadful letter. She held the parchment in her lap and gaped at the far wall, speechless.

Gabrielle nodded to Kuba so he could leave. He took his cue and retreated from the living area. She brushed the bread dust off her palms and expected a verbal reaction from her wife. Silence was never a good sign. Surely Anastasia's letter couldn't be about Xerxes since she didn't think Xena would shed a tear over any Persian even if she took a liking to the prince.

"What did Ana say?" she asked.

Xena passed the letter over in silence and Gabrielle carefully took it from her hand. She began reading silently to herself. Now she understood why the khanum was so silent. She covered her mouth and read the letter more than twice to make sure what she read was indeed true.

Arielle and Aurora came in, talking loudly, or more like Aurora was doing most of the talking. Her animated voice and whooshing sounds coming from her mouth, alarmed the women. Xena wiped her eyes and smiled at the princess who came rushing towards her.

"Did you have a good lesson?" Xena asked, holding Aurora settled in her lap.

The princess nodded. "Yeah! Prince Xerxes promised to help me make a bow. Mommy said he's in Balaam. Can we go there soon? I want to see my horse too and Soran, and grandma khatun," she went over the list of people, counting on her fingers. "And Teyze Cera, Mirac, grandpa…" she trailed off. "Am I forgetting anyone?"

Xena faintly grinned and kissed the girl's forehead. Meanwhile, Gabrielle was sulking at the table, holding the letter in her hands. She eyed her and caught Aurora staring into her teary eyes. She ignored her inner feelings and pinched the girl's tiny waist, causing Aurora to giggle and squirm.

Arielle scrunched her face and noticed some odd behavior coming from both her mentors. "Aurora and I decided on the perfect gift for Cera. I'm going to have a mahogany cradle embedded with pearls made for her. What do you think?"

The women shared a forlorn look and lifted their chins to Arielle. It was the silence that bothered the empress the most. Gabrielle stood from the floor and passed on the letter to Arielle.

"A letter from mother?" she rejoiced. She wasn't as skilful at hiding her emotions and not even halfway through reading the letter she broke out into tears. Frantically, she dug her nails into her hair and crumpled the letter and threw it into the lit fireplace.

Xena raised an eyebrow. It was expected to see Arielle's reaction to be far worse than her own but she didn't expect anything like that. When it came to Arielle's emotions she went all the way, exuding overly passionate reactions to almost anything when something didn't go her way or upset her.

She stormed out of the room and pushed the doors open. Gabrielle and Xena sat, listening to the boots march up the stone staircase.

"What do you think she's going to do?" asked Gabrielle.

"I hope not break everything in her room," mumbled Xena and wrapped an arm around the concerned princess.

Aurora toyed with the khanum's long hair and wrapped a large portion of it around her cheeks, framing her face. "Why's she so upset?" she asked the women.

Gabrielle sat down in front of the princess and thought of the best way to explain this. She knew that Xena wasn't going to be very good at this type of conversation. It became customary for her to speak to all the children during hard times and difficult situations. She didn't mind and it would've been too hard of a task for Xena to explain to the child as tears were already forming in those blue eyes of hers.

"Your grandmother sent a letter about Cera," she said.

Aurora beamed. "Teyze Cera?!"

"That's right." Her eyes drifted over to Xena who turned her cheek, hiding her welled eyes. "So…your aunt isn't going to have a baby anymore."

The girl contorted her face in confusion. "Why not?"

"Ah, _because_…the baby decided not to come. It changed its mind," she put it as lightly as she could and Aurora nodded, seeming to understand.

"Why did it change its mind?"

Gabrielle smiled. "I'm not sure. Do you _understand_ what I'm saying, Aurora?"

The princess bobbed her head. "So, Teyze Cera will be sad now? Because the baby isn't coming anymore, right?"

"Right." She inhaled deeply and eyed Xena who smiled softly at the girl's comprehension.

Arielle reappeared in a completely different outfit with Ku chasing after her. She threw her cloak on and adjusted the rabbit fur collar, marching towards the doors. A wave of her hand signaled the guards to open the doors for her as she had no intention of stopping for anybody.

Xena picked up Aurora and set her on the pillow. "Arielle!" she stood up steadily and winced at her shoulder. "Where are you going?"

The empress halted and spun around. "I'm going to see my sister. She needs me. She was there for me so I am going to be there for her."

Gabrielle gently slapped her wife's injured arm repeatedly and whispered, "_Xerxes_!" the urgency in her voice apparent and Xena briskly walked over to her granddaughter and pulled back with a hard yank of the arm.

"Arielle, let us come with you," she offered. "I'm sure…" she looked back at Gabrielle who was panicking slightly. "I'm sure Aurora would love to see everyone. Your mother misses her. It might cheer her up."

Arielle frowned and peered over at her smiling daughter. "You can come but I'm leaving now. I'm not going to wait for you." She stalked off. "Ku!"

The Assyrian ran ahead, barely able to keep up. While keeping stride with Arielle she went over the necessities that were needed such as clothing. She didn't even have a moment's notice to pack anything other than the coat on her back.

"Xena!" the governor hissed. "What are we going to do when she finds out Xerxes is on his death bed?" she grabbed hold of her wife's arms and shook her. "She's going to go into a rage and blame us for lying!"

"Wouldn't be the first time," Xena murmured and then recognized the severity of the situation at hand. "We'll figure it out when we get there." She turned to the princess. "Aurora! Come on, we're going to Balaam."

Aurora got up quickly and raced over to the women. She wedged herself in between them and grabbed hold of their hands, marching towards the doors eagerly. She started rambling about her horse that she missed so much. She swung their arms as they descended down the stairs outside together. She named all of the things she wanted to do when she arrived in Balaam. It started with a couple of events and then progressed to five, seven and ten as she kept babbling.

* * *

Since the invasion against the Huns, Kawus' army was thwarted by his two younger brothers arriving to help the Huns. He was forcefully taken back to Estakhr, Persia and imprisoned in the large Sassanian palace. He counted each day he was left in the cell and thought what he was going to do when he was released. Arrogantly, he knew that his father couldn't keep him locked away forever, although he had several disadvantages at the moment.

The Karens now sided with the White Huns and were considered allies. Despite their loyalty to Kawus, their ties were broken once Navaz forced Sukhra Karen to sign a marriage alliance treaty between the two Houses. He might've lost the House of Karen but there were five other royal Houses that could help him out of this bind.

He sat on the stone bench, throwing rocks at the wall to pass the time by. At the other end of the hallway he heard a door open and footsteps coming his way. He tossed the tiny pebbles aside and stood to the sight of his younger brothers, Khosrow and Jamasp standing on the opposite side of the bars.

"I see what side you stand on now," Kawus addressed his siblings.

Khosrow smoothed down his long dark hair and shook his head. "Release him," he ordered the guards.

Kawus stood with massive confusion written all over his face. The door was let open and two guards grabbed his arms, forcing him out of the cell. His wrists were then shackled and he smiled. What he thought was too good to be true, turned out to be right. He was being betrayed by not one brother, but all three.

"Am I going to be strangled to death?" he asked, chuckling lightly.

Jamasp pushed his elder brother forward. "We're taking you to father's throne chamber."

"Are you really going to feed your _brother_ to the wolves?" Kawus growled, glaring at his brothers who walked on either side of him. "I'm the oldest brother! It is my _right_ to have the crown," he spat in their faces.

* * *

Shah Kavad, along with his entire council and politicians represented from each House in Persia were present. His glared at his son with disappointment. So far his reign as ruler of Persia had been chaotic and he began to reprimand his son for not only betraying the entire empire but attacking the Huns who were now fully fledged allies of the entire Persian state.

While he rudely scolded his son in front of his court, Jamasp looked at the soldiers posted at every corner of the room. He gave them affirmative head nods to enclose his father. The soldiers crept up behind the Shah, armed with spears and swords. Jamasp casually walked around, pretending to pace to calm his nerves, and brushed a finger against his nose, directing the signal to the councilmen.

Jamasp sauntered over to his brother, Khosrow, who stood behind Kawus, knelt on the floor, receiving a brutal verbal beat down from their father. Kawus lifted his head and noticed the councilmen retreating from their huddled circle and soldiers closing in on the Shah.

Shah Kavad stepped off his throne dais and stood a foot away from his son, looming over him. Oblivious to the soldiers around him he looked to his left and swords were pointed at him. His head darted to the right and more weapons inched closer and closer to him.

"I order you all to stand down!" Kavad yelled at the soldiers.

Jamasp stepped forward and folded his arms. "They don't obey your orders, father. They are Xerxes' soldiers who now belong to _me_."

The Shah's blood boiled beneath his skin and he was about to lash out at his second heir to the throne until one soldier put him in a choke hold from behind. A sword was held to his throat and he breathed heavily.

"Jamasp, what are you doing?!"

"The Houses of Persia have expressed their concerns of the changes you made to our empire. This includes the recent alliance with the Huns, the reforms you've made to our religious doctrine and shunning the noble House of Ispahbudhan from participating in your court."

Shah Kavad's jaw dropped and then he was coiled in a leather rope by a soldier, constricting him and thus preventing him from getting out of this political and physical bind. He growled and was restrained by a cloth being stuffed in his mouth.

Jamasp walked up to his father, standing at equal height. "I'm imprisoning you to _Anosbord_ where you will serve your sentence and the rest of your reign in solitude with the other traitorous politicians and clergymen."

He watched as his father was taken out of the throne chamber and turned to his elder brother. He nodded to the guards to release Kawus from his shackles. He grabbed Kawus by the collar and rammed him into a nearby wall.

"You're scum," he hissed. "You tried to dethrone father without any concrete evidence. I have the evidence and he is going to be imprisoned for life!" he spat in Kawus' face.

Kawus shoved his little brother and wiped the saliva out of his eyes. "What will you do now, brother? Are you going to be the new Shah? I'm the _oldest_."

"So you keep reminding everyone!" Jamasp sneered. "The crown is _mine_, brother. I'm appointing you as Governor of Tabaristan. You will obey all my orders and do as I say. God help us all if you decide to join a religious revolt like father then you shall see yourself rotting in _Anosbord_ as well."

He sat on his father's throne and ran his palms down the heavy gold plated armrests. He eyed his brothers and all the councilmen who were now at his service.

"I want Sukhra Karen brought to me."

* * *

Upon arrival Arielle didn't bother to greet her parents and headed straight for the room where Cera stayed in. she wasn't greeted at the door by both her parents, only her father, who she adored. She was always given a warm welcome from him but this time, her mind was focused on her little sister.

Aurora had an inclination of what happened to her aunt but didn't fully understand what happened and she wasn't going to question it as she was too excited to her grandfather. She was immediately scooped up into Navaz's arms and she nestled her head into his chest.

Navaz searched the wander in Xena's eyes and knew exactly what she was thinking. She wasn't physically here and by the looks of her sunken eyes and pale skin, he knew she probably had taken the news worse than her own daughter did more than a week ago.

"She's in her bedroom," he read her mind.

Xena looked to him then with a tight reassuring squeeze of her hand from Gabrielle, she smiled. She left and walked through the foyer in search of her daughter to console. Now, Gabrielle was left in the foyer alone with Navaz and Aurora. She gave a warm smile to the king and pinched the princess' cheek.

"Why don't we go see Soran? I think he'll be very pleased to see you," Navaz suggested to his granddaughter.

Aurora nodded. "I missed him! Can he take me riding sometime? Is my horse still here?"

"Of course, princess," he strolled through the halls with Gabrielle by his side. "You'll finally get to meet Soran's wife."

"Soran got _married_?!" the princess gasped. "Wow, I missed everything…"

* * *

Just what she thought; Anastasia was hiding and secluding herself from everyone in the household. By the array of clothes sprawled across the chairs and couches she deduced that Ana hadn't left this room in a long while. There was a tray of food on a table. None of it was touched or even picked at. She tiptoed close to the bed where her daughter laid beneath the blankets, sobbing.

She wondered how many days her daughter had shed tears only to be left alone, refusing any physical touch by anyone, even Navaz. She sat on the edge of the bed and Anastasia curled her legs to her chest, wiping her nose with a cloth.

"I don't want the food. You can take it away," she said just above a whisper.

She thinks I'm a maid, Xena inwardly chuckled. A gentle hand caressed her daughter's hip and Ana lifted onto her elbows, narrowing her eyes to get a clearer look at who invaded her personal space.

"You always liked to be alone when you're upset."

"Mother?" the khatun sprung forth and embraced her mother tightly. She buried her face into her mother's hair, tears flowing freely.

Xena released a warm smile and wrapped a hand around her daughter's silken hair. She felt her daughter trembling in her hold and closed her eyes, exhaling deeply. Though she was not one to show emotions, she learned that she passed that down to Anastasia in a way. It wasn't right.

"Anastasia," she pried her daughter off her and wiped the tears with her thumbs. "How long have you been in here?"

The khatun's breaths shortened and her shoulders slumped. "I…I," she was on the verge of weeping again and her mother put a finger to her mouth.

"Alright, okay," Xena tried a different approach. "Have you spoken to Cera at all or are you going to lock yourself in this room for an eternity?"

Ana frowned. "Mother! I was with her the entire time. You weren't there! It was horrible…it was…" she sighed and wiped her wet cheeks. "She was so small," she held out her palms, as if to remember holding the child. "She fit in my palms perfectly."

Xena pinched the bridge of her nose, slightly disturbed by the details she didn't wish to hear. Hearing the news and coming here was dreadful enough. Nervously, she scratched her scalp and wasn't sure what to say. She thought Anastasia might feel the same way and that was the reason for her seclusion.

"It was a girl?" she asked and her daughter nodded. "Ana, you need to talk to your daughter. Cera's been through a lot for someone her age. She's probably feeling very alone right now and you're not helping by sitting in bed, wasting away…," she lifted her daughter's thin arm.

"What…what am I supposed to say? I don't know _what_ to say!"

Xena cupped her daughter's cheek. "Sometimes you don't have to say anything."

* * *

In the bedroom, Cera lay on her side, staring at the wall. She refused to communicate with Mirac and Yana even though they were most helpful. Mirac sat beside the bed, watching her and giving her anything she wanted. He tried his best to help her but he felt helpless in a situation such as this. No matter what he said it didn't seem to make a difference. He was just as distraught as she was but it was hard to convey that to her when she wouldn't _speak_ to him.

He continued his daily ritual of sitting by the bed as she stared at the wall in silence, refusing to move. He lifted his head and saw Arielle in the doorway. He stood up and turned his attention to Cera who sighed heavily and was in her own little world, not caring who entered the room at all.

Mirac left his wife's side and bowed to Arielle as he slipped out with the maids following. Arielle waited in the doorway for a few minutes before walking over to greet her sister. A silent prayer crossed her mind and she almost forced herself to approach the bed.

"Little sister…" she waved a hand over the princess' view.

Cera's daze broke and she sat up, gaping at her sister. Arielle smiled with underlying hint of grief and took a seat on the bed. Cera broke into a fit of tears and hugged her sister tightly.

"I'm sorry, Cera. I know you were looking forward to that child," she said and heard her sister's soft sobs. "But you're still a mother," she pulled her sister back and smiled. "Nobody loved that baby more than you!" she jabbed her finger in her sister's chest.

Cera faintly grinned for the first time in a week. "_I…don't understand what I did wrong_?" she slowly signed with her weak hands.

Arielle lowered her head and grabbed her sister's hands. "You did nothing wrong. This isn't your fault. It's not _anyone's_ fault."

The younger sister nodded, although she felt like losing her child was somewhat her fault. She heard Mirac tell her relentlessly that she had no fault in the matter but it was hard not to put the blame on herself.

"Don't worry; the gods will bless you with another baby in the future!" Arielle tried to cheer up her sorrowful sister. "Any child would be lucky to have you as a mother. Hell, I might give you my daughter. She's become _quite_ the talker these days," she jests and finally got a giggle out of her sister.

"No, seriously, do you want her? You can have her."

Cera rolled her eyes at her sister's attempt to be humorous but it _did_ cause a muffled laugh which brought a smile to Arielle's lips.

* * *

Dinner was brought to everyone's respected rooms and all Xena could do was stare at the food. She had no appetite whatsoever and decided to spend the rest of the early evening in bed. Traveling all the way to Balaam wasn't very taxing on her body but with the recent events she felt herself drained and exhausted.

She lay, staring up at the wooden beams above her. She felt the bed shift and Gabrielle crawled up next to her, taking awhile to get situated, she cuddled underneath the warm blankets. Xena kept rubbing her fingers together to distract herself from today. She wanted today to be over with but it would never end.

Gabrielle looked over at silent partner and rubbed her lips together, thinking of making light conversation to ease the tension in the room. She hated for Xena to go to sleep with a wandering mind and uneasy thoughts. That only led to restlessness which was never good for a person like Xena.

"I think Aurora has taken a liking to Pamira. They spent the entire afternoon together," she relayed and her wife hummed softly.

Her fingers gently glided along the dark gown Xena wore. Swirling her finger around the silk fabric she sighed heavily. Normally she was the talkative one out of the pair but she didn't know what to say or if she should say anything at all.

"Anastasia and Arielle are asleep in Cera's bed."

Xena blinked, not acknowledging anything her wife said beside her.

Her fingers trailed upward to Xena's neck and then to her injured shoulder, careful of her gentle touch. She laid her head against her chest, soothed by the low rhythm of a heartbeat.

"Do you want to talk about it?" she asked, hoping for an answer this time instead of agonizing silence.

A long moment passed until a heavy exhale escaped the khanum's lips.

"The baby was a girl. Ana told me."

Gabrielle lifted her head and finally their eyes met. "A princess." She rests her head back down on her wife's chest. "Kreka would've been so jealous!"

Xena cracked a smile. "Yes, she would've been." She brought her hand to rest beneath her mass of hair on the pillow. "You shouldn't mention the dragon lady before bed, Gabrielle. She might invade my dreams again."

Gabrielle chortled at the light hearted response. "_Are_ you…tired?"

With a heavy sigh, she answered, "No."

* * *

Awoken early in the morning by General Zolten, Xena was called to the courtyard in front of the Adame. Sleep did not come to her last night and she had to work with what little sleep she had. After she dressed in her black robes, pants and boots, she swiftly walked down the hallway with Gabrielle. Both were adjusting their headdresses on their heads as they were so rudely awoken before anyone else.

They stepped outside to a group of Persians on the field, holding the House of Sassan flag. There were two soldiers holding up a large burgundy rug in their arms, struggling to hold the weight of it. Xena looked around and tucked her bangs underneath her headdress and placed her hands on her hips.

"What's this?" she asked Zolten.

Zolten brought his hand outward, gesturing for the Persians to approach the stairs. They did as commanded and dropped the rug on the grass and unrolled it by kicking their boots. As the rug unrolled it revealed the corpse of Sukhra Karen, clearly impaled in several parts of his body.

Gabrielle covered her mouth at the mutilated body. It was barely recognizable.

"God almighty," uttered Xena. "Can't I just have a moment of peace in my life?" she sighed. "What is this supposed to signify?" she yelled at the Persians.

One of the flag holders addressed her from afar. "By decree of Shah Jamasp, the House of Karen and all of its decedents are hereby enemies of the Persian Empire!" his voice echoed across the field, drawing unwanted attention.

"Did he just say _Jamasp_?" Gabrielle whispered to her wife.

"What the hell is going on!" screamed Xena.

"Shehzade Jamasp has claimed his rightful place as Shah of the Persian Empire and imprisoned dethroned Shah Kavad for crimes against the empire!" the soldier continued. "Shah Jamasp declares the entire Hun Nation an enemy from here on out!"

Xena marched down the steps and took Zolten's sword from its holster. She stalked towards the Persian and plunged the sword into the messenger's chest. Kicking the man to the ground she spun around to the other Persians who surrounded her with their blades.

Gabrielle gasped. "Xena! God, what are you doing…" she massaged her temples.

Smiling, she eyed the five men and waved the sword in their faces. "Take him back to your _Shah_," she hissed. She shoved the sword into Zolten's chest and made her way back up the steps to her horrified wife's face.

"And this is why you _never_ ally with Persians," she growled and entered the Adame.

Zolten gathered his men and forced the Persians to leave the territory unless they all wanted to end up the same way as their messenger. Gabrielle shook her head and balled her fists, fuming inside. She ran inside the Adame after her impulsive wife.

"Hey!" she shouted and Xena halted. "What was _that_?" she pointed outside.

"I got the new '_Shah's message'_," she air quoted. "Kavad was obviously too weak of a ruler to keep his people in line. He was dethroned by his own _son_! And it's not even the son we were fighting against!"

"I think you've made the situation ten times worse, Xena. Now, Kavad's son is going to declare war against us."

Xena threw her hands in the air. "We were already dealing with a fractured Persian alliance anyway! And look at _us_ –our land was taken from us and we're split into three different territories because of Eksama."

The governor slapped her forehead and grunted. "What now? What are we going to do now? Since you know, you basically made a declaration of war out there."

* * *

"Have you lost your goddamn mind?!" Navaz slammed his fist on the table.

Xena waved her hand nonchalantly as if what she did had no relevance to the impending threat upon them. While she sat at one end of the table she couldn't help but notice the shocked expression on Arielle's face. So much for telling her granddaughter not to act impulsively and recklessly.

"Mother's right. You _are_ insane," said Arielle. "Father," she placed her hand on his clenched fist. "The Persians were going to rebel against us sooner or later. Kawus has been pitting the members of his family against each other for more than a year ago since Xerxes acted as the Hun ambassador. He's been planning this from the beginning."

Xena smiled. "See, Navaz, listen to your intelligent daughter. After all, I'm the _crazy_ one," she rolled her eyes.

Arielle put a stop to a fight that was soon to erupt between her father and grandmother. She stood and cleared her throat, ready to speak her mind. She kindly asked her father to sit down and listen to what she had to say. Out of all people at the meeting table, Gabrielle was the only person taking notes, as per usual.

"Get your pen ready, Gabrielle," she said.

The governor lifted her eyes anxiously and dipped the quill in the ink. She braced herself for what was to come out of Arielle's mouth. Truthfully, she wasn't ready at all. An argument was brewing, she could feel it.

"As Empress of the Avar Empire, I am an ally of my own people and I want to put an offer on the table." She eyed her cohorts. "I want to take the entire Hun Empire under my wing. I want to join both empires together to create a huge empire that not even Justinian or the Persians can rival."

Gabrielle stopped writing mid-sentence and slowly turned her head towards Xena who had a big gaping mouth. Everyone at the meeting table, aside from Anastasia's absence, sat in silence at Arielle's bold proposal.

"You will be allowed to govern your own kingdoms but will pay a tax to me," she stated nervously eyeing her father. "I will write a letter to Ernak and ask him to…_submit_ to me or all our people will perish by the hands of the Justinian, Eksama and Shah Jamasp."

She concluded her speech and sat down, waiting for a response from anyone _willing_ to speak up.

Gabrielle broke the ice. "How long…have you been thinking of doing this, Arielle?"

"Ever since Kawus invaded Lake Thospia. I asked Kuba to write a few treaties for me before I left to help with the war. I have them stored in the archive at the Scythian palace," she answered quickly.

"Did you say _pay_ _a_ _tax_?" asked Navaz, astonished at his daughter's abrasiveness. "I would be paying taxes to my own _daughter_?" he voice laced with irritation.

The empress laughed nervously. "Father, I'm your daughter but I'm _also_ a ruler now. So, what do you say?" she asked the group.

Xena drummed her fingers on the table and smiled. "I'm not opposed to it. What about you, Navaz? Come now, don't let that pride cloud your mind."

"Xena!" his cheeks puffed red.

After he cooled down he settled in the chair, making eye contact with his anxious daughter.

"I'll have to talk to your mother about this. This isn't going to be an easy decision, Arielle. If we agree to do this then you'll be the sole ruler, overseeing _everybody_."

She nodded. "I understand, father. I can do it."

"That's a tall order and a lot of pressure."

"Dad!" she grew frustrated as he danced around the topic. "I'm not a little girl. I _can_ do this. I don't think Ernak or Csaba are going to oppose this idea."

Navaz sat, perturbed, weighing the pros and cons of his daughter's proposal. So far, the alliance with  
Persia hadn't been what anyone expected. He knew in the back of his mind that Persians weren't very trustworthy and they proved time and time again that they were the sludge in the bottom of a barrel. He still hadn't realized that his daughter was no longer part of the Hun Empire and had her own people now even though she was his ally. Giving Arielle full control of two empires was daunting and incredibly risky.

Arielle smiled at everyone gathered at the table. Gabrielle was busy writing furiously, trying to record everything and it was up to Navaz to call this meeting to a halt but he held everyone up by his silence.

"So, who wants to tell mother that Csaba is in a comatose state?" she blurted out.

All eyes drifted over to the governor's direction. Gabrielle set down the pen and lifted her eyes to not one, but three pairs of eyes gawking at her.

"What?"

* * *

Yana sat by the bed, spoon feeding Cera rice pudding that she specifically made herself. She recently sent out letters to her siblings about Cera's condition. She tried not to talk too much around Cera as she didn't want to upset her. Instead, she offered to stay in Balaam with her as long as needed. She recalled the first time she met Cera and how curt she was with her but now that she was able to spend a lot of time with her brother's wife, she had a different opinion about her entirely.

Sure, Cera was very sweet and even though she had no voice she expressed herself with art, smiles and highly animated facial expressions to match her hand gestures. Children flocked to her wherever she went and she was able to connect with them very easily. Perhaps it was easier for her to be around children because they didn't judge her and loved watching her draw, paint and tell stories.

Cera covered her mouth and pushed the bowl of rice away, not able to stomach any more of it. Yana set down the bowl on the bedside table and smiled warmly at the princess.

"Your mother likes to hide in her room a lot," she made small talk with her.

The princess nodded. "_She does that when she's upset_," she signed and shrugged a shoulder. "_When my brother ran away with Farah she didn't come out of her room for days_," she explained. "_And when they finally came home and Csaba told everyone that Farah was pregnant she secluded herself_."

Yana now understood. This was a habitual thing for the khatun. She didn't understand it before and thought Anastasia being a recluse was her way of ignoring the problem but that was far from the truth. It was obvious that she cared a lot for all three of her children and whenever something happened to them, she had the weight of their problems on her shoulders.

The chieftess paddled Cera's knee. "I think I might've judged your mother too harshly."

With a furrow of her eyebrows, Cera frowned at her sister in law.

"I don't have any children of my own but I've raised Nadia since she was a baby. She's like my own daughter but I've never had to endure any of the struggles your mother has dealt with. Or yours," she quickly added. "You're stronger than you look, Cera."

The princess hid her smile, accepting the compliment graciously with a slow nod.

"But I must ask one question," Yana said seriously and leaned in close, "how does your mother maintain her long hair?" she asked with playful eyes.

Cera chuckled lightly and raised her palms and shook her head, clueless of how to answer such a frivolous question. She knew Yana was trying to distract her and not allow her mind to wander. She appreciated the kindness and now, she could say she wasn't so fearful of the stern Nezak Chieftess any longer.

* * *

"_Thanks_ for volunteering me to speak with an already frazzled queen," Gabrielle said to the group as they exited the conference hall.

Xena pulled her into a hug. "You're so much better at delivering hard to hear news, Gabrielle. Besides, I don't want her to slap me. I'm _injured_ after all…" she placated.

Gabrielle rolled her eyes and shoved the khanum off, agitated by her wife's behavior.

Arielle walked alongside her father and got up the nerve to ask, "Where's Xerxes? I was told he was here. I thought he would've…come to greet me."

Gabrielle and Xena both stared at Navaz, wide eyed and quickly scurried way to the queen's quarters. Navaz grunted, annoyed that he was left alone with his love-stricken daughter. If it was one thing he hated to be around it was emotional women. He turned to face his daughter with a sheepish grin.

Arielle closed the space between them and noticed he was evading her gaze. "Father…" she gripped his arm. "Did something happen to Xerxes?"

"Arielle…" he cupped her cheek. "_Benim güzel kizim_."

She was in no mood for his sweet words and stomped her boot. "_Where_ is he?"

* * *

Anastasia held a towel to her chest just as she was about to go to the bath chamber to wash her hair. The maids were dismissed from the room after she was given the news of Csaba. She stood, frozen, crumbling inside. The loss of her daughter's child and news of Csaba's horrible condition all lumped together, crippled her emotions.

She was grateful that she wasn't in Banat to see her son. He was far beyond a child but she still saw him as her little boy that she missed playing with in the field and holding him close when he came crying to her after a nightmare he had.

Gabrielle expected a much different reaction from her and it was worse when Ana kept silent. It was nearly as frightening when Xena had nothing to say, although that was a bit more normal. Anastasia at least voiced her feelings regularly depending on the situation at hand.

"Anastasia?"

The khatun felt her legs numb as she stared blindly off into space. The towel dropped to her feet and her arms went limp, digesting the news. Opening her mouth to utter a few words, she staggered forward and then collapsed onto the floor.

Xena ran and knelt down, scooping her daughter into her arms. "Ana," she hit her cheeks lightly, "Anastasia," she pinched her cheeks together. "That's just great. She fainted!" she whipped her head to her stunned wife.

"I'll…go get the physician," Gabrielle thumbed the doors and ran off.

A few minutes later, she brought in one of the physicians and a few maids as well. The three crowded around Anastasia and held a foul smelling oil beneath her nose to wake her. Xena titled her daughter's head, cautiously watching the physician.

Her nose crinkled at the smell and her eyes fluttered open. She blinked and hadn't realized she was on the floor. Looking above, she saw her mother's obvious blue eyes gawking at her.

"Hello again," Xena said, beaming. "Are you alright? You fainted."

She sat up slowly, rubbing the back of her head. She waved her hand, dismissing the physician and servants. She curled her knees and wrapped an arm around her uneasy stomach, fearing that what she heard about Csaba was untrue.

"Why…didn't anyone tell me?" she whispered. "Is he really so injured that he hasn't woken up? Is he alive? Why didn't anyone tell me?!"

"Anastasia," Xena pulled her close. "We were going to tell you but Arielle thought it best not to trouble you." she hooked her arm underneath her daughter. "Gabrielle, help me here."

Gabrielle grabbed the khatun's other arm and aided in helping her up off the floor. "I'm sure Csaba is doing fine," she reassured her. "He has plenty of people to take care of him. Farah's there and you _know_ she won't cut anyone any slack concerning Csaba."

* * *

He had no choice but to bring Arielle to the guest quarters where Xerxes resided in. This was exactly what he was trying to avoid. As much as he didn't care for the prince, or any man that tried to come near his daughter, he hated to see her so upset. He was surprised that Xerxes was still alive after what happened to him. Hardly anyone survived a sword to the chest and shoulder or they didn't live for very long.

Arielle loomed over the bed, examining his body riddled with bruises and gashes. The most severe of them all was the gaping hole in his shoulder that had been stitched. A medicinal bandage was draped over the wound.

Her curiosity piqued and her fingers gently touched the wound and Xerxes flinched. She beamed and sat down, grabbing hold of his hand. Keeping her eyes focused on his face, she kissed his bruised knuckles.

"I'm still waiting for those poems you promised me," she said.

The corner of his mouth twitched at her soft voice and he weakly squeezed her hand. Arielle's smile amplified and she put his hand to touch her cheek. She wondered how long he'd been laying here all by himself and how long he'd been unconscious for.

She traced circles on the palm of his hand. "I expect a poem from you when you're healed. You might not know this but the women in my family never break their promises so I expect you to keep yours."

The more she spoke the more reaction she received from the subdued prince.

"Oh and by the way, your brothers are terrible," she added. "I should be grateful to have such loving brothers." She frowned, thinking of Csaba then turned to the man lying before her. Two men she cared for were severely wounded and she wasn't there for either of them.

She continued to babble, hoping to receive more subtle reactions from him. "Aurora asked about you. I think she likes you. I mean, I like you too. My father not so much," she lightly joked. "But he doesn't like anyone with male genitalia near me."

Xerxes' lips turned up into a smile, clearly listening to everything she was uttering.

* * *

After a long winded day Navaz sequestered himself in his quarters, begging for this day to end. Thankfully it was the middle of the night and the entire Adame was quiet. He paid a visit to his granddaughter and spent a long time talking with her except Aurora did most of the talking while he listened.

The food that was brought to his room hours ago remained untouched. He just wanted to sit down, enjoy a glass of wine and listen to the sound of nothingness for once. He thought of visiting Anastasia but refrained once he was told that Xena and Gabrielle were kept in the room, guarding Anastasia. For _what_, he didn't know.

Sitting on the bed, stripped of his daily leathers and cape, now in loose dark pants and bare chest exposed, he sipped the warm wine and exhaled with satisfaction. Silence was a wonderful thing, he thought. As he brought the glass up to his lips for a second sip the doors opened and he frowned at the sight of his son.

What could it be now? More hysterical women knocking on his door? What else could possibly go wrong in the middle of the night?

"May I help you, Soran?"

The prince hesitantly stepped inside his father's room and closed the doors. "I knew you'd be awake. I couldn't sleep."

If that wasn't a lie, he didn't know what was.

"Alright," Soran held up his hands. "Zolten woke me. He didn't want to disturb you. There…are some guests waiting outside the Adame."

"_Guests_?"

"I…well…"

"Out with it, boy!" he growled.

"Shah Kavad's harem is outside with Tegin Irkin," Soran finally said. "Father, there must be twenty women out there! I didn't know Persians had harems that large! Oh and Nousha requests your presence."

Navaz set down the glass gingerly and stood, walking over to grab something to cover himself with. The last thing he wanted to do was deal with more women _especially_ Nousha. He did not like that woman at all as she wasn't very kind the last time she stayed in his home. The thought of Xerxes crossed his mind and he also…didn't wish to deal with yet _another_ angry mother.

He had another situation on his hand and that left the question: where was he going to house an _entire_ harem?

* * *

Gabrielle strolled out of the bedroom groggily and rubbed the kink in her neck. Sharing a bed between two tall women was ill advised. One woman was bad enough. She tightened the silk sash around her waist and walked through the quiet halls. Approaching the women's quarters she heard an unusual amount of chatter.

She poked her head around the corner and her eyes widened at the room filled with women. "What in god's name…"

Her eyes scanned the room and then she gasped once she laid eyes on Xerxes' mother. Her body clung to the wall and she slowly retreated, walking backwards as the chattering intensified.

She spun around and yelped. "Yana." She put a hand over her chest.

The chieftess grinned. "Good morning, Gabrielle."

"Morning, ah…" her eyes regretfully peeked over her shoulder. "What's with all the women?"

"Shah Kavad's harem was kicked out of the palace," Yana explained. "That's what I was told anyway. I was going to bring Cera some tea but I understand that those _concubines_," she said sourly, "are hoarding all of the tea."

Gabrielle smiled awkwardly, nodding her head. "If you do go in there…do not engage with Nousha."

"Who's Nousha?"


	32. Chapter 32

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tension in the Adame rises when Nousha instigates arguments with Anastasia and Arielle. Xena and Gabrielle make their trek to Banat to devise a plan to dethrone Eksama and take back Pannonia. Navaz musters up the courage to ask Anastasia something he's been waiting to do for over five years.

**I'm having a difficult time writing these days. I've also not been feeling that great due to being locked in my house during this pandemic. So I want to apologize if my writing isn't that great right now. Alright, end rant. Thank you for reading as always :)**

**X&G are going to go off on a little adventure of their own soon…**

Chapter 32 –_The Shah: Part II_

Gabrielle hurried back to the bedroom and tapped on her wife's shoulder. Whispering her name several times, she finally slapped her on the arm and Xena awoke, turning over, glaring up at her wide-eyed wife.

"We have a problem."

Xena groaned and slipped her arm out from underneath Anastasia and covered her with the blanket. She swung her legs over the side of the bed and inspected her wound beneath the bandages. Ignoring the urgency in Gabrielle's tone, she picked at the stitches which were now falling out. At least that was one positive thing she had happen in awhile.

Gabrielle cleared her throat and her wife lifted her head.

"What is it?"

"Kavad's harem is here…in the women's quarters. They were kicked out of the palace. I'm assuming Jamasp forbade them from living in Persia," she said which didn't strike Xena's nerve in the least. "Also…Nousha is here."

Her blue eyes widened. Just what she needed, _more_ problems. She wondered when her life was to settle down but with all these foreign entities invading her life she feared problems would never escape her. As much as she hated to admit it she wished all of the Sassanians were dead but that dream was farfetched. Those Persians reproduced at a rapid rate and as long as there were harems in their House, heirs would continue to take over the throne.

To make matters worse since she came to know that Persia had seven houses in the empire, if the Sassan House fell one day, which was unlikely by the looks of it, another royal household would take charge.

* * *

Xena lingered behind the wall, looking in at all the Persian women gathered in circles, talking to each other. She kept staring at Nousha who seemed to be the matriarch of all the concubines, and rightfully so, as she was the mother of a prince. Could there seriously be a hierarchy in a harem?

"You know," she whispered, "not many people scare me but _she_ does."

Gabrielle laughed. "_You_? Scared of Nousha?" her laughter erupted and she wrapped an arm over her aching stomach. "Xena, you're twice her size! She's shorter than _me_ for god sake!"

"Size has got nothing to do with it!" Xena whispered. "She's dangerous, Gabrielle. She's going to cause a lot of trouble, I just know it. Look at her, with that self-righteous smile," she shook her head.

At that moment, Nousha met eyes with her from across the room and waved, ceasing conversation with the women around her. Xena paced backward and grabbed Gabrielle's arm, hurrying away from the women's quarters.

"She saw me. We need to leave before she tries to strike a conversation with us."

"Xena, what are you –"

"Khanum!" Nousha called from down the hall.

Xena halted and braced herself for the conversation she was so desperately trying to avoid. Spinning around she laced her hands together, flashing a terse tight-lipped smile at the Persian woman. She made no attempt to reciprocate and walk to greet her and instead, kept glaring into Nousha's light eyes.

"So _nice_ to see you again," Nousha said, walking forward meeting her face to face. "Where's your daughter? I should show her my _appreciation_ for hosting me here."

"She's still sleeping."

Nousha nodded. "Perhaps later then."

"Mhm." Xena falsely smiled.

Aurora raced down the hallway, wearing her nightgown and stockings. She slipped onto the floor and collided into Gabrielle's legs. The princess giggled softly and then hid behind the governor from her caretaker. Ku snarled, holding a burgundy dress in her arms and a pair of black and gold flats. So early in the morning and she was already sick of dealing with the princess' antics.

While she was feeling mischievous and no doubt angering Ku, she peeked behind the governor's legs, staring at Nousha. She stepped forward and smiled at the petite Persian woman, scanning her from head to toe.

"Hello," she greeted sweetly.

Nousha raised an eyebrow and grinned at the little child. She bent over, hands on knees, to meet Aurora's eye level. "Well, hello there. Aren't you precious," she touched the girl's long hair. "_Basha shereena_."

Aurora, unfamiliar with the language, turned up to Gabrielle and Xena, searching for an answer. They shrugged their shoulders so then she smiled back at Nousha.

Ku held out her hand. "Aurora, _gel şöyle_," she wiggled her fingers and the princess slipped away, joining hands and was taken back down the hallway from which they came.

Nousha eyed the girl trail away and flashed a smile to Xena. "And _who_ was that little creature?"

"Princess Aurora," Xena hid her deviousness from the woman. "_Arielle's_ daughter." And just like that, the smile was wiped clean from Nousha's lips, shocking her indefinitely. Xena on the other hand kept grinning from ear to ear; satisfied that she was able to ruffle the woman's feathers with _just_ two words.

Gabrielle kept her eye on the oval faced beauty, sensing an implosion. Xena was right about one thing; Nousha had quite the temper for someone so small. She also didn't like to be put in her place by anyone. The difference between Nousha and everyone here was that she had no royal status and was considered the lowest of the low in Hun territory. Back in Persia she was obviously favored by Shah Kavad and 'mother of the concubines' so to speak.

"Nousha, we are going to have breakfast on the terrace in the queen's chambers. Would you like to join us?" she politely offered.

Xena grimaced and nudged the small of Gabrielle's back, implying that she did not want to partake in any meal-sharing with the woman.

* * *

Navaz studied the dark eyes belonging to Tegin Irkin. He met with him outside of the Adame and after the recent events in his life he didn't want the burden of caring for twenty Persian women and almost half of the dethroned Shah's soldiers either.

"How am I supposed to house all of these women in my home?" the king asked.

Tegin Irkin lowered his gaze and wiped his nose. "Your highness, you are obligated to help an ally in need. All of Shah Kavad's concubines are no longer welcome in Persia."

"I got that," Navaz interrupted. "While I have compassion for these women and Shah Kavad, how am I going to provide housing, food and supplies for his soldiers _and_ his women?"

The Persian snorted and eyed the soldiers he brought with him. He unfortunately had to stay in Armenia while his ruler was locked away in a prison. He expected Shehzade Kawus to claim the throne but was surprised when the younger prince took the crown. The young Shah was already making several changes in the empire and kicking out everyone who sided with his father was step number one. There were going to be many more steps to come.

"Perhaps you should build a bigger palace," his snarky tone annoyed the Hun king. "I have no funds to provide you as Shah Jamasp took everything in the treasury."

Navaz groaned and folded his arms. A headache was brewing with the amount of stress he was put under. After the jarring conversation he had with Arielle and the lack of funds and support from Persia, he was considering her offer might help his kingdom in this dire situation.

"I need to speak with my daughter. You may take your men to the field where my men are stationed. They should be able to share yurts until I find a solution."

Tegin ran after the king and tapped his shoulder. "What about the women?"

Navaz sighed, staring at the foreboding Adame. He didn't wish to enter it himself. That place was crawling with women and while he did feel lonely sometimes with just his son around, he did not enjoy a home filled with nearly thirty women.

"They will stay in the women's quarters for now. Take your hand off me, Persian." He snarled, shrugging his shoulder and ruffled the fur collar, marching back to his abode.

* * *

Out on the terrace, Nousha picked at her food, casually eyeing the three women surrounding her. She poked the quail eggs in the rice and smiled at the governor who looked her way. As soon as their gaze halted, she went back to scowling.

She set down the spoon on the plate. "Khatun."

Anastasia had her mouth wide open with a spoon of rice. She lowered the utensil and cleared her throat. "Yes?" she dreaded any conversation with the Persian.

"Do you go by any nicknames?" asked Nousha curiously. "Tasia? Nasia?"

She furrowed her eyebrows and drummed her nails on her knee. "I go by Ana but you may refer to me as Anastasia Khatun or Khatun." She quickly shutdown the woman. her relationship was meant to be cordial and nothing more. She didn't want possible issues to rise in the future if she allowed Nousha to speak down to her.

"Nasia would suit you better," the Persian snidely said, "_Khatun_," she added with a curt bow of her head.

Gabrielle felt the heat between the two and intervened. "It was nice of you to join us, Nousha."

"And it was so _nice_ of Gabrielle to invite you," Xena remarked with a tight smile. "Since you'll be staying here for awhile you should get used to sharing meals with Anastasia. I'm sure you two will become great _friends_."

Ana whipped her head to her mother and widened her eyes. Her mother's subtle way of pushing her and Nousha together was ill advised. She wasn't sure if her mother was being facetious or meddling to get some sort of strange rouse to cure her boredom. Either way, she didn't want to be in the same room much less under the same roof as Nousha.

The Persian finished off her juice and sent a smirk of a smile towards Xena. "This arrangement is temporary, khanum. As much as I would like to be _friends_ with your daughter, I'm afraid it is not possible."

Ana arched her eyebrow. "And why's that?"

"I have no intention of being friends with you, khatun. I don't like your people and I especially don't like that your daughter is sleeping with my son. She is not part of his harem nor is she his wife. That is _why_ you want to be amiable with me, isn't it?"

"You should be careful of what you say, Nousha. You're under my roof now," Anastasia said, gripping the spoon to quell her anger.

"I had the pleasure of meeting your granddaughter. She's a beautiful child," Nousha eyed the raging queen. "I should let you know that divorce is frowned upon in Persia. My son would _never_ marry your daughter especially since she had a child with another man."

She stood and threw down the napkin on pillow and stormed off the terrace. Everyone watched the petite woman march away and heard the doors slam shut inside the bedroom.

Guilt washed over Gabrielle as she felt somewhat responsible for causing this disaster. This entire visit was a disaster from the start, from Cera to the news of the Shah and now Nousha.

"I…I'm sorry, Ana," she softly says. "I didn't know she was going to be so…rude."

Anastasia released a throaty growl and took hold of the small table then flipped it over. She got to her feet and then stomped on one of the plates, shattering it to pieces. Glaring at her mother below, she huffed and stormed back into the bedroom, ripping the veil off her head and tossed it against the wall.

"What did I say?" Xena turned to her sulking wife. "That woman is trouble. I know Arielle likes Xerxes but I don't know how this is going to work with Nousha in the picture."

"Are you saying that she shouldn't see him anymore? Xena, that is going to crush her."

* * *

With hope that he'd awaken, Arielle stayed by the prince's side all night. She fought the will to sleep, watching his closed eyes for hours until finally sleep overcame her. Slouched in a chair she sat, holding his hand firmly with her head lolled on her shoulder, breathing heavily.

Navaz caught the sight of his daughter's determination to stay. When she had her mind set to something she was determined to finish it through no matter the cost. It was one of the admirable things about his daughter even though her attitude thwarted some of her good qualities. Being headstrong and stubborn was a common theme throughout this family, especially with the women.

"Arielle," he shook her shoulder and she jumped at his touch, rubbing her sleepy eyes. "Morning," he greeted with a smile. "I need to talk to you about your offer. I haven't had the chance to talk to your mother but I imagine she is _busy_ at the moment."

She yawned and crossed a leg over her knee. "_Busy_ sequestering herself in her room?" she implied the 'busyness' her father tried to sugar coat. "Did you come to a decision?"

"Yes," he thought this over very quickly and he wondered if Anastasia was going to comply. "I'm going to sign your treaty. Last night Shah Kavad's harem arrived. They were kicked out of the palace. His soldiers were also left to the coyotes."

She stood, flashing a smug grin. "Ah, so now the time has come for the Persians to bow down to _us_," she nods with satisfaction. "I will go return to Scythia and send you the treaty. I will also send the treaty to Ernak and Csaba. There's no way they will counter my offer!"

She charged to the doors and met with Nousha on the other side. Standing idly, she gawked at the small woman in front of her. Nousha had the most awful scowl on her face that even someone as beautiful as her, made her appearance hideous and menacing to the naked eye.

"Banu Nousha," she uttered with a crack in her voice. "Xerxes…he…he's doing better. He still hasn't woken up yet."

"Stand aside," the Persian demanded.

Arielle creased her eyebrows at the defiant behavior. "I'm an empress, Nousha. You are not in the right to give me orders. I don't care if you don't like me, you _will_ respect me." She crossed her arms, blocking the doorway.

The petite woman forced a smile and inclined her head. "_Please_, step aside," her voice laced with malice, "_Empress_…" she said coldly.

Navaz studied their faces and the silence between them was uncomfortable to witness. He feared that Arielle might talk back to Nousha and while she had every right to do so, he wished she wouldn't because it'd only cause more friction between everybody. He already had to deal with an entire harem in his household and Nousha was not the easiest to get along with. This was without a doubt due to Xerxes' relationship with his daughter.

Arielle towered over the woman and leaned downward, meeting eye level with her foe. She emits a chilling smile.

"Very good, Banu Nousha. I _strongly_ advise you to be respectful to my family during your stay, _especially_ my mother. I'd _hate_ to find out you were unkind to her. It won't be a happy ending for you." She lingered for a moment then brushed arms with her as she strolled off.

Navaz smoothed out his beard and sighed heavily after the exchange was over and done with. His daughter's way of words reminded him of how Xena used to be. Her words were so cold and threatening; sure to scare off anyone with that icy stare she inherited from her grandmother. He wasn't sure if he liked that or not but at least she put Nousha in her place.

* * *

Princess Aurora ran throughout the Adame trying to evade Ku. She ran into her mother as they met in the middle of the foyer. She smiled up at her mother who gave her a questionable stare.

"Good morning," Arielle knelt down and cupped her daughter's cheeks. "We have to head back to Scythia by the end of the day. You should probably say goodbye to everyone before we go."

Aurora gasped. "Nooo," she whined. "We just got here! I didn't get to ride my horse or see grandma khatun or, or…or draw with Teyze Cera. Can I stay, please?" she begged, joining her palms.

"You don't really want to stay with all these Persian ladies here, do you?"

The princess held her mother's face in her tiny palms. "Mother, I can take care of myself. Don't worry about me. Ku will look after me!"

Arielle's lip twitched into a smile. "_Mother_?" she felt a little hurt being called that. "Since when do you call me 'mother'?"

She was used to her daughter calling her mommy that she was taken aback by being called by a much proper title. Now she felt like this was an entirely different level of relationship with her daughter. She didn't want to be called _mother_. That's what she called her own mother.

She stared into her daughter's pleading eyes and relented. "Well, I guess you could stay a little longer but I want you to focus on your studies when you come back home."

Disappointment crossed the girl's features. "Okay…" she sighed.

Nousha, holding back tears after visiting her son, crossed paths with the khagana once more. She stood at the end of the hallway as she was being glared at by Arielle. Her eyes drifted to the small princess and smiled at her. She didn't want to show any hatred for the child even though she was born from the woman who her son was infatuated with.

Aurora waved her hand and Arielle frowned at the silent exchanged. She left her mother's side and waltzed over to the Persian and thought to introduce her properly. She extended her hand, grinning from ear to ear.

"I'm Princess Aurora," she said. "What's your name?"

Nousha shook the child's hand. "Banu Nousha. I am Shehzade Xerxes' mother."

"Xerxes!" she beamed. "I like him. He's very nice and he promised to make a bow for me!"

Nousha tried to conceal her disdain and avoided Arielle's harsh glare. "Isn't that _sweet_," she forced a smile. "Excuse me princess, but I must get back to the women."

Arielle had her eye on the woman leaving the foyer and then felt a tug on her pants. Smiling at her daughter she grabbed her hand and walked down the hallway together whilst keeping her gaze on Nousha.

"She's Xerxes' mother?" Aurora inquired. "She's very pretty. Can we go to the stables now? I wanna see my horse."

* * *

It was a difficult task to keep Farah out of the infirmary so the physicians and servants kept the doors locked at all times in order to keep her away. With each passing day, Csaba was fed small portions of liquids such as water and soup. The physicians were baffled by his unconscious state. All of his external wounds were healed including the nasty head wound he acquired on the battlefield.

This was the third month the king lay in bed as a living corpse so one of the physicians said. An ice bath was prepared for the king and his limp body was carried to the bath. The main physician hoped that this plan of his was going to startle the king's body and wake up once he was submerged into the water.

Slowly, two male servants lowered Csaba's body into the ice bath and with extreme caution his head was gently lowered in the frigid water. The physician timed the submersion, counting the seconds in his head. He watched the bubbles escape the king's nostrils and float to the surface.

Csaba wiggled his fingers in the water and then his eyes shot open underneath the water. Opening his mouth, he inhaled a large helping of water and jolted upward, spewing water and coughing. He hung his arms over the sides of the tub and eyed his surroundings.

The servants wrapped a towel around his shoulders and helped him to stand. Holding firmly onto their arms, Csaba rose in the tub and felt his legs about to give out and toppled forward. The servants grabbed hold of his body and dragged him out of the tub.

"Praise the lord!" the physician exclaimed. "I will inform King Ernak of the great news. Surely, her highness, Farah, will be overjoyed by this."

Csaba was put back to bed and had several attendants serving, drying his arms and legs. He furrowed his eyebrows, staring at the loss of muscle mass on his body. Once he was quite proud of his muscular physique but now he looked almost unrecognizable. Exhaustion and weakness overcame his body and mind.

* * *

"I have great news!" Ernak boomed as he walked in the dining hall.

Most of the family was sitting on the floor, eating an early dinner. All heads turned to him, waiting anxiously to hear the great news he spoke of. Farah sat in between her three sons, lifting her eyes from her half eaten bowl of food.

He placed his hands on his hips with a huge smile. "I am to be a father again," he announced.

There was an array of silence and then Ernak's youngest son groaned. "What! _Another_ baby?" Utighur griped, throwing down his spoon. "It better not be a girl again…" he mumbled. He received a smack to the back of the head by his elder brother, Kurt.

Ebnedzar smiled at his nephews and looked up at his little brother. "Congratulations to you, Ernak. I'm sure Nisa is very excited."

"She is, she is," Ernak sat down beside his sons and eyed Farah, sulking at the end of the table. "I should announce some _more_ good news," he grabbed everyone's attention once more, "Csaba has woken up. The physician just informed me."

It took awhile for those words to register in Farah's mind while her sons smiled and cheered happily. She looked into Ernak's honest dark eyes, waiting for confirmation of his announcement. He gave her a slow inclination of his head and she felt her breath escape her. Everybody sitting around the table rejoiced and her sons tugged on her arms while she sat, flabbergasted.

She finally broke out into a smile and then stood up, darting towards the doors with her sons chasing after her. It was the first time Rabia saw a smile on her sister's face and for that, she was glad. Rabia didn't know how much longer she could take seeing her sister waste away. It was not only affecting her but her nephews as well.

Taking a swig of the juice, Yeter casually butted in, "at least she won't be wallowing anymore. She ran her eyes dry."

Ursula frowned, glaring at her daughter in law beside her. "Yeter, now is not the time to make unnecessary petty comments."

"Who says I was being petty? I was being sincere. Her mood was putting a damper on everyone!" she said aloud and all of the children fell silent. "Can I have my son back now?" she held out her arms.

The shamaness smiled tersely, holding her baby grandson close to her chest. "He's mine for the day. You said I could watch him for you or did you forget that you told me you were tired?"

Yeter pressed her tongue on the roof of her mouth. "I…need to feed him," she wiggled her fingers.

"You fed him an hour ago."

The Gokturk Queen scoffed and got up off the floor and walked off, muttering curse words beneath her breath. Austraia sat on the opposite side of Ursula and as much as she liked her new found family, she thought Oran's wife was always in such a foul mood compared to Farah and Nisa.

"Is she always like that? Rude, I mean," she asked Ursula.

"Unfortunately, yes," the shamaness grazed her finger along her grandson's full cheek. "But we all put up with her. At times she can be intolerable but we've all learned that she's never going to change."

Austraia nodded, pulling her fingers through her curly red hair. "I wish my mother would come to her senses. She is missing an opportunity to have a real family. She's been alone all her life. She doesn't know what it's like to have a family who cares and supports her."

Ernak shared the same feelings for his estranged sister. He wished that Eksama would have come to live in Pannonia when she was a child. He could've had a little sister to play with and get to know but that was only an alternate world. He had high hopes that Eksama would change her mind and stop this feud. Ebnedzar came into his life and ever since then he was able to become extremely close with another brother. His elder brother was all he had left. If only Eksama would see what she was doing was wrong and only hurting herself in the end.

"I too, wish to have a relationship with your mother," he told his niece.

"I –I'm sorry she did this to you –to _all_ of you," Austraia addressed everyone around her. "But she isn't going to stop until she gets what she wants."

Ernak nodded, understanding the ways of his sister. "She wants to be khatun but she's going all about it the wrong way. Perhaps I would've given her a title if she didn't try to kill my brother's wife." He saw the sadness in his niece's brown eyes. "Anastasia and I grew up together. She's like an older sister to me. I'd do anything to protect her even if that means killing my blood sister."

* * *

She sat, shuffling papers for hours, bored out of her mind. That was the only downside of being a ruler; so much paperwork and demands were made of her. Kuba gave her a list of complaints from her new subjects and while she cared for the Avars and Scythians, some of the complaints were so ridiculous. She now understood why Khagana Jiulu didn't have time to marry or have children with this insane workload.

She took her life as a princess for granted. She always wanted more responsibility but now that it was staring at her dead in the face, she saw a busy future in her hands. Not even a week back in Scythia and she had mountains of work to do which included merging her family's empire with hers.

It was a tall order like her father said but she was prepared to do anything and everything to make sure that her family didn't suffer at the hands of Justinian or Eksama. While she tended to her people's needs and wants during the day, at night she wrote relentlessly to come up with a feasible treaty for Ernak and Csaba. She hoped that they would comply and be reasonable with her proposal.

With the recent events in Balaam, she couldn't keep her mind focused on the necessities. Sitting at her desk with her legs propped up on the desk, she chewed her fingernails, staring off into space.

"Arielle?"

She shook her head and looked at Gabrielle who stood on the opposite side of the desk. She scrambled to find the written treaties on her messy desk and handed them over. She nearly forgot that Gabrielle was stopping by her quarters today.

"Here are the treaties. I want you and grandma to go to Banat and deliver them personally. I will also send two thousand of my men with you." she said and Gabrielle stared at her, wide-eyed. "Just in case Eksama attacks, I want Banat to be protected."

"I see." Gabrielle tucked the scrolls underneath her arm. "Is there something on your mind? You seem distant."

Arielle swung her legs off the desk and laced her fingers together. "Aurora called me _mother_," she snidely remarks. "I don't want to be called _mother_." She heard a chuckle from the governor. "Do you think I'm a good mother to my daughter, Gabrielle?"

"How could you think otherwise? Of course you're a good mother. You've given her everything she's ever wanted. She's never been without."

Arielle nodded but couldn't help but feel guilty. "Except providing her a good father," she muttered sourly. "Am I making a mistake keeping her from Bayan? Should I tell her about his son?"

"That is entirely up to you, Arielle. She took the news of the divorce very well and she spoke highly of Sarnai." Gabrielle set a hand on the khagana's arm. "If you want to tell her, you can."

"My father was always there for me and in my life even though he married Fairuza and Safiya. He never missed any of my birthdays and he always wrote me." She frowned and slammed a fist on the desk. "Bayan hasn't even tried to reach out to Aurora all this time!"

Gabrielle felt this was an area she wasn't too skilled in but she saw her fair share of husbands cheating on their wives although Arielle's circumstance was special.

"Well…you don't have to decide right now. Maybe talk to Aurora and see what she wants? He's her father after all. If she wants a relationship with him then that should be her decision."

The fiery empress snarled and focused her mind on the treaties, ignoring what Gabrielle told her. Another day, she told herself.

"I want you and grandma to leave by tomorrow. I've asked Kuba to prepare the soldiers for the departure. Make sure to read those treaties very carefully before you present my case to Ernak."

Gabrielle nodded, inwardly taking down notes of her specified orders.

Arielle raised an eyebrow. "Where is grandma anyway?"

"Oh…she's…taking inventory of all the weapons," she meekly told the empress. "What can I say? She loves her weapons."

* * *

_One Month Later_

Standing in the foyer of the Banat palace, their arrival was not silent at all but rather incredibly loud as everyone was woken up to the loud horns outside the palace. Xena stood alongside Gabrielle, waiting for Ernak to greet them.

Gabrielle had a smile on her lips, admiring the Banat palace. She did miss it here and she knew that there were children scattered everywhere. She was more anxious to see them than talking with Ernak about the plan Arielle concocted.

"Where is he? He's taking his sweet time," chided Xena.

"Patience is not one of your virtues, Xena." She snorted. "I hope we didn't wake up everyone."

Ernak strolled down the stairs and welcomed them both open arms. He kissed Xena's cheek much to her disgust and hugged the small governor, lifting her up off the ground.

"Xena!" he lightly slapped her arm. "How I've missed you. I sure could've used you on the field during the war with Eksama."

"Hmm." She flashed a small grin. "I was needed on the field in Armenia but I think we'll be working together a lot from now on. Gabrielle, that's your cue."

He brought his eyebrows together as Gabrielle took out several scrolls from her satchel. She opened one of them to briefly collect her thoughts of how to begin the discussion and also to refresh her memory. She handed off one of the treaties.

"Arielle is the Khagana of the Avar Empire as you know," she began and Ernak nodded, reading the document. "She made an offer to Navaz and he signed his portion of the treaty. She sent me and Xena to discuss the proposal to you."

He mouthed the words and lowered the parchment, staring at the women in awe.

"She wants the _entire_ Hun Empire?" he questioned and they both nodded. "I will have to pay taxes to her?" he asked and they nodded once more.

Gabrielle leaned over and pointed to the clause at the end of the treaty. "You will still be king over the tribe. You will have control of Pannonia and Csaba will have Banat, just like it was before. She –she ah, she's willing to put a hold on the tax until Pannonia is relinquished from Eksama."

"My, how the tables have turned," he laughed. "I am taking orders from Navaz's daughter," he sighed and handed the treaty back to Gabrielle. "I am willing to sign the treaty and join empires."

Gabrielle grinned and nudged her wife's arm. So far, the plan was a success.

"But."

"_But_?" she held her breath.

"I want Bayan to have some control over Pannonia."

Xena's jaw dropped and she snorted a one note laugh. "I beg your pardon?"

"I understand what you're thinking, Xena. He's a piece of goat shit. That isn't debatable but he is a very good commander. He saved Banat from being completely ransacked by Eksama's army. His strategies on the field are impeccable. He managed to come out without an injury or a scratch after the war."

She clenched her jaw and stepped forward, closing the space between her and Ernak. "Do you have any idea what you're saying, Ernak? Have you completely lost your mind?" she hissed.

"These are my terms. I know Arielle isn't going to be happy about my condition," he smirked. "But I believe we can live peacefully with Bayan. He is on our side and I don't need to make any more enemies."

Gabrielle stepped in between them before things got heated. "We'll tell Arielle and ensure Bayan…gets the recognition he deserves. Could you at least sign the treaty? We've come all this way." She pulled out a pen.

He smiled and gladly took the pen. "Anything for you, Gabrielle," he says sweetly, inking his name on the bottom of the parchment.

While Xena was fuming he took the opportunity to change the subject. Gabrielle blew on the wet ink and eyed her spouse, hoping that an argument wasn't to ensue.

"How is my little niece? She should have the baby soon, right? In a couple of months? I haven't had time to write her but I'd like to send her a gift."

Finally, Xena's hard features softened. "Ernak…" she thought of how she wanted to explain this in the easiest way possible. "Cera…she –she lost the baby."

His smile faded and his stomach churned. "Oh," he frowned, "I'm very sorry to hear that. How is Anastasia? I know she was very excited."

"She'll be alright," Xena assured him. "You know how she is. She can overcome anything."

Ernak faintly grinned. "Yes, she can. I hope we can all live under one roof again one day."

Gabrielle cleared her throat and brought out another scroll. "Well, actually…" she presented the document. "Arielle has requested that…Farah work for her. She wants to bestow her the title of 'Vitruvius'."

He wiped his teary eyes and grunted, reading the document. "You ladies know I am not skilled in reading Latin. What is a _Vitruvius_?"

"It's an architect. Arielle thought that she could really use Farah's help in designing a new Adame in Scythia, lower Pannonia and possibly…Italia," she explained. "After we take back Pannonia of course."

He laughed. "You do remember that Eksama is there right?"

Xena held up a hand. "Arielle has provided two thousand Avar soldiers at your disposal and…" she paused, grinning smugly at Gabrielle who rolled her eyes. "Put me in charge of the army. You like raids, don't you Ernak?" she wiggled her eyebrows.

"Do I ever!" he squealed in delight and embraced her.

"Ernak!" she griped, shoving him away. "Don't do that."

* * *

Csaba couldn't have felt more like a child than at this very moment. He sat up in bed, propped up with several pillows while his wife was spoon feeding him. He told her that he was perfectly capable of feeding himself but she wanted to help and who was he to deny her?

After the third spoonful of soup he raised his hand, signifying that he didn't want any more food. He adjusted the pillows and smiled warmly at his helpful wife. Last night he was able to get up on his own though he wasn't without help. The physicians were always by his side and of course Farah tried to be with him every hour of the day which was a bit unnerving, though he appreciated her diligence.

"If you're feeling up to it we could take a walk in the gardens?" Farah suggested.

"That would be lovely. I'm tired of lying around all day. How long have I been in here?"

"Well, you've been unconscious for three months and awake for a month." She grabbed his hand. "I had hope that you would wake up eventually. I waited here every single day, watching over you!"

Csaba widened his eyes. "Did you? You are the epitome of a dutiful wife, Farah," he chuckled.

He squeezed her hand and then saw his grandmother enter the room with Gabrielle. He sat up, grinning brightly by their presence. Farah turned around and stood to greet them. They were shocked to see the women here and Csaba looked around, hoping to see his mother behind them. He knew that the news would've reached Balaam and she was probably very worried about him. He hated to worry her.

Xena leaned over and kissed his forehead. "Glad to see that you are awake. Your mother is going to be very happy to hear this."

"What are you doing here? Did mother come with you?" he asked quickly. "How is Arielle? And Cera? Is everything alright in Balaam? Ernak told me that the Persians attacked. I wish I could've helped but…"

"Relax, Csaba," she was slightly amused by his millions of questions spitting at her. "Arielle was able to get rid of the Persians with her army. Unfortunately, we have some _new_ problems with the Persians."

"Such as?"

"Shah Kavad was dethroned and his son, Jamasp is the new Shah."

His jaw dropped.

Xena nodded. "I don't want to talk about it. It's a load of bullshit if you ask me. How are you doing? I heard that you're recovering slowly, thanks to Farah I'm sure."

He eyed his wife and smiled. "Yes, she's been very helpful. Hopefully I can get up and walking around more soon without _anyone's_ help."

Farah clamped her hands together. "How is Cera? Did she enjoy the dresses I sent her? She and I are the same size although she is a bit taller than me so I hope the gowns fit."

Xena and Gabrielle lowered their eyes and sighed heavily. They were the bearer of bad news recently and this subject was bound to upset both Farah and Csaba. Gabrielle grabbed Farah's hand and ushered her away from the bed to talk about the plans Arielle had for her while Xena sat down, facing her grandson.

Csaba cinched his eyebrows. "What happened?" he asked, keeping his eye on Gabrielle quietly whispering with Farah.

"There were some complications," she began, "We don't know what happened but Cera unfortunately lost her child. We went to visit her and of course your mother locked herself away in her room."

He ran his fingers through his hair and wagged his head. "Poor Cera. I hope she is doing better now?" he asked and Xena nodded with a faint smile. "She's always been a very strong person. I'm sure she will be gifted another child in the near future. I wish I could be there for her."

"She's surrounded by people who care for her. Yana is always by her side and she has your mother there."

"I'm glad." He slowly digested the news. "I know you didn't come all the way to Banat to give me this news, grandma. Why are you here? Did Arielle do something again?" he feared the worst.

Xena snorted. "Oh she did _something_ alright."

* * *

"So, this is what we're gonna do." She pointed to the map of Pannonia. "We're going to send someone to speak with Eksama and of course you know she's _not_ gonna listen. After that poor soul dies or runs for his life, we will raid the entire tribe!"

Gabrielle sat on the floor with her feet propped up on an ottoman, staring up at her wife, upside down. She blinked several times at the ferocity in Xena's voice. She knew that Xena wanted to get out into the field again she also knew she couldn't stop her since the wound was almost healed.

"That sounds very dangerous," she chimed in.

"Well _of_ _course_ it's dangerous," Xena mocked. "Can you stop eating those nuts and listen to me?"

Gabrielle grabbed a full walnut. "They're really good! Fresh off the fire," she threw the walnut across the room onto the table. "But you have to crack it open first."

Xena smashed the walnut with the hilt of her dagger with a slick smile. "Will you listen to me now?"

"I'm listening, I'm listening!" her incessant loud chewing was bound to get on Xena's nerves.

"We're going to need to strategize accordingly. I want to raid Pannonia. That sounds a bit strange I know."

"You've done it before," Gabrielle interrupted. "If you recall that one time when Attila and the Romans were on your tail."

Xena put a stop to that painful time in her life. "Alright, alright. Let's not address that again. That was…a different time –that was a different me. I'm no longer that person and I never harmed any of the women and children in Pannonia."

"Mhm." Gabrielle rolled over onto her stomach. "Go on with your plan," she waved her hand.

"Anyway," she stabbed the Adame drawn on the map. "We send in the messenger and he fails inevitably. We take the Avar army and raid the entire tribe. After that we can take Eksama as prisoner and either she will be killed or forced to submit to us."

The blonde nodded, rubbing her chin pensively. "You honestly think Eksama is going to submit? I doubt that."

"One can hope."

"You _want_ Eksama to submit." Gabrielle crawled across the floor and climbed onto the bed. "You feel bad for her, don't you?" she took her spouse's hand. "Or maybe you feel betrayed that Kreka kept this secret from you all these years?"

Xena twisted her mouth. "I hate when you do that –get inside my head."

"If I didn't then where would we be today?"

"You make a good point, Gabrielle. It's hard to argue with you but it is _irritating_ when you're right."

"Yet you have put up with me all these years!" she cheered then she was shoved backward onto the bed playfully. "Hey, I'm still counting and you're healed now. You know what that means…" she hinted with a raised fist.

Xena climbed onto the bed and pinned the governor down. "You _really_ want to go down that road, Gabrielle?" she teased.

* * *

In the bath chamber Anastasia found solitude. She kicked out all of the maids who wanted to help her. It was her time to be alone and reflect. She sat in the teaming pool, scrubbing her bare skin with a soapy cloth, poured water onto her soapy hair and drenched her face, exhaling deeply.

Squeezing the soapy cloth over her scalp she felt the water dip and opened her eyes, looking around she saw a figure beside her. She kept scrubbing her scalp and rolled her eyes.

"Navaz, what do you want? Can't you see I'm busy?"

He swam over to her and took the cloth out of her hand. He scooped the water into a bowl and gently poured it over her soapy midnight tresses several times. He always admired her hair and thought it was one of her best features long ago. That proved to be true to this day.

Much to her annoyance, he poured water along her shoulders and arms to wash away the soap residue. "I haven't heard anything from the Persians. I'm sure they got Xena's little message."

"My mother sure knows how to rile up anyone," she joked. "You have to admit she's a lot tamer now."

"She is." He grabbed a handful of her hair, rubbing in the soap at the ends. "I remember the first time I met her. She looked at me as if I were some kind of horrible person for marrying you and getting you pregnant."

Anastasia snickered. "She gives every man who comes near me that look. You are not special, Navaz."

"I know Ellac had it worse than I did."

She frowned, thinking about Ellac. She thought about him every day since his passing. Her relationship with Ellac was very different than hers with Navaz. She was Ellac's childhood friend. She remembered playing with him in the fields when they were children and knew from a young age that she had a special bond with him that she didn't have with Dengizich or Ernak.

"You miss him," he stated, running a comb through her hair.

"I do. Very much."

He hummed softly and massaged oil into her wet locks. "I promised Ellac I would take care of you. Before you interject, we had a private discussion and we agreed. I liked Ellac very much and I've waited for the right time to ask you."

She flipped a hefty amount of hair behind her shoulder as he rubbed the oil into her skin. She waited in anticipation. She had no idea that he and Ellac had a private conversation about her which was a bit infuriating to say the least. She didn't like being talked about without her presence especially behind the backs of men she was once married to.

"I offered to marry you once and you shunned me."

She laughed. "As if that worked out _so_ _well_ the first time, Navaz."

He smiled, seeing the light in her eyes again after so long. "That was different, Ana. I didn't know you at all. I know you much better now. I've known you for twenty years, Anastasia."

"Thanks to Arielle," she wagged her finger.

"Yes, thanks to her, and many other events in our life. I would still marry you."

She paused and met his gaze. "Well, you can't be serious?" she snorted at the idea.

"I'm very serious." He kissed her shoulder. "I want you to marry me. You're already in my bed anyway," he slyly said with a raised eyebrow.

"Navaz…" she wrapped her arms over her breasts. "Do you have any idea what you're saying? You want me to be your wife…again?"

"Yes."

"Your wife."

"Yes."

"_Again_?"

"Anastasia!" he laughed and grabbed her slender waist, settling her in his lap. "Would it really be so bad to be married to me? I wasn't such a horrible husband." He joked.

She pinched his chest. "I don't know whether I should be angry that Ellac told you to marry me or that you two confided in each other without me."

"Is that a yes? I've been waiting to ask you for four years, Anastasia."

"Four years! _Bir tanrının sabrınız var!"_

He lifted his eyebrows, waiting patiently. "Ana…"

"Oh," she briefly forgot he was waiting for an answer. "Yes, I will. At least we won't have to worry about Arielle calling us hypocrites anymore." She leaned in and kissed him, wrapping a hand around his neck.


	33. Chapter 33

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Feeling alone and depressed after the loss of her child, Cera decides to pay a visit to her sister to ease her mind. An idea sparks in the middle of Xena's plan, and she decides to relocate the army. In the middle of a raid, Gabrielle and Xena are accosted by an old but familiar enemy from the west.

Chapter 33

Cera sat on a bench underneath the window and overlooked the mass of Persian soldiers mingling with the Huns. She didn't like being cooped up in the Adame especially with the extra guests. The place was crowded and this home wasn't nearly as large as her home in Pannonia. Everyone was on top of one another and it was bad enough that her mother came to see her three times a day or possibly more. She lost count.

She looked at her husband who came to join her spying on the Persians. Mirac pointed at one of the Persians who bickered with one of Navaz's soldiers. They watched together, laughing at the soldiers shoving each other which then ensued into a larger fight in which three other men had to intervene.

Mirac's laughter died down and he peered at his wife. "_Gülüm_," he took her hand, "we don't have to stay here. We could go back to Kazakhstan. I know autumn and winter aren't your favorite seasons especially in Kazakhstan but at least it would be…quieter."

Cera sighed and rubbed her thumb on the back of his hand. She did enjoy spending as much time as possible with her family but it was true, it was overwhelming to be here. She occasionally heard her mother cursing the Persian concubines often.

She tried not to think of the fall season approaching. It would only be two months shy of the time she was supposed to deliver her child. Mirac tried his best not to talk about it and his sister was very helpful over the last month but the pain still lingered. She wished that she didn't know that the child she lost was a girl. It only made it harder for her to forget.

Her hand slid off his and curled into her lap. She swiped her hand over her head, gesturing to Mirac that she had a thought.

He leaned in. "Yes?"

"_I want to go live with my sister_," she signed. "_Just for awhile_."

"Oh." He wasn't expecting that at all. "You don't want to go back to our tribe?"

Cera faintly smiled. "_I don't want your siblings to question me. It would be too much for me_." She placed a hand over her heart.

"I understand."

She sighed. "_Hopefully my mother will let me go. She's been irritable lately with the Persians here_."

They heard something topple over and a soft voice from nearby within the bedroom. Mirac helped Cera to stand off the bench and they walked over to the cause of the noise. There was Aurora holding the _kamancheh_ by the neck, the instrument nearly standing at the same height as her.

Mirac knelt on one knee and set the _kamancheh_ back on its stand. "Princess, what are you doing in here?"

Aurora eyed her aunt and blinked rapidly. "Uhm, I was just curious about this," she pointed to the instrument. "Pamira said Teyze Cera knows how to play it. Can you play it? I wanna hear how it sounds."

Mirac looked back at his wife, unsure of what the reaction was to ensue. He knew that she enjoyed the lessons Pamira gave her daily but she hadn't touched the _kamancheh_ in over a month. The thought of disposing of it had occurred to him since he didn't want the loss of their child to be a constant reminder.

"Princess, I don't know if that is such a good –"

Cera gripped his arm and dropped to her knees and smiled at her little niece. "_I would love to play it for you_." she couldn't blame Aurora for her curiosity. "_I am going to come live with you and your mother soon."_

Aurora gasped and took her aunt's hands. "This is so great! We can do all kinds of fun things together! You can help me study too and we can have a party for my birthday! Maybe you can play this for my birthday. Will you do that, Teyze Cera?"

The redheaded princess stifled a laugh and nodded.

"We haven't asked your grandmother if we can come with you to Scythia yet, princess," said Mirac.

Aurora made a face and slipped her hands away from her aunt. "Ohhh…you don't want to talk to grandma khatun. She's not in a good mood. She doesn't like those Persian ladies, I think. She called them _fahişeler_."

Cera's cheeks reddened and covered the girl's ears. She looked to her husband who was on the verge of laughing uncontrollably.

"I didn't know your mother had such a foul mouth," he alleged.

"What does _fahişe_ mean anyway?" asked Aurora.

Mirac chuckled at the word coming from such an innocent mouth. His wife turned and whacked him in the chest and his laughter trailed off, staring at the naive little princess.

"You don't want to know. Do us all a favor and don't repeat that word. Ever."

* * *

Xerxes sat up in bed with the help of his doting mother. He was disappointed to wake up to Arielle's absence two weeks ago. He was even more upset that his brothers decided to take over the empire and dethrone their father. Now he was considered his brothers' enemy. He wished he could say he was surprised but he expected something like this to happen a long time ago.

Once, he was on the side of Kawus and now he was on no one's side. He didn't trust Jamasp at all and with his father's harem in Hun quarters, he felt guilty that he wasn't able to do more. He was briefly greeted by Navaz upon his awakening and reassured that his mother and harem were taken care of.

He just had to focus on recovering but that wasn't going too well either. He was barely above to move his shoulder and since had his arm in a sling. His mother was there early in the mornings and in the evenings to check on him. He felt like such a child.

Nousha smiled, adjusting the blankets and sat beside the bed. "Is there anything I can get for you?"

"Actually there is." He glanced around the room. "Some parchment and ink."

She raised an eyebrow. "For what?"

"I want to write Arielle and let her know that I'm alright."

Nousha grimaced and folded her arms. "I'm sure her father sent her a letter already. You don't need to bother yourself with her, Xerxes. She's busy with her own affairs."

"Mother," he pressed, "get the parchment and ink, please."

"I don't know why you keep on with this charade, Xerxes," she scoffed. "She is neither your wife nor part of your harem. I could arrange a marriage for you with that young woman, Mera, from the House of Varaz. I hear that she is available."

He dug his fingers into his closed fist. "Mother, I don't want an arranged marriage and I don't have a harem anymore! Jamasp probably sold all of those women in the slave market already! I just want to write Arielle. If you don't get the parchment then I will go get it myself."

She hesitated and then walked over to grab some blank parchment and an ink well. She threw the parchment onto his lap and plopped back down into the chair. Her son kindly thanked her with a head nod and situated himself to write a letter against his raised thigh.

"Why _her_?" she asked softly.

Xerxes twisted the top off the ink well and spat out the cork and eyed his mother.

"I like her, mother," he admits, hiding his shy smile. "I know you don't approve."

"Your father wouldn't approve either."

He stopped writing and glared at his mother. "Father is _imprisoned_ and he doesn't know about my relationship with Arielle. I'd like to keep it that way."

"You aren't thinking of marrying her are you?" she asked, studying her son's dilated eyes. "Xerxes, if you marry her you will lose everything in our empire. You won't be in line for the crown."

"Mother, stop with the third degree." He dipped the pen in the ink. "When I'm finished writing this I want you to give it to General Zolten. He will make sure it gets delivered."

Nousha flashed a quick disapproving smile.

* * *

Xena and Gabrielle walked together towards the imperial gardens located in the back of the vast Banat palace. They were set to speak with Bayan about the plan to invade Pannonia. Xena was not looking forward to meeting Bayan and couldn't believe out of all people, Ernak wanted Bayan to have a share of Pannonian land.

She had no doubt that Bayan was useful in the field from what Ernak said but she still wanted to wrap her hands around his neck. She wasn't surprised that Bayan had an affair with another woman. She was convinced that he lured Arielle away from the family, alienating her entirely.

She wasn't quite sure why men left their wives for another. Kreka's son, Dengi, did the same thing to Leila. Much to her surprise, Kreka wasn't shocked that her son had a woman on the side. It was almost like she expected it especially after Dengi's daughter died.

Strange woman Kreka was, she thought.

"We should use _him_ as the bait and send him to Eksama," she whispered.

Gabrielle gave a dramatic eye roll. "Nobody doubts your detest for the man, Xena. But he's on our side. Promise me you won't choke him."

"I make no promises." Xena smiled, hiding her crossed fingers behind her back.

Bayan turned at the muffled voices and footsteps. He bowed his head to the women and gulped. "Governor," he said, "_Xena_…"

"Bayan." The khanum brought her eyebrows together. "Why is it that we _always_ meet during a time of chaos? Trouble finds you everywhere."

"Ernak said you wanted to speak with me." He didn't want to argue and thought to cut straight to the chase.

Gabrielle inhaled sharply. "You'll be accompanying us to Pannonia. Since Xena and I are recognizable we are going to send you to the tribe in a disguise. You will act as a traveler and scout the area; question the citizens and ask what they think of Eksama."

He nodded, not taking his eye off Xena who was glaring very intensely. "And what will happen after that?"

"You'll report back to us and then we're going to send a soldier to negotiate with Eksama."

He rubbed his chin. "She's going to kill that soldier. Can I make a suggestion?"

"No," Xena barked.

"Xena, let's hear what he has to say. It wouldn't hurt to have suggestions," Gabrielle advised. "Go ahead, Bayan. We're listening."

With hesitancy, he spoke, "this might take longer than your initial plan but we could destroy all of her catapults. When she attacked Banat she had an entire line of catapults and broke through some of the city's wall. Without them she is bound to lose."

Gabrielle smiled, liking the idea, although she could see Xena was not impressed.

He added, "We could also set all the army's horses loose. Eksama relies heavily on horsemen and ballistic weapons. If we got rid of what she depends on the most then the raid will be over in a few days. Maybe."

"We'll take into consideration…"

* * *

Nousha tapped the scroll against her palm. She contemplated her options of either sending the letter to General Zolten or disposing of it. In the middle of the hallway she saw the entry doors up ahead and the women's quarters over on her right.

She walked to the women's room and poked her head inside to find the room empty. Smiling, she strolled into the room casually and came to a tall candle nearly the same height as her. She tore the ribbon off the scroll and placed the parchment over the flame, watching the flame slowly engulf the letter.

With a raise of her chin she dropped the burning letter into a silver incense tray. The ends curled, blackening from the flames and smoke filled the corner of the room.

Pamira entered the room in search of tea. She tried to avoid this room as she didn't want to talk to any of the concubines especially since she could understand the language. She never realized how much her own kind talked so poorly of the Huns until she was constantly surrounded by it.

She halted and frowned at the black smoke traveling up to the ceiling. "Banu Nousha?"

Nousha spun around at the voice and smiled. "Pamira. Good afternoon."

"Afternoon." She circled around the pillows and looked at the burning parchment. "I was going to bring tea to Anastasia Khatun. She's on the terrace with Princess Cera and Yana. Would you like to join us?"

"A kind offer," Nousha chided, "but I must decline."

Pamira nodded and walked over to the table, organizing the tea tray with several silver glasses. Her eyes drifted to the burning parchment in the incense. She knew for sure that Nousha was not burning incense by the way she was trying to hide the evidence.

"I know what you're thinking, Banu Nousha, but you would be less miserable if you at least _tried_ to get along with the Hun women."

"Spoken from someone who was kidnapped and forced to marry one of _them_," retorted Nousha.

Pamira finished pouring the tea and took the tray into her hands, glaring at the petite concubine. "_Our_ _people_ killed my father. He didn't deserve to die. I haven't been mistreated since I've been married to Soran and his father has given you everything you desired. Wipe that scowl off your face."

Nousha's mouth parted, slightly insulted by the teenager's brazen mouth.

"I see that you've acclimated well, child. You now consider yourself one of them," she stepped closer. "You'll _never_ be one of them, Pamira. Your marriage to the prince is a piece of paper and nothing more."

The teen chuckled. "Yet that piece of paper made me a princess. What are you? A simple _concubine_." She turned and left with tray in hand.

* * *

Xena ripped off her headdress and threw it at the wall. She then drew her sword and Gabrielle closed the doors then locked them. She pressed her backside against the doors, watching her wife pace around, waving the blade in the air.

"That little worm!" she screeched. "Just who does he think he is? I've been commanding decades before he existed!"

Gabrielle crept along the wall. "But Xena, his idea is good."

"Whose side are you on, Gabrielle?"

"Whatever side that has the least amount of casualties." She treads cautiously and sat on the bed, smoothing out her cloak. "I know you don't like him. I don't like him either but his idea is good. You have to admit that."

Xena plunged the sword into the floor. "I don't have to admit _anything_. His idea may be good for a _stealth_ mission but I don't want stealth. I want a head-on attack."

Getting through to her was like talking to a wall. "Why don't we try things his way?"

"I don't want to do it his way!" Xena folded her arms. "I want to do it _my_ way."

Gabrielle cackled. "You sound like Arielle." She looked at the sword that was within her wife's reach. "We'll play it by ear and see what happens. Don't let Bayan upset you. He's already terrified of you. I was sure he was going to wet himself when he saw you."

That brought a smile to Xena's lips. "I see what you're up to, Gabrielle and it's not going to work. I still don't agree with his idea."

"You know, between you and Arielle, it's a miracle that _I'm_ not the one with grey hair."

The locked doors rattled. "Grandma khanum!" the knocking persisted. "It's me, Ede!"

Gabrielle inched towards the doors and pointed to the sword. "You put that away," she whispered. Her wife stood her ground with crossed arms, showing her defiance. "Do it!"

She unlocked the doors and smiled at the prince's beaming face. "Edemen! Look at you," she cupped his cheeks. "You're taller than…me," she said with disappoint.

He chuckled. "Everyone's taller than _you_, Gabrielle!" he waltzed into the room. "I hear you're going to Pannonia to war with Eksama."

Xena nodded and brought the boy close, pressing his cheek against her chest. "That's right." She ruffled his hair and he groaned audibly.

"Stop that!" he shoved her. "I'm not a little kid," he smoothed out his hair.

"It's astonishing how much you look like your mother."

"Anyway…" he tightened the belt around his waist. "I want to come with you two." He said with a triumphant smile.

Xena and Gabrielle gawked at the boy prince and then broke out into fits of laughter together. Edemen scowled, not finding this situation amusing at all. He was very serious and it looked like all the women in this family thought he was too 'small' and too 'cute' to go on any mission with them. He lumped his mother in that group and now he had these two laughing at his demise.

He grabbed Xena's sword from her hip and pointed it to her chest. All laughter ceased instantly and Xena placed her hands on her hips, eyeing the tip of the blade an inch from her chest.

"I can wield a sword!" he warned. "I've been practicing! Let me come with you!" he begged.

"Put that down before I break your arm, boy."

He held the sword with both hands, challenging her icy stare.

"Do as she says, Edemen. Put it down," said Gabrielle, calmly.

As soon as Xena saw that cocky smile on his face she grabbed him by the arm and flipped him over onto his back. The sword flew into the air and she caught it with one hand and placed her boot on his heaving chest. She pointed the blade to his throat and his eyes amplified in fear.

"You know what you are right now?" she asked and Edemen stared up at her blankly. "Dead."

She took her boot off his chest and grabbed his hand, getting him to his feet. Riddled with embarrassment, he rubbed the sore spot on the small of his back and hid his shameful face from the women.

"Don't ever do that again." She slid the sword into its holster. "Don't be so quick to jump into war, Edemen," she smiled, grazing his cheek. "You have your whole life to do that. You're still a child, so act like one. I don't think you want to give your mother heart attacks just yet." She pat his cheek.

"I don't want mother on my back anymore. She thinks I'm a little kid like my brothers."

Gabrielle wrapped a hand around the nape of his neck. "You can't stop mothers from worrying, Edemen." She sent a warm smile at her spouse. "Your grandmother was very worried about your father and look how old he is!"

The prince lolled his head from side to side and nodded. "I get it, I get it." Still, he remained hopeful. "Can I come on the next raid with you two? Teyze Arielle was able to go with you."

"She was a little bit older than you," Xena reminded him.

"Only by three years!" he spat then received two death stares. "Okay, I won't ask again. When are you leaving for Pannonia? Is it true that Bayan is coming with you? Father says he wishes him dead!"

Gabrielle slapped a hand to her forehead while Xena smugly grinned.

"We'll be leaving in a couple of weeks as soon as we have the supplies gathered."

"Hey do you think Teyze Arielle could train me?" he asked optimistically. "I could see her new palace in Scythia!"

* * *

It didn't take much convincing from her mother to allow her to go see Arielle. She didn't know whether she should be insulted by how quickly her mother agreed to the notion or not. On one hand she was happy that she was no longer going to be staying in the crowded Adame but on the other hand she hated to see her mother in such disarray.

Cera shared a caravan with Aurora and Ku who accompanied her to Scythia. She was relieved that she didn't have to ride on a horse for a few days but she felt for Mirac as he trailed behind them on horseback. According to Ku the caravan was only to be used by royalty, or she should say those were Advisor Kuba's words.

After a long nap Aurora became quite a nuisance to Ku as she talked the entire way. She continuously looked out the windows, anxiously waiting to return to her home.

"What should we do first, Teyze Cera? We could paint. Ku can give us some canvases. Right, Ku?"

The Assyrian maid sighed heavily and peeked out the window, hoping the rest of the ride was short.

"Oh wait! I could show you the palace! You're gonna love it," cheered Aurora. "You can get lost if you don't know the way around but don't worry I've inspected the _entire_ place." She waved her hands over her head, indicating the size of her Scythian home.

Cera smiled at her niece's cheery attitude but could tell Ku needed a break from the talkative child. With her visiting the palace she hoped to ease some of Ku's workload. It was as if Aurora had two mothers except Ku did most of the work that Arielle should be doing. She realized her sister was very busy and had a heavy schedule but handing off Aurora to Ku seemed like the easy thing to do. Too easy, she thought.

Hours after crossing the Scythian borders they arrived at the gates. Aurora immediately jumped out of the moving caravan and ran to her mother who was standing, waiting. She ran her mouth and Arielle kept her eye on the extra horses and then saw Cera step out of the carriage with Kuba's assistance.

"Cera!" she picked up her daughter and hurried across the grass. "What are you doing here? I didn't know you were coming." She kissed her sister's cheeks several times.

Cera waft her hand and gently shoved her sister back, wiping her wet cheeks. She was the youngest out of her siblings yet she was taller than both her sister and mother. _Still_ treated like a child, she mused.

"I can show her around the palace!" Aurora offered.

Arielle nodded. "A very good idea. We could eat together in my room. I'm sure you're all very tired," she eyed Ku's sunken eyes. "Especially…Ku," she hated to see her friend so drained. "Come, I will have a room made for you and Mirac. How did you convince mother to let you leave Balaam? I'm surprised she didn't offer to come along."

Holding her sister's hand and daughter resting on her hip, she guided them towards the gates. Kuba ran to the gates and stopped in front of her path.

"Khagana, you have a few letters from Bishop Salman. They need to be addressed by this afternoon."

Arielle groaned. "Alright, fine." She set her daughter on the ground. "I _promise_ once I'm finished working we will talk together."

Cera inclined her head and allowed her sister to disappear quickly with her advisor trailing behind. She held onto Aurora's hand and was able to admire the large towers in front of the palace. From behind, she heard Mirac gasp loudly.

"Well I didn't expect it to look like this," he marveled.

"I'll show you around!" Aurora said, pulling her aunt through the gated wall. "Don't be shy. Let's go inside before it gets cold."

* * *

Arielle sat opposite her little sister, admiring the lively color in her cheeks that she missed. No longer were her sister's cheeks pale and eyes flushed from endless tears. She placed a hand on Cera's knee and smiled.

"I'm so happy you're here. You look a lot better since the last time I saw you. Are you feeling okay now?"

Cera nodded her head. "_Much better, thank you_."

"I guess you couldn't take it anymore with all those Persians there, huh?" she picked at the bowl of grapes. "Aurora is very excited that you're here. How long will you be staying? You could stay until spring if you like. This place can get very lonely sometimes and I have no idea how long grandma and Gabrielle will be gone."

The princess sipped the sherbet and looked around the large bedroom. She gestured a question to ask of their whereabouts.

"They went to Banat. I don't know if my father told you but I decided to combine our empires," said Arielle with wide ecstatic eyes. "I just hope Ernak will sign my treaty. Hey, you could sit in my meetings with me. I'd love for you to see how the Avar Empire operates."

Cera, overwhelmed with the amount of information thrown at her, lightly sighed.

Arielle licked her fingers and ruffled her curly hair. "Sorry. I'm talking too much. I wonder where Aurora gets it from," she joked. "How are things back in Balaam? Has mother gone mad with Nousha around?"

Cera rolled her eyes. "_She's been keeping her distance from mother_."

"Wise choice. I threatened her before I left." She raised an eyebrow. "I told her to be nice to mother or _else_."

Cera shook her head at her sister's overzealous behavior. She set down the fruity drink and prepared herself for the storm to come when she brought up this subject. Now that she had her sister's full attention she was overcome with fear.

"_I think you give Ku too much responsibility with Aurora_," she began.

Arielle creased her eyebrows and leaned her elbow on a large pillow. "What do you mean?"

"_Aurora exhausted Ku during the visit in Balaam. You don't do nearly enough for her. You're her mother."_

"Well, I had other things to take care of," Arielle scoffed with a diminutive laugh. "Besides, it was Aurora's idea to stay. She wanted to spend more time with mother. Why are you bringing this up?"

Cera sighed. "_You've always handed her off to someone else when you're busy, Arielle. Even when she was a baby you made mother take care of her_."

The elder sister sat up and slammed the glass on the table. "I was training to be commander at the time! I don't have the capability to be in two places at once." She grunted. "What are you trying to say, Cera? That I'm an incompetent mother?"

Cera stared blankly.

"Leave me alone," Arielle said under her breath. "_Defol_!" she pointed to the door.

Cera refused to move and her sister's eyes swelled with tears. She smiled softly and scooted over on the pillow and encircled her sister with her arms.

"I'm trying my best, Cera." She wiped her nose. "I really am. I just have so much to do…"

The princess straightened her sobbing sister out and wiped the tears from her cheeks. She flashed a toothy smile.

"_I will help you."_

* * *

Hidden in the woods in Pannonia, Xena watched through the trees at the scattered yurts. Several of the people were fearful to come out and speak to Bayan. Still, he remained vigilant and tried to strike conversation with people that were willing. She was beginning to believe this plan was a huge misfire by the looks of it.

She casually chomped on an apple, glaring at Bayan weaving in and out between the yurts. Luckily, nobody knew who he was. She wished she could hear the conversations he had. She wasn't so sure that the Pannonian people were cursing Anastasia anymore ever since Eksama claimed the territory.

Gabrielle made her way through the brush and yelped as a tree branch scraped her face. Grunting, she shoved the branch and adjusted her cloak collar.

"He's been out there for hours. Do you think it's going well?" she asked.

Xena took another large bite of the apple. "Nope."

"Elaborate, please?"

Xena groaned. "Nobody wants to talk to him. They're probably afraid that Eksama is going to chop their heads off or something. She really has got them scared out of their minds."

On the north side of the tribe a group of horsemen arrived wearing Gepid armor. A man was leading the group straight for the Adame. He dismounted his horse and approached the staircase outside and Eksama emerged with a smile, holding her arms outward to greet her guest.

Xena raised an eyebrow and tossed the unfinished apple behind her. "_Hello_…" she smiled and walked down the hill, weaving in between the trees. "Who do we have here? Is that Prince Elemund?" she whispered.

"I'm assuming so," the governor held onto her wife's shoulder. "What's he doing here?"

"I have an idea." She turned and slapped Gabrielle's shoulder. "We're aborting the mission!" she walked up the hill, yelling at the soldiers waiting on the sidelines in the forest.

Gabrielle grumbled, rubbing her shoulder. She trailed behind Xena and grabbed her arm. "What do you mean we're aborting the mission?!" she hissed. "We didn't come all the way out here for nothing!"

Xena grinned and pinched her wife's cheeks together. "Bayan said to get rid of what Eksama depends on the most, right?" she asks and Gabrielle cinched her eyebrows. "If Elemund is here then that means his base in Italia is completely unguarded. Do you know what that means?"

Gabrielle shook her head and mumbled incomprehensive words. Xena then released her cheeks and she gasped. "Please tell me you're not thinking of raiding Italia?"

"That's right, Gabrielle!" she snapped her fingers to the soldiers. "Prepare to march towards Italia. I want to be there in a couple of days. We will not stop to make camp!"

Once the soldiers began preparing their horses and gathering their supplies, Gabrielle folded her arms and came round to stand in front of her determined partner.

"Xena, what the hell do you think you're doing? Once Eksama finds out that we've raided the Italia base then she will definitely attack us full force. Are you sure you don't want to go ahead with Bayan's plan? It's a good one –a well thought out one."

"I don't recall Arielle putting _you_ in charge of the army, Gabrielle," she snidely remarked. "Eksama wants to play this game of cat and mouse so we're going to play too. I'll be the cat," she wiggled her eyebrows. "We're going to give her the cheese and corner her into a trap."

She felt her adrenaline rush through her body, something she had missed for a long time. Although, Gabrielle's face was putting a huge damper on her mood.

"Go with the flow, _governor_," she squeezed the blonde's shoulder. She then walked towards the soldiers, yelling at them to quicken their pace.

"_Go with the flow_," Gabrielle muttered. "She's insane!"

* * *

Over the last two weeks Cera did as promised and helped make sure that Ku-Ilm was able to take time for herself. There were several maids at Arielle's disposal which she didn't want to use because she only trusted Ku with Aurora but Cera was able to convince her otherwise. While Aurora attended her daily classes, the other maids did everything that Ku was instructed to do.

While this gave Ku more time to go to the market and Mass services, she was in a far better mood than she was two weeks ago. Cera also supervised a few of Arielle's meetings with the clergymen that came by once a week to gather funds for their churches across Scythia. Kuba was only one man after all and he too was burnt out from his extensive duties.

Arielle came up with a wild idea to go into the city incognito to see what her subjects thought of her. Cera insisted on joining her only out of fear that her sister might behead someone if they dare spoke ill of her. Mirac offered to accompany them as he too, didn't trust Arielle's temper.

Together, the three walked in the streets with Kuba and two guards at a fair distance so they were not to cause alarm. Arielle dressed in simple clothing and wore a veil over her hair. She was a bit annoyed that Kuba brought soldiers to keep an eye on her.

They stopped at a fruit stand and she inspected the apples one by one. The merchant was very kind and complimented her and Cera then offered them each a free apple.

"_Efendi_, how is business? Do you have any complaints?" she slyly asked.

The merchant smiled. "Business is doing well, _kadin_, but I must say the taxes are very high."

Arielle frowned and bit into the apple, folding her arms. "Are you unhappy with the khagana's decisions?"

"_Saçmalık__, kadin_!" he waved his hand.

She chuckled. "You speak the language of your empress. Where are you from?"

"Originally my family is from Armenia but they settled in Scythia about five years ago."

Arielle nodded and handed the apple to her sister. "_Armenia_. My family is from there. Where in Armenia does your family originate from?"

"In Kharput," he sighed. "I'm afraid to say that the Byzantines have taken over that area recently. I've written the khagana twice this month! I know she is from Armenia. I hoped she would answer and help our people."

She had a cross look about her face and faintly smiled at the merchant. "Thank you for the apples, _efendi_." She walked off and grabbed Cera's hand.

"Cera, did you hear what he said?" she whispered.

The princess nodded, clinging to her sister's arm.

"That bastard Justinian!" she growled. "Why wasn't I made aware of this? I bet my father has no idea! I need to get back to the palace and look at a map. I don't know where Kharput is but it must be a border city and that's how Justinian is weaseling his way into my territory."

"Cera and I can paint a map for you, khagana," said Mirac. "A really large one."

Arielle snickered. "Don't call me that, Mirac. You're my family. But…that is a good idea." She lightly hit his shoulder. "How long do you think it will take to make it?"

He eyed Cera and hummed quietly. "Maybe a month."

"Excellent." She nodded and peered at a man handing out trays of coffee to a few clergymen. "I will pay you both a salary."

"You don't have to do that, Arielle," he felt odd being paid by his sister in law.

"Nonsense, Mirac." She paddled his arm. "I'll have Kuba write the order as soon as we return to the palace."

* * *

The Avar army overlooked the Gepid army below the hill. They were completely oblivious of what was to happen to them. Gabrielle was in charge of the front line, organizing the attack was simple according to Xena's vision. She'd never accompanied her spouse on a raid before and so far, she didn't like it. Raids were different than battles and wars. They were meant to frighten the enemy and wipe out the entire army in one blow.

If this failed then this would be all for nothing. She imagined that Xena was able to conquer several tribes this way during Attila's reign. Xena spoke of her frequent raids and that was how surrounding tribes were able to be under Attila's large umbrella. Conquering tribes was Xena's specialty, although the Gepids weren't Huns and they had a pretty sizable army compared to the small Hunnic tribes.

She remembered when Arielle went on a raid to force the Kidarites to submit to Ellac. She didn't understand why Arielle was so hurt and disturbed after the raid was finished but the truth came out over a year later when it was Bayan she was worried about. Arielle ruined the entire raid as the tribe was nowhere to be found. Hopefully, this wouldn't end the same way.

Gabrielle galloped across the front line of soldiers and met with Bayan standing guard, ready to ride out by Xena's command. He set the fur hat on his head and glared at the governor.

"Do you understand what to do?" she asked him.

Bayan gave an affirmative head nod. "Don't stop attacking until they submit," he repeated his orders. "I don't see why I have to do this. Why isn't Xena leading the charge?"

She smirked. "I think she's testing you, Bayan. She wants to see what you're capable of."

"I shouldn't have to prove my self-worth to her."

"She's been doing this longer than you've been alive," she reminded him. "Right now, she's your superior and you have to follow orders. Wait here for the order to ride out."

He grunted. "She just wants to see a sword plunged into my chest."

Gabrielle hid her smile and galloped up the hill to meet with Xena who sat idly on her horse. "He's angry at you."

"Since when do I give a shit about his feelings?" chided Xena. She raised her hand, eyeing Bayan who was glaring at her from below. She lowered her arm and the soldiers trotted down the hill, heading for the Gepid base.

Immediately the Gepid soldiers frantically grabbed weapons and mounted their horses as soon as the Avar horde approached the camp. Xena narrowed her eyes, watching Bayan's every move as he led the army directly into the camp. She yanked on the horse reins and raised a hand to the second legion of men waiting on standby.

The Avars circled around the entirety of the camp, trapping all of the Gepid soldiers in the center of their base. One of the fortresses that once belong to Emperor Odoacer had one advantage and that was that the fortress was surrounded by a large stone wall. Many of the Gepids ran into the fortress.

Gabrielle brought a hand over her eyes, examining what the Gepids were planning behind the fortress walls. From afar she could see men loading catapults along the wall. Trotting along the field she gripped Xena's arm.

"They have catapults!"

In the mass of confusion and chaos, Xena whipped her head towards the fortress and indeed saw ballistic weapons along the walls, aiming towards the field where she stood with the remainder of the Avar soldiers.

"Well that's just perfect, isn't it?" she grumbled. "Second wave!" she yelled, waving her hand to the soldiers on standby to ride out towards the field. "I guess Bayan was right about one thing; those Gepids love catapults."

She clicked her tongue against the roof of her mouth, waving her hand to the ten elite soldiers left behind. She guided them towards the woods as she had no more legions to send out to the base. Entering the forest to hide from any attacks to be aimed at her, she looked around the quiet forest cautiously.

Gabrielle looked around and heard a whistling sound from behind. She turned and then felt something pierce her neck. Grunting loudly, she pulled out a dart from her neck. Within seconds her vision blurred and she fell off the horse, landing on the ground with a loud thud.

Xena steered her horse and drew her sword. "Gabrielle!" she whispered. "Surround her!"

A dart struck her collar bone and she hissed. She yanked out the dart and glanced around the trees, looking for the direction which it came. Her sword fell from her hand and she collapsed against the horse.

* * *

The smell of fire roused her awake and she shifted, opening her eyes slowly. She gasped and realized she was bound by ropes tied around her wrists and ankles. She tried to lean forward and was yanked backward by the rope tightly wrapped around her neck. Breathing heavily, her eyes darted to her right and saw Gabrielle on the ground, hog tied.

"Gabrielle!" she whispered. "Gabrielle, get up!"

She tried to wiggle her way close to the unconscious governor but she wasn't close enough. A boot stomped on her thigh and she winced. Lifting her head she gawked at a young man dressed in Byzantine armor.

"Good afternoon," the man said with a smile. "You're trespassing on Byzantine territory."

Xena scoffed. "Justinian doesn't have control over Italia. Who are you?"

"The Emperor's nephew." He knelt down and pinched her chin. "And who do I owe this pleasure?"

She spat in his face and he backhanded her. "Justinian could never do anything himself so he sends his _nephew_. Of course," she mumbled.

"General Justin at your service," he wiped his face with a handkerchief. "I gather that you're the infamous Xena that my uncle tells me about." He chuckled, glaring into her blue eyes. "Why aren't you dead yet?"

"Oh, is your uncle saddened by that? Tell him that I miss him," she smiled. "It's been a long time since we've chatted."

"Tell him yourself. We're going to Constantinople." Justin walked off, whistling at the soldiers to gather the camp and supplies to leave.

Gabrielle stirred awake and groaned. She rolled over onto her stomach and yanked her hands, panicking. Lifting her chin, there she saw Xena strapped to a tree. It didn't take long for her to realize she was bound and unable to move as her hands and ankles were tied together.

"Xena!" she growled.

"Ah Gabrielle, you're up from your nap," said Xena in a sarcastic tone.

"What is going on?!"

"Justinian's rat of a nephew captured us," she sighed heavily. "This is so humiliating." Her eyes drifted down to her bound ankles.

Gabrielle spat dirt and tried to maneuver her body and rolled over onto her side, wincing at the pinching in the middle of her spine. Staying in this position was humanly impossible and not to mention morally degrading. She felt like an animal waiting to be slaughtered.

"We shouldn't have come here and what do you mean Justinian's _nephew_? Since when does Justinian control Italia?"

"It seems that Eksama has been concocting a lot of little plans inside the Adame," Xena murmured. "He's taking us to Constantinople."

Gabrielle gasped. "Excuse me! Xena, Justinian is going to kill us!"

She snorted. "No, he's not. He's not stupid enough to do that."

"I wish I could be as confident as you."

General Justin waltzed over to the bound captured women and smiled. "Your carriage awaits you, your _eminence_," he mocked. He pointed over to a large rod iron cage attached to two pulling horses.

Xena raised an eyebrow. "If you think I'm riding in _that_ then you've lost your mind."

"You don't have much of a choice and I'm certainly not going to untie your legs so you can try and run off." He nudged his head to his men who hoisted Xena off the ground, untying her neck from the tree.

The men grabbed her and threw her over their shoulders, carrying her off. Two more men picked up Gabrielle and she squealed, the ropes rubbing against her raw skin. They placed the captives in the cage and locked the door. Xena slid back against one of the sides of the cage and grimaced at Justin.

"You should be grateful that I'm not making you walk," he leaned his arms against the cage.

Xena looked over at Gabrielle's discomfort and narrowed her eyes at General Justin. "The least you could do is untie her. She's not being prepared to be roasted on a spit, _Justin_."

He snickered and sauntered away.

* * *

Well into the evening, hours passed sunset, Bayan gathered all what was left of the catapult runners who hid behind the fortress walls. He tied up the ten men by their necks and ordered the Avar soldiers to stand behind each and every one of them with a sword to their throats.

He smiled, wiping his face of the blood that stained his flesh. Proudly, he glanced around at the obliterated base. It took longer than expected but he was proud that he was able to do the task. He almost wanted to spit that right back in Xena's face. He knew she was expecting him to fail. So far, he had done well for himself.

The only thing that bothered him was that the men who worked under him during this mission belonged to his ex-wife. As if working for her grandmother wasn't humiliating enough.

"Sibelo!" he called the main archer. "Bring Xena here. Ask her what she wants me to do with these Gepids."

"Your highness, I can't bring the khanum to you."

Bayan spun around. "Why not? I've done what she asked me to do. Bring her here!"

Sibelo bowed. "Sir, her horse, sword and kozak were found in the forest. The governor is also missing. All of the elite soldiers were found dead."

At that, his face paled and all he could think about was the loud mouth kings shouting at him when he returned without the most important person in the entire empire.

"Search the area! Find them!" he shouted to all of the Avar soldiers who stood by. "Now, what to do with you…" he eyed all ten Gepids.

Bayan took a step back and slapped his cheek. "Dammit! Csaba is going to kill me." He grabbed an Avar's arm. "Execute all but _one_. We will send the live one as a messenger to Eksama."

* * *

Navaz swirled the spoon in the almond rice, eyeing Anastasia sitting beside him. She sensed his eyes upon her and covered her full mouth, hiding her smile. He reached across the table and scraped the rest of the rice mixture onto her plate and she gently shoved his arm away.

"Navaz," she mumbled, still chewing her food. "I don't need any more food, please."

"It's not going to hurt you," he lightly laughed and set down the bowl, gesturing her to finish off the rice.

She swallowed and frowned at him. "I've eaten too much already. I think I've consumed enough food for five people over the past month. Those Persian concubines are going to kill me."

He kept grinning and dipped the bread into a cheese spread, admiring her pale eyes. She always complained about her weight especially this month but she looked the same to him, even better than she had in awhile. When Cera was here she had hardly eaten anything so he was glad that her appetite returned.

"You're still going to marry me, right?" he thought to ask.

Anastasia smirked. "I said I would, didn't I?"

"You don't seem too excited about my proposal."

"I've already been married to you before. What's there to be excited about?" she playfully teased and nudged his arm with an elbow. "You're going to have to ask for my mother's _permission_ of course," she slyly added.

"Ah, Anastasia." he dropped the spoon on the plate. "Why do I need her permission? We're both adults."

"Now Navaz," she waved her spoon in his face. "You want to marry me so you have to ask for her permission," she batted her eyelashes. "You didn't ask the _first_ time."

He groaned. "That isn't fair, Anastasia."

"You're going to ask her," she spooned the rice into her mouth. "Besides I just like seeing how uncomfortable you are in front of my mother even after all these years."

"You are a devious woman."

General Zolten interrupted their dinner together and bowed to greet them both. He held a letter in his hand. "Your highness," he said and looked to Anastasia. "Khatun." He said warmly. "I have a letter from your daughter."

Navaz rose to his knees and grabbed the letter. "Arielle, what do you have for me now," he muttered, opening the letter. "Thank you Zolten, you may go," he waved his hand as he kept reading silently.

Anastasia wiped the corners of her mouth and leaned into his arm. "What did she say?"

"Justinian sent his men to sequester Kharput," he tossed the letter onto his plate, scowling. "I'm going to have to send some of my men to that area."

"How did Arielle know about this and you didn't?"

He ran his fingers through his thick beard. "I don't know."

Ana smiled and rubbed his arm. "She's smart, Navaz. Makes you wonder if you should've given her the title of Queen long ago," she said nonchalantly and reached for the plate of lokma. She took a small bite of the honey soaked dough and hovered the plate of dessert in front of his face.

"Lokma?" she offered.

He arched an eyebrow.

* * *

"You _lost_ my grandmother?!" Csaba raised himself from the chair, inching forward.

Bayan took a couple of steps backward, lowering his head. He anticipated this meeting not to go well and he was lucky that Csaba was still recovering otherwise he'd probably have two black eyes and internal injuries by now.

Ernak stepped in between them. "There's no need to be violent. Bayan, explain exactly what happened from the moment you arrived in Italia." He put a hand on his nephew, forcing him to take a seat.

Bayan inhaled deeply. "She told me to lead the raid and I led the men into the Gepid base. Xena and Gabrielle stayed behind with the elite guards."

"How many guards were with them?"

"I'm not sure. Maybe ten." He cleared his throat, wary of Csaba's intentions. "The raid lasted for hours, well into the night. By the time I rounded up the left over Gepids, it was reported to me that Xena and Gabrielle were gone. Their horses and weapons were found in the woods. All of the guards were also found. Dead…"

Ernak nodded, rubbing his chin. "Did you send a search party?"

"Of course. They searched all night but didn't find anything."

"I'm going to wring your neck," Csaba threatened. "What am I supposed to tell my mother? What am I supposed to tell my sisters?"

Bayan frowned. "This isn't my fault, Csaba. I was doing what Xena told me to do and that was to raid the base."

"She could be dead!"

Ernak rolled his eyes, intervening before things got out of hand. "We don't need to jump to conclusions, Csaba. It is true that this isn't Bayan's fault. We're going to keep this between us. We won't tell anyone what happened and I'm going to send out a few of Arielle's men to search the area. Italia is large so there's no way they could've searched everywhere in one night."

Csaba stood slowly with an arm wrapped around his sore midsection.

"You better hope she is found, Bayan or I will rip out your innards, boil them and feed them to the goats." He said and hobbled away, pushing the doors open with a forceful hand.

Ernak awkwardly laughed. "He's very passionate." He placed a hand on Bayan's shoulder. "We'll find them."


	34. Chapter 34

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Emperor Justinian offers a proposition for Xena and Gabrielle. Overwhelmed by the weight of the empire on her shoulders, Arielle swallows her pride and makes a decision revolving around her ex-husband's future. Xerxes takes action and calls a meeting with Arielle's parents. Gabrielle negotiates with Eksama, reaching an agreement that she might come to regret later.

**This chapter is a bit shorter than usual but I didn't feel the need to drag it out. Enjoy!**

Chapter 34 –_Blending Families: Part I_

Justinian was told that a very special package arrived this morning from his nephew. Curious enough, he waited outside his palace with Theodora beside him. His nephew Justin escorted a crew of men and horses pulling a wagon with a cage atop of it. Justinian raised his eyebrow and folded his arms, trying to see who was inside the cage from afar.

General Justin raced up the stairs to greet his uncle. He knelt on a knee, fist over his chest, and breathed heavily. "Your highness, I've brought Khanum Xena and Governor Gabrielle. They were trespassing in our territory in lower Italia."

The Emperor's eyes widened and he grabbed his nephew by the collar, lifting up off the ground. "You had them transported in a cage like _animals_?" he growled.

"They are Huns after all," Justin judged by the look on his uncle's face that he was in a heap of trouble.

"Release them immediately!" he shoved his nephew backward.

"Right away."

Justin waved his hand to the soldiers to untie the captives and release them from their confinement. Gabrielle stepped out of the cage, barely able to stand from being hogtied for a few days. She was tempted to whack the soldiers or reach for their swords to slice through them. She grabbed Xena's hand and aided her out of the cage once her wrists and ankles were free.

Together, they were escorted up the stairs by two guards. Xena brushed the dirt from her sleeves and brushed the long black cape over her shoulders and glared at the Emperor. Her lip quivered at the sight of him, though it appeared he wasn't too happy to see her either.

"Xena, long time no see," he said with a smile. "You must excuse my nephew. I didn't ask him to treat you so poorly."

She smirked. "If you wanted to speak with me you could've just _written_." She could see right through his façade. "There's no need for theatrics."

Justinian nodded and gestured for her and the governor to follow him into the palace. "Please, join me in my throne chamber. I wish to propose something to you."

Gabrielle glared at Justin as she walked behind everyone. "Can't _wait_ to hear what he has to offer," she muttered to Xena.

"Simmer down, Gabrielle. Let's play the Emperor's little game."

* * *

Desserts and wine were brought to the chamber. Gabrielle cautiously watched all of the servants set down an array of bowls of cakes, fruit and honey. There were glasses of sweet wine and bitter wine set in front of them. She frowned and her eyes darted to the smug Emperor across the table.

"What is this, Justinian? Are you going to stuff us first and interrogate us later?" asked Gabrielle.

He picked up one of the small cubes of cake and bit off a small portion, smiling at the governor. "You've got quite a mouth, Gabrielle. It seems like you've lost your touch when negotiating with politicians. I know you served under Emperor Zeno and Odoacer for awhile. Isn't that right?"

"I did that against my will."

"Right." He nodded. "Because Zeno took over Pannonia and fed you all to the Bulgurs. I remember," he snickered, eyeing Xena who was very quiet. "And now your precious land has been taken from you again. That Eksama is very fiery. I expect nothing less from the daughter of Attila. A shame she was hidden for so long, eh?"

Xena let out a deep exhale. "What do you want, Justinian?" she crossed a leg over her knee. "I don't have time to play this game of yours."

"Oh but it looks like you've got all the time in the world, Xena!" he chortled and finished off the cake. "You have an impressive record." He held up his fingers to count, "Commander in Chief, proclaimed Caspian Queen, Roman General, Lieutenant, and now you've received the highest rank in the Hun Empire: the esteemed Khanum." He grinned. "What else will you put under your belt?"

She shrugged a shoulder. "Perhaps I will take your title next, Justinian," she said nonchalantly and winked.

He shifted in his chair and let out an uncomfortable laugh. "Well, your granddaughter is an empress now. Khagana of the Avar Empire to be exact. She has achieved so much at such a young age. It looks like she is your rival when it comes to conquering albeit she doesn't have your wit."

Xena furrowed her eyebrows. "Don't mock my granddaughter, Justinian. She is very smart. It wouldn't surprise me if she decided to attack your empire. She already knows that your wife visited Scythia."

Gabrielle gripped her spouse's wrist. "Justinian, why did you bring us here? You obviously didn't kidnap us to have cake."

"There it is. Straight to the point like a fine politician you are, governor," he wagged his finger. "Very well, I will tell you about my proposal."

He sat back, admiring the calm yet wry nature of Xena's eyes. She had been in the limelight of war for so long that negotiations didn't faze her anymore. Maybe twenty years ago she wouldn't have been so amenable and pounced across the table, tackling him to the ground. But her calmness and serenity disturbed the Emperor. She had developed a poker face over the years, which was very peculiar.

"As you know, the Persians are a problem for you," he said, noting the shocked look on Gabrielle's face. "Yes, I know everything. I have my men everywhere. Shah Jamasp is organizing an army to attack my empire."

Xena snorted. "What does that have to do with us?"

"I want your help. Say, we ally together and overthrow the young Shah?" he enticed the women. "Our Empires both despise the Persians and we both had a bit of peace when Shah Kavad ruled but now with his son on the throne…I fear that we will both be attacked."

"I don't like _you_ either, Justinian. What makes you think we want to help you?"

"I'm so glad you asked, Xena." He smiled. "I'll provide weapons, horses, any supplies that you desire. It's a simple proposal. You get what you want, I get what I want. After the war is over with the Persians then we can go back to being enemies. What say you?"

Gabrielle and Xena looked to one another with narrowed eyes then turned their attention back to the scheming Emperor.

Gabrielle folded her arms, relaxing in the chair. "Your nephew said that you have control over Italia. Is that true? You know that Italia belongs to the Huns ever since Odoacer was dethroned and killed. If we're going to help you then you need to tell us what you've been doing behind our backs."

Justinian nodded, understanding the governor's doubt. "And here's where we go back to being enemies. I've allied with the Franks and Prince Elemund."

"What do you mean? You're allies with Eksama now?"

"No, Gabrielle," he snickered. "I allied with the Gepid Prince. I don't care for Eksama and her plans. She has a vengeance streak that is too unpredictable for my taste."

Gabrielle leaned over and whispered into her wife's ear. "Elemund is double-crossing Eksama."

"It looks that way. We need to get Eksama on our side."

Justinian cleared his throat.

Xena forced a smile and rubbed her chin. "Alright, Justinian. We'll ally with you to dethrone Shah Jamasp. We're going to need to go back to Banat to speak with Ernak. Then a letter will be sent to Khagana Arielle."

"Good. I'm glad that we can see past our differences."

Both women stood up and Justinian raised his hand, halting them from leaving.

"There's just one more thing," he began. "I need assurance that our deal is to be made properly so Xena, _you_ will stay here. The governor will go to Banat to negotiate."

Xena scoffed. "I'm not going to be your hostage!"

"Not a hostage," he corrected. "A political _guest_. I will have a room set up for you, clothes and food brought to you. Once Gabrielle has cleared the deal then you may go on your merry way. Deal?"

Gabrielle grabbed her wife's hand and excused themselves from the table setting. She briefly eyed the Emperor's arrogant face and flashed a smile at him.

"Xena, it's alright. I will go to Banat," she whispered. "I'll tell Ernak everything. Maybe we can work out a deal with Eksama while I'm there."

"How do we know that he's telling the truth? What if he's lying to us?"

Gabrielle lowered her gaze. "Hmm. I'll ask for a copy of the documents Elemund signed. I'll show Eksama."

"I don't want to be a prisoner in Constantinople!" Xena hissed.

"I know," she squeezed her spouse's arm. "He's just using you as a political tool. You said we'll play his game, so let's play," she raised an eyebrow with a crooked smile.

She walked back over to the seated Emperor with a big smile on her face. "I will need proof of your alliance with Prince Elemund and the Franks," she ordered.

"Why's that?" he asked.

Gabrielle looked over her shoulder at her wife and licked her dry lips. "I need to be sure that what you say is true in order to secure the proposal to King Ernak."

* * *

Cera sat on the floor and attempted to play the _kamancheh_ again after neglecting it for so long. She wouldn't have picked up the instrument again if it weren't for Aurora's interest in it. While she sat, stringing the bow along the taut strings, Arielle sat on the floor opposite her, enjoying the music.

She lifted her head, blushing at her sister's bright face. She pressed her fingers on the neck of the instrument and glided the bow along the strings and hit a sour note. Her face contorted and she took in a deep breath and attempted to try to hit the note again, properly.

"You're so good at playing," Arielle complimented her sister. "Aurora's going to love it when you play this for her. Pamira is a great teacher. I'm amazed she taught you so much in such a short amount of time!"

Cera nodded and kept playing, leaning the long neck of the _kamancheh_ against her shoulder. She halted playing once Kuba entered the room. He bowed his head, smiling in her direction.

"Wonderful music, princess," he said and presented two letters to Arielle. "These came from Banat, khagana. One is for Princess Aurora."

Arielle puckered her lips. "Aurora?" she leaned forward and grabbed the letters from his hand. She opened the one to her daughter and frowned. "It's from Bayan." She set that aside and proceeded to open the next letter.

"Ernak signed my treaty!" she cheered and grabbed Cera's arm. As she kept reading, her mood soured. "What the fuck. How can both of these letters involve Bayan?!" she threw the scroll across the room. "Ernak wants Bayan to have a share of the empire. How dare him?" she turned to her sister.

Cera bit her bottom lip and awkwardly smiled at Kuba, bowing her head so he could take his leave. She set down the instrument carefully and crawled across the floor to read the letter silently to herself. She sighed when she read the part of Bayan. Turning around, she could see her sister seething, riddled with fury.

"_Maybe it wouldn't be so bad if Bayan lived in Pannonia_?" she signed.

Arielle huffed and grabbed the letter addressed to her daughter and stood. "I'm going to give this to Aurora. Stay here."

* * *

She stood outside her daughter's bedroom and breathed in deeply, crunching the scroll in her hand. She knocked on the door before entering. Aurora sat on her bed with her head in a pile of notes, writing and reading quietly on her own.

"_Tatli_ _kiz_," she approached the bed, peering over the princess' shoulder. "Are you studying?"

"Mhm." Aurora dipped the quill in the ink and slowly finished the last bit of her sentence. She lifted her head once she was done and smiled. "This Scythian language is much easier than Latin. I did as I promised! I've been studying really hard."

"I'm glad you are working so hard. I'm proud of you." Arielle smiled and kissed the top of the girl's head. "I hate to interrupt your study session but I have a letter for you," she held out the scrunched scroll. "From your father."

Aurora gasped. "Daddy?" she took the scroll.

Arielle frowned and sat on the bed, reading the letter over her daughter's shoulder. Her hard face softened at Bayan's kind words written to their daughter. She often wondered what their life would've been like if they remained married but that was a thing of the past. She could never be rid of Bayan and with Ernak's request it looked like he wasn't going anywhere.

"He said he is gonna send me a present for my birthday!" Aurora turned around, facing her mother. "Can he come here for my birthday?"

Inside, Arielle cringed, but she put on a face for her daughter. "You really miss him don't you?"

"Yeah! He can bring Sarnai too. I like her. I know _you_ don't like her."

"Well, Aurora…" she wrapped an arm around the princess. "I don't really _know_ Sarnai." And she didn't really want to.

"Can he come here, please?" Aurora begged. "Please?"

Arielle let out a heavy sigh. "If you _really_ want your father here then I guess…he can come. Write a letter and I'll have Kuba deliver it for you."

* * *

She marched towards the privy chamber and barged in. Kuba immediately froze and abruptly stood from behind his desk. He bowed his head, surprised at her sudden arrival.

"Khagana," he held his breath. "What can I do for you?"

She waltzed over to his desk, inspecting the various documents he was working on. Some of them were documents she sent over to him involving her subjects' demands. She brushed her tongue along her top lip and traced her finger along the tabletop.

"I just received a letter from Ernak and he ordered that I give Bayan a share of my empire."

Kuba kept his head down, eyes darting from left to right, unsure of how to respond.

"You mentioned you need someone to rule over the Pontic Steppe," she said softly.

"Y-yes khagana…"

"I want you to write an order that Bayan will be stationed in the Pontic Steppe. How far is that area from here?"

"Um," he mistakenly raised his eyes. "Not far, khagana. Maybe four days ride from here. There's…there's a palace there. Khagana Jiulu spent most of her life there before claiming Scythia. Right now a few councilmen are in the palace."

She nodded, clenching her jaw. "Write the order, Kuba. Bayan will be in charge of that area from now on." She turned to leave.

"Khagana!" he yelled and she turned. "I –I…with my understanding, you told me that Bayan is a Hun King."

"Yes."

"If he lives in the Pontic Steppe area then he will be a Khagan. He must work with you on political affairs and conduct meetings in the Pontic area regularly."

Arielle balled her fists and widened her eyes. She kept thinking of her daughter and closed her eyes, composing herself. "_Fine_. He will be a Khagan then. Write the order and have it sent to Banat immediately."

* * *

Ernak stood in the foyer with his elder brother and nephew, discussing the future of their empire with them. Arielle's proposal was well received on their end and Ernak told them he signed the treaty as did Csaba. He didn't mention that Xena and Gabrielle were still missing even after two weeks of the completed raid. He knew that Eksama was going to retaliate as soon as the word reached her and Elemund.

"I think it would be best if you, Yeter, and your sons return to your palace in the Caucasus," Ernak told his nephew.

Oran nodded. "It would be nice to go home. I know Yeter is tired of being around Farah," he rolled his eyes.

"They will never learn how to get along," said Ebnedzar. "Last night they argued over a game. They weren't even playing it," he laughed lightly.

Oran shook his head, nudging his father's arm. "Oh, would it be alright if my mother comes with us?" he asked both his uncle and father. "She's been very helpful and I don't think Yeter wants to admit it but she's really good at watching Taspar. Maybe my brothers could come too."

"Why don't you take the entire tribe while you're at it?" Ebnedzar joked. "I'm sure your mother would have no problem going with you although…am I allowed to go as well?" he questioned his little brother.

Ernak grinned. "You may go, brother. I don't need you in Italia anymore and with Arielle's army, I think we're prepared enough if Eksama does decide to attack again."

"_Ernak_!"

The three men turned and Gabrielle charged down the hallway. Ebnedzar and Oran, not privy to the situation, looked indifferent by her sudden arrival while Ernak was more than shocked to see her. She halted in front of the tall men and huffed, wiping the sweat off her brow.

"Gabrielle?" the king grabbed her shoulder. "How…I…where's Xena?"

"I need to talk to you. _Alone_." She eyed the others.

Ernak waved his hand, sending his brother and nephew away. He took her arm and walked to a secluded hallway. "Gabrielle, where have you been? Bayan told me what happened. You and Xena vanished!"

"We didn't _vanish_. We were kidnapped by Justinian's nephew and taken to Constantinople." She informed him.

"By god. That piece of shit," he growled.

She held up a hand. "Xena is still in Constantinople. She's being held there because…Justinian wants to ally with us to dethrone Shah Jamasp and give Kavad the crown back. Xena is basically being held hostage until you agree to the deal."

He scoffed. "That sly bastard. He's extorting me. Who does he think he is to keep _my_ Khanum hostage?" he shook his head, placing hands on hips.

"There's more," she regretted to say. "Elemund has allied with Justinian and the Franks. He's stabbing Eksama in the back and she has no idea. I have copies of the treaty!" she pat the satchel strapped to her shoulder.

"Wow."

"I know," she sighed heavily. "I was thinking we could go to Pannonia and _convince_ Eksama to change her mind and ally with us," she advised and noticed the stunned look on his face. "It's a long shot I know but I don't have any better ideas. Also, I don't want Xena to stay in Constantinople longer than necessary."

Ernak scratched his head and looked around at the maids passing by. "God dammit," he grumbled. "He really has me by the balls, Gabrielle!" he growled, clenching his fist. "Sorry."

"No need to apologize."

"Eksama isn't going to ally with us unless we give her what she wants."

Gabrielle's lips twitched into a smile. "So why don't we _give_ her what she wants?"

"Excuse me? I'm not going to give her the title of Khatun, Gabrielle. That belongs to Anastasia. My mother gave her that title!"

"I didn't say give her the title of khatun," she said. "But what if you assign her a portion of the empire to control? She could reign as queen, assuming that she abides by the rules. She would be a great asset. God knows she has a powerful army."

He grunted. "She tried to assassinate Anastasia. Somehow I don't think this is going to over well with Xena and everyone else."

"Let's just offer it to her and see what she says. She's not going to have a lot of options when we tell her that the man, whom she calls her _son_, is betraying her." she wiggled her eyebrows.

"Well, you have a point." He smiled and wrapped his arm around her small frame. "I've always liked working with you, Gabrielle! You're my favorite," he whispered.

She smiled awkwardly. "Ah-ha, thanks Ernak."

"Bayan's going to be so relieved to hear this. He thought Csaba was going to kill him. I put him in the mansion just in case Csaba tried to attack him."

She nodded, clearly uncomfortable with the topic.

* * *

Admiring the Black Sea on the balcony, she tapped her fingers on the railing and looked down at the crimson dress that she was given. The flowing white sleeves were definitely not her style. She couldn't remember the last time she wore something with this much color. She was anxious to get back home, wherever that may be for now, and wear her regular black robes and pants.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Justinian join her on the balcony. She breathed out deeply and gazed at the ships sailing across the sea.

"Why are you doing this?" she asked calmly.

"Doing what? Asking for alliance?"

"Keeping me here as a hostage. You can label it however you want, Justinian but we both know that I'm a hostage."

He chuckled. "You've been in the game for a long time, Xena. You aren't new to politics. I remember when your granddaughter was an infant when I took over the Empire and created it as my own. And now look at her, an Empress."

She scraped her fingernails in the marble balcony railing. She spun around, glaring at the cocky Emperor.

"Leave her out of this, Justinian. If I find out that this is a distraction only to attack Arielle then I will _personally_ make sure your body gets put into the ground –with or without a head."

He laughed haughtily. "Ho, Xena," he raised his hand. "Bold words but I know you're a woman of your word. Always have been. I'm not trying to trick you."

"I don't believe a thing that comes out of your mouth."

"And you're wise not to," he inclined his head and looked out at the coastline. "How is your daughter? Anastasia."

She blinked and fell silent to the question.

"Still gorgeous as ever, I'm sure. I heard she has several grandchildren now," he added. "Little Csaba isn't so little anymore, hm? He has three little princes. My, Attila's clan continues to grow by the year."

"Justinian!" she interrupted with a snarl to her lips. "Enough."

"I'm just making conversation."

"Well, don't."

He nodded and took a step closer to her with hesitancy. "Let us hope that the governor delivers my message accordingly," he whispered. "I don't want to keep you here longer than you need to be."

"Oh but you're such an _excellent_ host," she said through clenched teeth.

* * *

Up and walking, Xerxes sought to get some much needed fresh air after lying in bed for weeks. His body far beyond healed but he became restless staying in the same room every single day. The periodic visits he had with his mother were also wearing him down and he was anxious to get out of the Adame. With no place to go, he had to remain here for the meantime.

In front of the Adame, he found Tegin Irkin in one of the courtyards, not too far from the poppy fields. He sat down on the bench beside the pasha. He had always been on good terms with Tegin Irkin but the man's attitude was very odd because he could be difficult to read at times. The expression on his face was always emotionless. Tegin was more than a Pasha that served the Empire; he was also a detective and mercenary when the job called for it.

"Shehzade, how are your injuries? Are you recovering well?"

Xerxes adjusted the sling on his shoulder. "I'll manage. Have you received any news from Persia? Do you know what my brothers are doing?"

"Shah Jamasp is organizing an army," Tegin said. "He's increased the taxes on the public for the war effort."

"Is he going to attack Balaam?"

Tegin smirked. "I doubt it, Shehzade. There's talk of him attacking the Byzantines. It's going to take a long time for him to gather a new army to fight Emperor Justinian."

The prince creased his eyebrows, looking out at the poppy field. "How long do you think it'll take?"

"Six months, maybe. Shah Jamasp is not stupid enough to ride his army through the winter. He's going to wait until spring."

"I need to speak with King Khushnavaz and tell him that we need to get my father back on the throne. My brothers have gone too far. Of all people, I never thought Jamasp was going to betray father like that."

Tegin chuckled. "Shehzade, no disrespect to your father, but he didn't make a wise choice by allying with the Huns and his policies against the Houses of Persia were ill advised. He played favorites with the Houses and excluded the most important House of them all."

"The Ispahbudhan House."

"Mhm."

Xerxes stood, groaning at his aching body. "Tegin, are you able to send letters into the Empire without my brothers noticing?"

The pasha hummed, rubbing his chin. "It will be difficult but it's not impossible. Do you have a request?"

"Yes. I want you to send a letter to my aunt Esther, my father's older sister. She married into the House of Mihran to a military officer. I know she has a lot of connections that could help my father."

"I will see what I can do, Shehzade."

* * *

He walked slowly back to the Adame and caught General Zolten before trailing up the stairs. He met with Zolten halfway up the staircase and pulled him aside inside the foyer, wise enough to not allow the women passing by to hear his conversation.

"Zolten, have you received any letters from…Khagana Arielle?" he whispered, hiding his demure behavior and hint of a smile.

"I haven't received any letters from her, your highness. Were you expecting something?"

Xerxes' eyes glanced around the foyer and grimaced. "Have you been sending my letters to Arielle?"

"I haven't had any letters to send, your highness."

He should've expected this but he thought his mother was better than this. He knew his mother disliked Arielle a lot and not to mention the entire Hun race but he didn't expect she stoop so low as to keep his letters from being sent out. He suddenly felt so embarrassed by his mother's behavior since her arrival from Persia. She was very rude to all of the servants and though she kept her distance from Anastasia Khatun, she sent malicious glares knowing the khatun very well couldn't see her.

Zolten took it upon him to bring the prince aside into a hallway, sensing what was going through Xerxes' mind. "Shehzade, if you want a letter sent to Khagana Arielle, deliver them to me by hand. I will make sure they are delivered."

That eased the prince and he smiled. "Thank you. I will."

"Oh, another thing, Shehzade," the general whispered. "The king is very protective of his daughter. If you have serious intentions with her I suggest you ask for her father's permission."

Xerxes bobbed his head slowly. "_Permission_. How do I go about asking for his permission?"

"I know our customs are different from yours, your majesty, but you could suggest a courtship with Khagana Arielle," Zolten kindly offered his advice.

"Courtship," he murmured. "That would mean I have the intention of marrying her in the future."

Zolten stifled a laugh. "Shehzade, despite what Arielle _wants_; her father is never going to continue to let you see her like you are now. I'm just giving you a fair warning."

"I understand…" he walked away, scratching his head. "_Mother_…" he growled.

* * *

They didn't get very far passed the borders of Pannonia and Banat. Attention was called immediately and Gabrielle, Ernak and Csaba were surrounded by a group of Gepids, blades pointed at them as they sat on their horses with their arms over their heads.

One of the soldiers went to the Adame to alert Eksama of their sudden intrusion. Gabrielle suggested that they waltz into Pannonia completely unarmed and without a mass of Huns behind them so they wouldn't seem threatening.

Csaba glared at the blonde governor. "_Great_ plan, Gabrielle," he uttered with a low growl.

"We're not here to fight," she whispered, "Eksama will realize that when she sees us by ourselves without any guards. You aren't even supposed to be here!"

"I wasn't going to stay in bed like Farah wants me to. I deserve to be here! I am a king too, in case you forgot."

"Yeah, and _Arielle_ is your boss," Ernak said, laughing under his breath. "Your _little_ sister!"

Csaba whipped his head towards his uncle. "Yeah, well, _your_ little sister took your land from you!" he spat.

"Touché."

Eksama trotted up to the trio and flicked her long silky auburn hair behind her shoulder. She smirked at her brother and dismounted the horse, walking through the armed soldiers as they made a path for her. She folded her arms, staring up at her family members and her eyes darted to Gabrielle. The smile on her lips turned into a frown in a matter of seconds.

"Have you come to your senses and finally decided to surrender?" she asked.

Gabrielle lowered her arms with caution. "We need to speak to you, Eksama. It's very important."

"I wasn't talking to _you_."

Ernak turned to his sister and leaned forward. "Don't talk to her that way. She's my governor and served our father and brothers long before you came along. Once you hear what she has to say then you will change your tune, Eksama."

"Oh, is that right?"

"Are you going to invite us inside the Adame to continue this discussion?" asked Ernak. "It's rude of you not to offer and that is _my_ home after all," he added with a snide grin.

Eksama realized she wasn't going to win this argument. She backed off and asked her men to lower their weapons. She hopped onto her horse, steering backwards. "Come with me." She waved her hand and trotted back to the Adame.

* * *

It was like taking a step back in time when they entered the Adame. Everything almost looked the same minus the huge Gepid flag hanging from the balustrade in the foyer. Gabrielle walked around herself, staring at the huge wooden columns, wrapped with crimson silk. The smell of the place brought back several memories, good and bad.

Even though this wasn't the original home of the family, it had quite a lot of history here. Smiling as she recollected, she thought of several events that happened here. The births of the Hun children, the casual bickering from the women in the quarters, Cera's wedding, political meetings, the breakfasts everyone shared, Kreka's funeral ceremony.

She could almost hear the voices of those she called her family and then she realized this wasn't her home anymore. It had been robbed and the family was scattered in several locations without a stable place to call home.

Gabrielle pulled herself together and stepped into the conference room. The doors closed behind her and she looked at Eksama as she sat on the floor, ready for the discussion to commence. Ernak and Csaba took their places on the floor pillows and she sat in between the two kings.

She held the satchel in her lap, staring at Eksama opposite from her. Her eyes were of the same color and shape of Cera's and the two princesses shared the same hair color and similar facial features. It was hard to look at her and not think of Cera. Everything about the two was so eerily similar except Eksama was anything but kind and sweet.

Eksama slapped her hands on her thighs. "Let's get this started, shall we? I'm _dying_ to know what you have prepared for me," she said with a big grin.

Gabrielle took in a deep breath and eyed the kings on either side of her. "We're pressed for time, Eksama, so I will try to make this short and sweet."

She pulled out the copy of the treaty and slid it across the rug. "This is a treaty signed by Prince Elemund, the Franks and Emperor Justinian. They've made a trilogy alliance against you."

The Gepid Queen took the parchment in her hands, reading furiously. "No." she threw the document on the floor. "Elemund would never betray me. How do I know you didn't falsify this treaty?"

"I copied this _myself_," Gabrielle said firmly. "I was in Constantinople recently. Xena is being held hostage there after we were kidnapped in Italia."

The look on Eksama's face was exactly what Ernak expected. His sister had no idea about the invasion and it looked like Elemund had left Pannonia awhile ago, holding that bit of information to himself.

"We invaded Elemund's base," she told the queen. "He has no army to go back to now. With this alliance he has with Justinian I suspect he might take your army." She paused briefly. "He didn't tell you that we invaded, did he?"

Eksama frowned, lowering her gaze, unsure how to answer. She was riddled with embarrassment and her cheeks puffed red.

"What is your purpose of being here?" asked Eksama in a quiet and somewhat defeated voice.

Gabrielle smiled faintly. "We want you to be on our side, Eksama. Everyone wanted that from the beginning. Elemund isn't on your side. He's betraying you right in front of your eyes."

Eksama laughed. "You want me to ally with you, is that it? I told you what I wanted. It is my _right_ to be queen."

"I had a feeling you would bring that up," said Gabrielle proudly. "We're willing to give you a portion of the empire to rule over as queen. Farah, who is Csaba's wife and also a queen, is going to build several Adames throughout the empire."

She saw Eksama's mind ticking at the offer, contemplating and debating. _Just take the damn deal_.

"What does Anastasia have to say about this?" inquired the queen.

"She will be informed as soon as we get Xena out of Constantinople. Are you going to take the deal or not?" Gabrielle felt she was pressuring her but she didn't want Xena to stay in the hands of Justinian any longer.

"Are you only offering peace because your khanum is being held captive?"

Gabrielle huffed. "Elemund betrayed you, Eksama. It would be best if we put aside our differences and unite together. We're giving what you want. You get to be a queen _and_ govern a portion of the empire."

"Hmm." The redhead swirled her finger long her cheek, smiling at her brother and nephew.

Quickly, Gabrielle thought on her feet and blurted out something unexpected that was surely to shock Ernak and Csaba.

"You can be Commander in Chief of the empire."

Ernak gasped. "_What!"_

"We never discussed this," Csaba whispered.

Gabrielle ignored the men staring at her as she was wedged in the middle of them. She clenched her jaw, staring at the satisfactory smile on Eksama's face. _I have you in the palm of my hand_.

"Well?"

Eksama let out a long sigh and grinned from ear to ear.

* * *

Proudly, Gabrielle walked through the hallway, waving the signed treaty in her hands and blew against the wet ink. She couldn't wipe the smile off her face staring at Eksama's signature at the bottom of the page. Today was a victorious day. Two problems down, one to go.

"Gabrielle!"

She flinched at Ernak's booming voice and turned around, feeling very small in front of the tall king. "I know what you're thinking…" she hid the treaty behind her back. "She wasn't going to agree, Ernak! I had to think of something!"

"So you offered her the position of Commander in Chief?!" he yelled. "I can't wait to hear what Xena is going to say about this."

She hadn't exactly thought of her wife's reaction. "We'll cross that bridge when we get there. On the bright side, everyone gets to come back to Pannonia. You get your home back!" she slapped his arm.

His upper lip quivered and slowly, Gabrielle backed away, laughing awkwardly.

"We…should probably head back to Banat and tell everyone the good news," she said. "I have to go to Constantinople and rescue Xena from Justinian's grasp."

"Mhm."

"Did you send the letter to Arielle about the Byzantine alliance?"

"Mhm."

"Did you…leave a copy for me to take to Constantinople?"

"It's in Rabia's office."

She nodded. "I can see you're upset with me. I'll just go round up the horses with Csaba outside."

* * *

He was a grown man. He once used to be the General of Persia. He was well educated and learned how to read and write Latin from the moment he could form sentences. He thought he was well spoken and eloquent in front of monarchs but as he stood in front Navaz and Anastasia, he was suddenly at a loss for words.

Navaz folded his arms, growing impatient. "Shehzade, you asked to speak with us. What is it that you want?"

The prince swallowed and looked to the khatun's face, stern yet with a hint of kindness shown by her pale eyes. He straightened himself out to the best of his abilities due to his injured shoulder. He waited a few days to talk to Arielle's parents and put off the impending argument with his mother. He couldn't focus on her. Not now.

"I wanted to ask you both for your permission," he took in a shaky breath, "to court your daughter."

Anastasia broke out into a smile. The thought of being asked permission to allow anyone to see her daughter was unusual. She didn't have that opportunity when Bayan was secretly seeing Arielle behind her back. Though, she couldn't say anything because she did the same thing behind her own mother's back with Ellac when she was a teenager. It was nice for a change to be asked.

Navaz was indifferent by the question and had a scowl on his face. He received a nudge to his arm from Ana and that brought him out his daydream.

"You want to court my daughter?" he repeated the question.

"Yes, your highness."

Unable to contain her excitement, Anastasia answered for herself and Navaz. "Yes, you may."

"Anastasia!" Navaz griped. "I don't get a say in this at all? She's my daughter too. She's half mine."

"You're taking too long to answer. Just say yes, Navaz."

Xerxes stood uncomfortably in the middle of the tense conversation. He didn't want to start a fight between them. Maybe this was a mistake?

"I don't know what kind of spell you cast upon these women but they all seem to like you," Navaz addressed the anxious prince.

"I…I promise I won't ever harm your daughter, your highness. You have my word."

"I've heard those words before, Shehzade."

"With all due respect, I don't like being compared to Bayan. I know he is not well liked in your family. I am not anything like Bayan."

Anastasia's eyebrow arched. "Your mother mentioned that you are forbidden to marry a divorced woman. Is that true?"

He lowered his head. "Yes, that's true. Princes are forbidden to marry anyone outside of Persia and the marriages are arranged by the Shah. It's not unusual for a prince to remain unmarried and stay with his harem all his life."

Ana nodded slowly and turned to Navaz. "You would be willing to sacrifice your spot on the throne for my daughter?" she asked in disbelief.

* * *

The least Justinian could do was provide a horse on the way back to Banat but he couldn't even do that. Gabrielle shared a horse with her wife on the way back after handing over the copy of the letter. He was a bit impatient when he was told that Arielle hadn't exactly agreed to the temporary alliance. Gabrielle was surprised he had to explain to the Emperor that letters sent to Scythia took a long time.

Riding through the barren fields, they were about a day away from Banat. Gabrielle was quiet most of the way and she didn't have the courage to tell Xena about the deal she and the kings struck with Eksama. Oh, she was going to be furious. She could foresee several punches coming her way.

Take one for the team. That's what she always did.

"Ernak, Csaba and I went to Pannonia," she began.

Xena raised her eyebrows. "Eksama actually let you enter Pannonia?"

"Yes…we told her that Elemund was backstabbing her. I could tell she was very embarrassed and angry but she didn't show it. I guess she's like Attila in that respect."

"What did she have to say? I'm guessing the meeting went well since you're still _alive_," Xena joked.

"Ernak and I both agreed to give her a portion of the empire to govern. She will officially be a Hun Queen. She signed a treaty of peace with us."

Xena smiled. "Good job, Gabrielle. I knew you would be able to set her straight. What did the rest of the family have to say about this? I can only imagine Austraia's reaction. Was she surprised?"

The governor bit her lip and loosened her grip around her wife's waist. She wanted to make sure she had a clean sweep to jump off the horse in case she was thrown off. Perhaps this wasn't the best time to mention this but she was going to find out sooner or later.

"I didn't stay in Banat long enough to see everyone's reaction," she said and shakily continued, "There is one more thing I had to promise Eksama in order to get her to agree to our deal."

"Hmm?"

"I…told her that she could…be the Commander in Chief."

Xena yanked on the reins, halting the horse. She stared out at the open fields, her chest rising and falling heavily. Her fingers dug into her sweaty palms and her heart raced. Commander. Commander in Chief. _My_ old job, she thought. Given to Attila's rebel daughter.

"Xena?" she inched further back on the saddle. "Are you angry at me? Xena. Please, say something."


	35. Chapter 35

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gabrielle works desperately to mend her marriage and friendship with Xena. To settle a score, Xena challenges Eksama to a deadly duel against Gabrielle's wishes. Xerxes visits Arielle and secures their future together with a promise. Arielle, dwelling on her past experience with men, is hesitant to trust Xerxes.

**Incoming: heavy feels lol.**

Chapter 35 –_Blending Families: Part II_

The silence was killing her inside. She sought refuge in training in the imperial gardens. Twirling the long wooden staff she glared at the stone pillar. She huffed and swung the staff at the pillar, stopping just before the wood met stone.

She took a step back and raised the staff above her head, heaving deeply, sweat droplets forming on her forehead. With a loud cry she spun around herself and thrust the staff at the pillar. Anger overcame her and she kept whacking the pillar fiercely as if waiting for it to attack back.

Gabrielle kept her eyes on the pillar and gripped the staff firmly, turning her knuckles white. Her eyes averted to Csaba standing off to the side watching her take her anger out on an inanimate object.

Once it was safe, Csaba approached the riled governor and rest his palm on the tall stone pillar.

"Oran, Yeter and their sons left for Gokturk territory today," he said.

She lowered her head and lowered the staff then wiped the sweat from her brow.

"Ursula and Ebnedzar left with them too."

"I'm sure they'll be happy to return to their home," she said just above a whisper.

Csaba knew Gabrielle since before he came into the world and he had his suspicions as to why she was so riled up. Ever since she returned from Constantinople two weeks ago his grandmother ignored her and refused to utter a word. He witnessed both his grandmother and Gabrielle engage in several arguments over the years but this had to be the worst one yet. But they were always able to overcome their differences and that was an admirable trait that he applied to his own marriage.

"Have you tried _talking_ to my grandma?" he asked.

Gabrielle peered down at the raw skin peeling off her palm and turned to the young king. "She won't listen to me. I've tried several times to talk to her, believe me."

"I know how she can be," Csaba chuckled. "She's very stubborn but she has a big heart. She's still sour about not being the commander anymore."

She grimaced and set the staff against the pillar and rubbed her sore palms together. She didn't want to look Csaba in the eye and acknowledge that he was right.

"She's tried to give her role up several times and even when my mother took the mantle as commander she was furious. She can't stand anyone stomping on her livelihood."

"I only gave Eksama that offer because she wasn't going to agree to the deal," she reminded him. "And I didn't want your grandmother to stay in Constantinople anymore."

Csaba nodded. "I understand, Gabrielle. I really do. She'll come around."

She snorted and shook her head. "She's not going to, Csaba. She's very angry with me. She's never been this angry before."

He grasped her shoulder and their eyes met. He gave a reassuring smile.

"We're leaving for Pannonia tomorrow morning. If anyone can suppress my grandmother's wrath, it's _you_." He squeezed her shoulder.

* * *

Mirac sat underneath canopy outside and worked on the map that he promised Arielle. He set weights on the four corners of the parchment on the table and began organizing his brushes by size. He periodically lifted his eyes to Cera and Arielle sparring out in the field together. He never saw his wife spar before in hand to hand combat. He was a bit surprised to see her besting her elder sister.

He set out the bottles of black paint and then Aurora ran outside with Ku-Ilm. He smiled at the little princess and waved at her. Aurora rushed over to the table and rose to her toes, peering at the impressive map.

"What're you doing?" she asked.

"I'm painting a map of the Empire for your mother," he explained.

She smiled and admired his hard work then looked to the field. Her eyes enlarged at her mother and aunt sparring together. She stared in awe and her mouth parted as the two women danced around one another.

Cera stood a few inches taller than her sister which wasn't much of an advantage when it came to sparring. She circled around her sister and latched onto Arielle's arms. They dug their boots into the grass and nearly touched foreheads as they walked in a circle around themselves. Their arms locked and both smiled while glaring into one another's eyes.

Cera waited for the right moment then reared her head back and smashed foreheads with her sister. Arielle fell backward onto the ground and moaned loudly. The princess grinned with satisfaction and placed her hands on her hips.

Arielle groaned and sat up rubbing her forehead. "Fuck, Cera…" she muttered.

Aurora excitedly ran out to the field and heard Ku calling her name several times. She halted in front of her mother with a big grin.

"That was amazing! I wanna learn how to do that!"

Cera snickered at her eager little niece and then helped her sister off the ground.

"I'll teach you one day," Arielle said to her daughter. "Or maybe I should let your _aunt_ train you," she sent a glare at her smug little sister.

Arielle brought her daughter close and ran her fingers through the girl's long dark hair. She saw Kuba and Ku-Ilm talking together near the palace. Kuba carried three scrolls underneath his arm and she sighed, knowing what that entailed: more work. She received messages daily and that took up most of her time but now she got the hang of writing and reading but the process was still tiresome.

She bent down and kissed Aurora's head. "I think Kuba needs to speak with me. I'll see you both later."

Aurora grabbed her mother's arm. "But you promised to play backgammon with me!"

"And I _will_," the empress said with a smile. "We'll play after dinner. Teyze Cera loves that game. I'm sure she'll give you some pointers."

* * *

Before dinner Cera opted to take a bath with her sister in the large bath chamber in Arielle's chambers. The pool was incredibly large, much larger than the baths in Pannonia and Balaam for sure. Cera poured a pan of hot water over her soapy hair and ran a hand over face. She glanced over at her silent sister and nudged her.

Arielle flinched and smiled faintly. "I can't believe they let Eksama be commander _and_ queen," she said.

Cera leaned against the wall with her elbows up on the bath's ledge. She cocked her head at her miffed sister and snapped her fingers to grab her sister's attention.

She signed, "_Eksama is nuts. She probably threatened them_."

Arielle nodded and picked at the knots in her wet curls. "Grandma is going to be livid if she isn't already. I don't envy anyone over there right now." She shuddered at the thought. Her grandmother's cold stare continued to haunt her to this day.

"The alliance with Justinian is going to put me in a bind. I'm going to have to give money to the Hagia Sophia for awhile to appease the asshole," she added.

The princess' jaw dropped. The news of Eksama was jarring enough but Justinian allying with her family? It was unheard of but it certainly wasn't the first time her family allied with enemies if they had common goals. It usually didn't end well for either party. She worried her family was going to get the shit end of the deal.

Arielle sighed. "Anyway."

She smiled at her sister and took notice of her incredibly thin figure Cera retained. She wondered why her sister was so strong being the lean person she was. Her head still hurt from the spar earlier and she was sure to have a bruise or bump on her forehead the following day.

"I'm really enjoying spending time with you. I'm going to be sad to see you leave."

Cera blushed. "_I told Mirac I wanted to stay until the end of spring. I hate winter in Kazakhstan. Me and snow don't mix._" She shook her head and wagged her finger.

"Great!" Arielle cheered. "We'll have to write mother and tell her you're staying with me for awhile. I know she's going to just _love_ having you close by. Kazakhstan isn't _that_ far from Balaam but for mother it might as well be on the other side of the world!"

The sisters turned their heads at the sound of small footsteps running across the marble floor. Aurora rushed into the bath chamber with dripping wet hair from her bath earlier. She smiled at her mother and couldn't contain her excitement.

"Ku told me to tell you that dinner is ready. We'll play backgammon after, right?"

Arielle chuckled at her daughter's enthusiasm. "Yes, _tatli_ _kiz_. We'll play as many rounds as you want."

"Why are you two still in the bath? You're gonna turn into prunes," she urged them to get out of the bath. She even went as far as to grab the fresh towels and set them beside the pool. "I'll be waiting!"

* * *

Eksama waited in the foyer to greet the clan. She knew that she wasn't going to be welcomed into her family immediately and the thought of being surrounded by a large family was very foreign. She lived on her own for so long only to have her mother and daughter by her side. She also knew Austraia wasn't going to show her any kindness for awhile or possibly indefinitely.

Slowly, the Hun servants trailed into the Adame carrying large chests and furniture brought from Banat. Eksama looked at all of the servants and then eyed her brother walk in with his two sons, baby daughter and wife.

She bowed her head. "Ernak."

He and his family walked over to her and he held his daughter in one arm and his other arm wrapped around his wife.

"These are my children, Kurt, Utighur and Maria and my wife, Nisa. We are also expecting a baby in the summer," he told his sister.

Eksama eyed the children who were her nephews and grinned at the baby cradled in her brother's arm. "Congratulations to you and your wife."

Ernak raised an eyebrow at his sister showing mild affection. Her eyes didn't leave his baby daughter and he took a step away. He didn't trust her just yet even though she was _welcomed_ into the family but it was by force. He had doubts when Ebnedzar showed up in Pannonia years ago and it took a long time for his family to be accepted by everyone. He wished the same fate for his sister.

"I will let everyone settle in and then we'll talk together," he said.

Eksama nodded. "Of course."

She rocked back on her heels, sighing heavily as the people kept trailing in. Her eye caught Xena walk through the entrance and her body tensed. If she was going to be hated by anyone in the family it would definitely be Xena that hated her the most. She remained composed as Xena approached her.

Xena halted in front of the tall redhead and despised that she looked far too much like her granddaughter. She sized her up from head to toe and lifted her chin, examining the serenity across Eksama's face. The wildness was still present but for now it was contained.

"Don't think for a second that I don't have my eye on you."

Eksama smirked. "I don't doubt it, khanum. I should _thank_ you for giving your former position to me. I am an excellent military leader."

Xena titled her head and forced a smile. "That is obvious since you _almost_ destroyed Banat," she spat. "And I didn't _give_ you my old position."

"Formalities aside, I'm a great strategist. My father probably would've given me the role of commander if I lived in Pannonia. But alas, I was kept a secret. Oh, except…_Kreka_ _Khatun_ knew about me."

That stung and Xena knew the fiery redhead was attempting to get a rise out of her. How she wished she could smack Kreka for betraying her all these years. There were plenty of opportunities to bring up Attila's abandoned daughter especially when Ebnedzar arrived but no. Even in death Kreka's denial lived on.

She stepped forward. "You will _earn_ the position just like anyone else," she whispered then marched down the hall.

Eksama swallowed and grimaced at the fuming khanum disappearing into the depths of the Adame. She turned her head and in walked Gabrielle. She gave a curt nod to the governor and added a shimmering smile.

Gabrielle swiftly averted her gaze and hurried out of the foyer.

Princess Austraia walked in with her twin cousins and then glanced at her mother. The knot in her gut tightened when she met her mother's brown eyes across the room. She felt indifferent upon seeing her mother for the first time in awhile. She grew to become a member of her long lost family and she knew she was never truly accepted by her mother since birth.

Eksama's face softened as she gazed at her teenage daughter from afar. She had the urge to talk to her daughter but was frozen in place. She had all of the courage in the world to war with her family but when it came to her daughter she turned into a coward.

Her eyes dipped to the floor. She chose to act on the spineless side of herself. She lifted her eyes for a moment when she saw her daughter waltz away with the little princes.

* * *

The day was long and once evening came it never seemed to end. Gabrielle desperately wanted this day to come to an end but most of all; she wanted her spouse to speak to her. Even if it was a nasty comment she would be content with that. Instead, she received the cold shoulder.

She unpacked the chest full of clothing and laid out her wife's clothes on the floor, sorting them by color. She had yet to unpack the chest full of weapons but knew better than to touch Xena's swords. There wasn't much to take what was leftover in Banat as all of their belongings were in Scythia.

Gabrielle took out her boots from the large chest and placed them at the end of the bed. Xena was standing by the fireplace, prodding the logs with an iron poker. She paid no mind to Gabrielle but felt eyes burning into her backside.

"It's strange being back here," said Gabrielle.

Xena tapped her fingers on the stone fireplace and jabbed the poker into the fire, stirring the firewood.

"It almost feels foreign since we've been gone so long."

She waited to see if her wife was going to talk back to her and was only left with silence. She sighed and closed the lid on the chest.

"Xena, I know you're dying to yell at me. Go ahead and let it out."

The khanum gently leaned the poker on the wall and turned around slowly. The acknowledgement was enough to spark Gabrielle's eyes from across the room.

"Have you been _preparing_ yourself to be yelled at?" she asked.

Her silence was all that Xena needed to confirm her question.

"I'm not going to yell at you." she turned around and fixated on the fire.

Gabrielle's mouth parted. "But I deserve it! You're angry at me. Just tell me how you feel. You haven't said a word to me in two weeks! Please, don't do this to me."

"To _you_?" Xena swiftly turned on her heel. "You must think the world revolves around you, Gabrielle. What about what you did to _me_?"

"I had no choice! What was I supposed to do? Kill her?"

"Is that what you think I would do? I want Eksama to be in Ernak's life more than anything but you had the _nerve_ to bestow the position of commander. No, Commander in Chief."

That sickening glare she knew all too well was being cast down on her. Gabrielle's cheeks radiated as she was put in the spotlight. She is disgusted with me, Gabrielle thought. _She's staring at me like she does to her enemies._

"I…I'm sorry," she whispered. "You still love me, don't you?"

Xena let out a frustrated sigh. "Gabrielle. I will _always_ love you. That won't ever change but I can't say that I like you very much right now."

Understandable, she thought. "I didn't think you were going to be this upset. I knew you were going to be annoyed but I never thought –"

"Oh? You didn't _think_ I'd be upset?"

Gabrielle's inner cheeks soured and she felt herself shrinking as her wife approached her. She mistakenly lifted her head to her towering wife above her and froze.

"You gave the woman one of the most powerful positions in the empire without talking to me first! She tried to burn my daughter alive!" she spat and Gabrielle flinched. "Because of _her_ my daughter can't see five feet in front of her!"

Gabrielle scratched her arms and felt her body coil. She wished she could crawl into a shell and hide.

"I…wasn't thinking of that at the time."

"You got that right. You weren't _thinking_ at all." Xena folded her arms.

"What should I do? Take Eksama's position away? I can do that. I'll write it and it'll be done."

Xena shook her head. "The damage's been done, Gabrielle. There is only one way to solve this problem."

A wave of nausea settled in the pit of her stomach. She could feel the bile threatening to rise in her throat. She wrapped her arms around her body and dug her nails into her shoulder blades.

"And what _way_ is that?" she was almost afraid to ask.

Xena drew her sword and spun around. She pointed the blade at her nervous wife's throat. She saw Gabrielle flinch and a smile crossed her lips.

"I'm going to challenge Eksama to a duel," she said and watched Gabrielle's eyes widen in fear. "We'll see how mighty the daughter of Attila is once she has a one-off with me. All commanders must fight in a duel. Arielle did the same and so should Eksama."

Gabrielle looked down at the blade and slowly sat back, leaning against the end of the bed. She brought her knees close to her chest and tried to fight the urge to vomit everywhere.

"But Xena…but w-what if you get hurt? What if she doesn't accept the challenge? What will you do if she loses?"

Xena lowered her sword. "I'm not going to be commander again. If she loses then she'll just have to deal with that and another person who is better fit will be the commander. It's as simple as that."

"But Xena…"

"You aren't going to change my mind, Gabrielle. This is how it has to be."

* * *

Farah sat on the floor in the bath chamber connected to her sons' bedroom and furiously scrubbed one of her twin boy's arms with a soapy cloth. She specifically told her sons to not wander off and play outside but they disobeyed her and now they were stuck in the bath and it was only the beginning of the day.

Aman winced as his mother scrubbed underneath his arm and behind his ears. His wet hair dangled in his eyes and he whined, attempting to swim away from his mother.

"Come here!" she yelled and yanked him by the shoulder.

"I got soap in my eye!" cried the prince.

She poured a bowl of water over his soapy hair and wiped the soap from his eye. How she missed the maids in Banat who did everything for her when it concerned her sons. She washed the soap off his tiny arms and scrubbed his back full of sandy dirt.

"We just got here and you two have already made a mess of yourselves," she chastised her sons.

The boy scraped his tongue and moaned. "I have soap in my mouth now!" he started to whimper.

"Aman," she said firmly and reared his back and looked down into his light eyes. "Why are you crying? I thought you were my big strong prince now?" she said with a smile and wiped the tears from his cheek.

Aladar sat on a bench in the warm pool and pushed around a miniature wooden ship in the water. Already succumbed to his mother's intensive washing he waited until his brother's torturous bathing was finished.

"Are we gonna live here with Eksama now?" asked Aladar. "She's crazy!"

"Yes and you should stop calling her crazy," Farah told him. "She's…your _family_."

"She looks like Teyze Cera!" he said with a smile and lifted the toy boat in the air and waved it over his head. "Except scarier."

Edemen ran down the stairs and skid across the slick tile into one of the marble pillars. His little brothers laughed at his clumsy entrance. He wrapped his arm around the pillar, panting heavily.

"Grandma khanum is going to fight Eksama!"

The princes quickly got out of the large pool and wrapped towels around their tiny waists. They ran out of the bath chamber, dripping wet. Farah threw down the cloth and glared at her son.

"I was just bathing your brothers because I found them covered in the mud this morning. Now they're going to get dirty again!" she griped.

Edemen steadied his balance. "I'm sorry, mother."

* * *

Navaz read Gabrielle's letter several times and rubbed his beard pensively. He couldn't fathom the words on the parchment no matter how many times he read them over. He folded his large arms across his bare chest and let out an exasperated sigh.

"I don't know what to say," he thought out loud. "If I were Gabrielle I'd fear for my life right now."

Anastasia smoothed her tight black sleeveless gown over her abdomen and turned to look in the mirror at her blurry reflection. She pinched the extra weight around her hips and grunted. She was by no means considered fat and she didn't expect her body to be as trim as it was when she was in her twenties especially after carrying three children. She was simply frustrated.

"Navaz, do you think I should start training again?" she turned around. "I think I've gained too much weight ever since those Persians came here."

"Hmm?" He turned and admired the dress clinging to her slender hourglass figure. "You look perfect to me."

She thumbed her nose at the compliment and faced the mirror then ruffled her straight lengthy hair. "Did you say something about Gabrielle?"

"Oh yes." He cleared his throat and held the dreadful letter in his hand. "It appears that Elemund betrayed Eksama and allied with Justinian. Gabrielle spoke with Eksama and convinced her to surrender. She is now a Hun Queen and Commander in Chief of the Empire."

Anastasia paused and felt her chest tighten at the news. Her family suffered at the hands of tyrannical queens before. She was grateful that both were gotten rid of but it came with a price. Tomiri took Ellac from her and Boareks stole Cera's voice, nearly killing her. She hoped that Eksama would face the same fate as the other queens even if she was Attila's daughter.

Her sight was stolen from her and she was nearly burned alive in her own home. She could never forget what was done to her and now she came to find out that Eksama was able to weasel her way into the clan by none other than the governor's means to politically fuse the two fractured tribes.

She inhaled sharply as her heart raced. She punched the mirror and it shattered all over the floor. She held her fist, blood pouring from her knuckles with glass shards embedded in her skin.

Navaz quickly ran over to inspect her hand and stared at her snarling face.

"Let me bandage that for you," he offered, slowing leading her to the bed. "Can I see?"

She relaxed her fist and pieces of glass fell to the floor. Navaz hesitantly grabbed her wrist and gingerly picked out the shards from her palm and knuckles.

* * *

Csaba ran out of the Adame and skipped down the stairs. He met with Gabrielle who stood by her lonesome self in the field. He heaved and looked out at the empty field where Eksama and his grandmother stood a few yards apart with their backs turned to one another.

"_What_ did you say to her?" he asked.

"I didn't say anything." Gabrielle folded her arms and felt ill as she anticipated the event about to occur between her spouse and Attila's daughter.

Csaba frowned. "This is ludicrous!" He stomped his boot. "I'm going to put a stop to this otherwise they're going to kill each other."

She put a firm hand on his chest. "Don't, Csaba. I've already warned her but she refused to listen. She isn't going to let this go."

"I've never fought with Eksama one on one but if she's as brutal as her soldiers then I'm afraid that grandma is going to meet her match."

She had the same feeling and looked over her shoulder at the crowded staircase in front of the Adame. Everyone heard already and watched from afar. They all had worry painted on their faces. They were all here to see bloodshed and there was _definitely_ going to be bloodshed.

The worst part of it all was that she couldn't talk Xena out of it. She learned her lesson long ago when she interfered in her wife's conflict with Anastasia. She wanted to say that she wasn't the cause of this duel but she was and she was about to witness her wife being stomped on by the auburn haired Gepid-Hun woman.

Xena turned around and pulled the sword out of the grass. She met eyes with Eksama and studied her posture, body position and the hand that held the blade.

"Trying to anticipate my first move?" asked Eksama. "I'm not surprised you decided to challenge me. I've always wanted to best you in combat. My father must've thought you were _special_ since you were the longest reigning commander in Hun history."

Xena's lips twitched and she twirled the sword about. "I liked your father very much. He was my friend and I _know_ he would be very disappointed in you, Eksama."

The redhead scowled. "Swords or hand to hand combat? What's your preference?"

Their swords clashed as Xena made the first move. Both applied a large amount of pressure on the blades and the metal creaked and waned. Eksama smiled and then with a jolt of her elbow she jabbed her opponent in the nose.

Xena shifted for a moment and brought her leg around to knock Eksama off her feet to deter her. The move was too predictable for the Gepid and she wrapped her leg around Xena's and sent her to the ground with a loud thud.

The former commander lifted her head and blood dripped from her nose. She rolled over onto her back and eyes widened at the blade swinging down at her. Instinctively she put her sword up, blocking the attack.

Eksama's grin widened and forced all of her weight on the sword, glaring into her opponent's icy eyes. Xena felt the sword wavering and lowering, lowering and lowering some more. She recalled the several spars she had with Kreka and remembered when the khatun accused her of playing dirty to win.

She allowed the blade to reach her chest and grabbed Eksama's long hair and gave it a hard yank. She kneed the queen in the gut and then sent her flying in the air. She got to her feet and turned to face the queen who recovered quicker than she expected.

Gabrielle watched from afar and wore her fingernails to the nubs. She cringed watching the fight and saw her wife continuously be knocked off her feet. She covered her eyes and peeked through her fingers as Xena kept getting whacked in the face repeatedly.

There was one advantage Eksama had and that was her age. She was very nimble and quick to react to each move thrown at her.

Xena wiped the blood from her lip and slowly got to her feet and held the sword with both hands, heaving. She spat a glob on the ground and glared at Eksama. Her vision blurred for a moment and thrust the blade forward only to be smacked across the face again.

Eksama raised an eyebrow and grabbed a handful of Xena's hair and rammed her forehead against a knee. She shoved the former commander backward and watched as Xena recovered, shaking her head.

"I am impressed," she admired. "Most would've given up by now. I know all of your tricks, khanum. They're old and worn out just like _you_."

Xena smirked. "You're right. I've been doing this a lot longer than you have."

Eksama raised her eyebrows and charged forward. They grabbed each other's shoulders and circled around, digging their boots into the soil. Eksama grunted and felt a lot of resistance. She growled and took a heavy step forward and Xena took a step back, forcing all of her weight on Eksama's shoulders.

The queen's lip quivered and blood dripped from her head wound. Her arms shook as she increased her resistance.

Xena grinned and forced the queen backward by two steps.

"Getting angry, Eksama? You shouldn't do that. Anger clouds the mind."

She pushed the queen back another two steps.

Eksama snarled and she was pushed onto her backside and a blade was pointed inches from her nose. Her chest rose and fell heavily and she glared up at the cut up, bruised and mangle haired woman above her.

Xena's eyebrow arched and she lowered her sword and held out her hand to aid the defeated queen. Eksama eyed the hand offered to her and she swallowed the lump in her throat.

"Take it," said Xena.

The redhead shakily grabbed her foe's hand and was brought to her feet. She gawked in awe and horror at the raven haired warrior. She'd be lying if she said she wasn't embarrassed being bested by a woman twice her age. She lowered her gaze and rubbed the sore spot on her shoulder.

Xena smiled weakly at the resilient daughter of Attila.

"Anger. You can never rely on it."

She dropped her sword and exhaled then felt her limbs give out. Instantaneously, she collapsed on the grass and Eksama's jaw dropped in shock.

Gabrielle gasped once her spouse fell to the ground. "Xena!" she yelled and darted across the field.

Ernak and Csaba bolted as soon as they saw her collapse. Despite their long strides they didn't beat Gabrielle to the scene. They halted and hovered over Xena being smothered by Gabrielle. Ernak knelt down and brushed a few strands of the raven locks away from her face.

Gabrielle put a hand over her mouth at the destruction she caused. Tears welled as she gawked at her wife's horribly bruised cheeks and neck with slashes across her forehead and welted nose.

Without hesitating, Ernak scooped her body into his arms and turned to his little sister. Her expression was anything but malicious. It was the first time since he'd seen her show a hint of remorse.

He sent a meek smile her way and Eksama turned her cheek.

* * *

Arielle lay on the floor with her legs propped on a pile of pillows while she snacked on a bowl of cracked warm walnuts. She read one of the letters from Bishop Salman and laughed aloud, jarring her sister and Mirac nearby.

"He's overjoyed that I've decided to give charity to the Hagia Sophia." She tossed the letter. "Of course he is."

She rolled over onto her stomach and picked at her teeth with her pinky nail and stared at Cera and Mirac and smiled.

"How's the map coming along? I'd like to take a look at it."

Mirac wiped his mouth and looked to his wife. "We can show it to you tomorrow. It'll be finished by next week hopefully."

"You two are so talented. I wish I could draw. I can barely comb the knots out of my hair." She picked up a long curly lock and chuckled. "Luckily I have Ku to deal with that mess. She has the magic touch when it comes to taming my hair."

Kuba interrupted everyone's downtime and bowed at the three. "Khagana, someone is waiting in the foyer for you."

"Who is it?"

* * *

She halted under the large archway and smiled upon seeing Xerxes wandering around in the foyer. She looked down at her attire which was something to be desired. Her hair was a wild mess from the season change and her skin paler than usual due to lack of exposure to the sunlight.

Xerxes waltzed around himself and then saw Arielle standing on the opposite side of the large entrance. A grin formed and he gave a slow wave of his hand.

She darted across the floor and jumped at him. She wrapped her legs around his torso and crossed her ankles behind his back. Xerxes grunted and held her thighs. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed her lips against his.

Xerxes' eyes widened at the surprising kiss and once he could breathe again, he stared into her glittering eyes. It was definitely all or nothing with Arielle. A woman passionate about war was one thing but she took everything to the next level in her life which now he knew that's why she could be impossible to deal with.

"Hello," he said.

She let her feet touch the floor and pressed her body against his, missing his touch and smell. She ran her fingers through his long hair and kept grinning.

"I wrote you a few letters."

She furrowed her eyebrows. "I…never received any letters."

He smiled. "I know."

She titled her head, looking him in the eye.

"My mother burned them," he stated.

"I can't say that I'm surprised. That woman hates me." She placed her hands on his chest. "Did she lambaste you for coming here to see me?" she wondered curiously.

He stifled a laugh. "I didn't bother to tell her before I left." His stomach churned as he kept gazing into her eyes. "Arielle, there is something I need to tell you."

She didn't like those words at all. She heard those same words come from Bayan's mouth right before she was about to reunite with him having spending months apart only to find out he'd been sleeping around with another woman. Instantly, she put distance between her and the Persian.

He noticed her face had gone cold and her body language indicated she didn't want to be touched. He tried to reach out to her and she took a step back and crossed her arms over her breasts. He knew better than to provoke her and feed her growing irritation.

He retracted his hand. "I asked for your parents' permission to…court you."

Arielle dropped her arms to her sides. That wasn't what she was expecting to come out of his mouth. She always feared the worst. It was a horrible habit of hers but she had lived through enough heartache with Bayan which thwarted her view on any man all except Xerxes.

"You…what?"

"I want to court you," he said with a smile. "Your parents allowed me to."

She felt the walls closing in on her and she placed a hand over her beating chest.

"Court me?" she repeated barely above a whisper. "That would…mean you want to marry me."

Xerxes was taken aback by her lack of excitement even though he could barely contain himself from throwing her over his shoulder to take her to a nearby room. He approached and took her hands.

"I…I can't. I can't do that. No…no." She shook her head vigorously, fear engulfing her entirely.

He gave her hands a firm squeeze. "I want to get to know you, Arielle. I will court you for a year, two years, three years even!" he lightly jested. "I told you I would wait for you."

Suddenly she resisted and a scornful look traversed. She tried to pull away and he refused to let go of her hands. He wrapped his arms around her and held her close.

"Let me go!"

Xerxes held her writhing body until she calmed. He felt her rapid heartbeat against his chest.

"Let…go," her voice worn from her abrupt hostility.

She allowed her head to lean against his broad chest and felt a hand grasp her hair. She sniveled and let her arms wilt in his hold, letting go and releasing herself to him.

* * *

Never should I have proposed that idea to Eksama, she thought. I should have consulted Xena first. Would that have made a difference? Surely it would have otherwise she wouldn't be lying in bed, badly beaten yet still undefeated.

It wasn't easy to defeat the infamous commander and very times had Gabrielle seen her bested. Kreka was a formidable adversary when she desired to be. She gave Xena a run for her money. Gabrielle remembered when Kreka broke Xena's nose and made her surrender unto her. Her warrior wife spoke of that even till this day.

Xena was a fierce warrior and had seen several battles and fought numerous people who stepped up to the challenge. There were so few times that she had fallen. Zeno was her ultimate downfall and Gabrielle knew it was shameful to speak of the Roman. He had the audacity to not only beat her senseless but to crucify her like she was a trophy to be showcased to the world.

But Gabrielle was no Roman and she was no enemy that wanted Xena's head on a platter. She was her other half. Her wife, friend and soul mate since the day they met yet neither one knew it at the time.

They had arguments and conflict just like any other married couple would. They also shared many joyful moments together that one couldn't put a price on.

There were also many mistakes made throughout their relationship.

A mistake. This was a grave mistake.

_I made a mistake_. A stupid mistake, she chastised herself.

Gabrielle's face fell into her hands and whimpered.

"Don't cry. I hate it when you do that."

She lifted her head to see her wife awake, unwell, but alive. She wiped the tears from beneath her eyes.

Xena dimly smiled and released a pained breath. Her tongue scraped across her inner lip and recoiled. A swollen upper lip. That's just what she needed.

"Xena…I…I'm so _sorry_ I did this to you."

"Gabrielle, don't –"

"Let me finish," she paused. "Please."

Xena brought her eyebrows together and shifted uncomfortably in the bed.

"You were right. I should have…asked you. I acted impulsively and drove you to fight Eksama. If I had thought of you –of Anastasia –I wouldn't have…I _shouldn't_ have put you or myself in this position."

The warrior nodded her head slowly and reached out to grasp Gabrielle's hand.

"I'll exile Eksama if you want me to. It can be done with a simple swipe of a pen."

Restricted and confined to the bed, Xena grinned and lolled her head on the pillow, meeting the emerald eyes beside her.

"Don't do that," she said, sure of herself. "She's _good_. She beat me to a pulp," she regretfully admitted.

"Exactly and that is why she should –"

"Gabrielle." Her voice stern and eyes fixated on her spouse. "Eksama stays. She won."

"But you…_you_ won. She fell to the ground first," she insisted.

"And I fainted like a wilted flower. She barely had a scratch on her. _Look_ at me," she peered down at the wounds on her forearms. "How do I look?" she said with a sneer.

Gabrielle giggled. "Terrible."

"Make no mistake, Gabrielle, I'm still mad at you."

The hand loosened grip and Gabrielle curled her fingers in her lap. She didn't expect Xena to forgive her so quickly but she thought she knew her well enough to know that Xena didn't hold grudges, at least with her family that is. Holding grudges against enemies was another story. She knew that Xena held her hatred for all Romans and that ended up working in her favor in the end by getting rid of Odoacer who'd been a hindrance for more than twenty years.

Gabrielle remembered that Xena was a woman who kept her promises. In the back of her mind she never doubted Xena when she promised to eradicate all Romans, though she'd never tell Xena that.

A rap on the door caused both women to turn. Eksama stood in the doorway and Gabrielle slowly rose from the chair and glared at the redhead. Xena lifted her head off the pillow and sat up in bed. She winced and fought for breath.

She raised her hand when Gabrielle tried to assist her. Once she was situated against the headboard she motioned to Eksama to come close.

Eksama looked at the harm she inflicted on the warrior. While she sustained minor injuries she wasn't nearly in bad of shape compared to the former commander.

"You're a good fighter," said Xena. "I have reason to believe that you would've killed me if I hadn't stopped you when I did."

"And _I_ have reason to believe that if we had that same fight twenty years ago that I would be the dead one."

Xena let a smile slip. "You look a lot like my granddaughter."

"So I've been told," Eksama lowered her gaze. "She is Anastasia Khatun's daughter, yes?"

Gabrielle approached the tall leggy queen. "What you did to Anastasia will not be forgotten nor do I think that she will forgive you."

Xena exhaled painfully and rubbed her ribs. "There is one question that I want to ask you, Eksama."

The queen grimaced down at the petite governor and curved her attention to the wounded warrior.

"What was given to Anastasia to make her lose her sight?"

"Datura," she answered immediately. "It's a nightshade. If she applies fennel oil drops daily, it should improve her vision," she stated and saw Xena's light up with hope. "It…won't return her eyesight to its normalcy but it will help overtime."

Gabrielle slipped away from the bed and smiled at her wife. "I will see if I can find some of the oil."

"There's an abundance of fennel plants by the Danube River," said Eksama.

"Thanks…" Gabrielle said through gritted teeth and head out of the room.

Eksama awkwardly shifted her weight and felt eyes on her. She gave a curt nod to the warrior and turned to take her leave. She was called back by Xena's firm tone. Too easy, she thought. She spun on her heels and approached the bed once more.

"Your daughter, Austraia," she gave pause and noticed the queen waver. "You hid her well from your husband to the point of disowning her. If Ardaric isn't her father, then who is?"

Her body shuddered as she relived a moment she thought she set aside long ago. It seems her daughter told them everything about her life. Austraia wasn't raised by her and she had no intention of raising her since birth. She did so well to hide her up until King Ardaric's death. It wasn't until her daughter reached the age of eight when she told her the truth and that she threatened to kill her if it was spoken of again.

"I was alone," Eksama began shakily. "My husband was away at war with Theodoric. I'm sure you remember the Goth king."

Xena tried to recollect what was going on in her life sixteen years ago but so much had happened since then. If she recalled correctly, Cera was a toddler and she was given her title back to push the Visigoths out of Khazar Hun territories. That was a couple of years shy from the horrid invasions brought on by Sabir Queen Boareks. Yes, she definitely recalled clearly.

"I remember him," she stared intensely at the redhead. "His men killed Anastasia's father." She weakly smiled at Eksama's enlarged eyes. "May his soul never find peace."

She pushed auburn strands behind her ears. "I was alone," she started again, "my husband allowed his advisor to stay behind with me. One night…I was in my room and he came in. I thought he was checking on me but before I knew it I was," she inhaled sharply, "forced onto the bed with his body on top of mine."

Xena felt sick at the thought of that happening to anyone regardless of who they were. She put herself back in time and while she was fighting off the Goth tribes she probably crossed paths with Gepid King Ardaric and hadn't even known it at the time.

"Then nine months later I had my daughter." Eksama said rather indifferently but Xena could tell by her tone that she was hurting.

And there was the missing piece to that confusing puzzle. Xena always knew there was more to the story of sending Austraia away but she didn't think it was something as awful as that.

"I'm sorry that happened to you, Eksama. But you know…your daughter is _safe_ here. You don't have to live a lie anymore. You don't need to hide her," she said sincerely and shared a smile with the Gepid.

Gabrielle came waltzing back into the bedroom and looked at the teary eyed queen. She arched an eyebrow and peered over at her wife questionably.

"I…have asked a few men to go to the river and retrieve the fennel plants," she told the two women.

Eksama gave a firm head nod and looked down at the governor then retreated, trailing out of the room. Gabrielle ran to the side of the bed and felt the tension circling in the air around her. She gripped her wife's arm gently.

"What did you say to her? She looked like she was crying."

Xena slid down on the pillows, grunting in the excruciatingly painful process. She settled in the bed and took a moment to catch her breath as her ribs contracted with every inhale.

"I didn't say _anything_ to her," she said and hissed at the stabbing pain in her lower back. "Let's just say I understand her a lot better now."

"Did you forgive her for what she did to Ana?"

Xena tapered her eyes and spat, "No and I haven't forgiven _you_ either."

* * *

Marriage was never something she thought was in the cards for her especially after she recently divorced Bayan. Initially she never thought to marry again because of the emotional scars that she carried. She remembered the conversation she had with Bayan in her bedroom when he asked her to marry him.

She agreed so quickly and now that she had a lot of time to think about it, she was almost coerced into marrying him. She was stuck in a depressive state after she disposed of the child she carried for a brief couple of months at the time. Her emotions were erratic and mind unstable yet Bayan was more concerned about taking her away from Pannonia.

And she went along with the plan and left with him without question. She didn't even have time to process what she had done until it was too late. She thought she knew Bayan very well since they met were they were children but she didn't know him at all. Their marriage was rocky from the start and there wasn't a day when they didn't argue with one another.

After she got pregnant with their daughter she thought that would solve all of their problems but it only made everything worse. She repeatedly said she never wanted children but Bayan did. She only agreed because that's what _he_ wanted.

Now that she was alone, far from Bayan for the time being, she realized she succumbed to everything he desired while none of _her_ wishes were fulfilled. Her wants and dreams caused her marriage to fall apart. She didn't think she could go through the disappointment again.

She lingered on her balcony and looked out at the leaves on the trees, changing with the upcoming fall season. She heard footsteps behind her and dared not to turn around.

Xerxes joined her and leaned on the balcony's ledge. He peered at the profile of her face and he knew she chose to ignore his presence though it wasn't out of malice.

"You didn't think I was serious when I said I'd wait for you, did you?"

Arielle felt the need to guard her emotions. "Do you know what it means to have a relationship with a Hun, Xerxes?"

He sensed a loaded answer building within her.

"You're bound to _her_ forever," she said. "It doesn't even matter if you're married or not. The man belongs to her and the woman belongs to him."

She swiveled her head and saw a content look on his face which was mildly irritating considering that he proposed a courtship to her a few days ago.

"My grandmother never married my grandfather but they were bound to each other."

"But Hun women are allowed to divorce their husbands," he stated in more of a question.

She guffawed. "Yes they are."

He nodded and stared out at the city. "Women aren't allowed to divorce their husbands in Persia. I am grateful that I don't have any sisters otherwise they'd be stuck in loveless marriages arranged by my father."

"Yet your father has a garden of women to choose from," she spat a snide remark. "You admitted to me that _you_ also have a harem."

Xerxes chuckled and he received a glare. "I'm not in Persia, Arielle and I highly doubt that I'll be welcomed back as long as my brother reigns as Shah."

He slid his hand on top of hers, causing her to tense.

"Let me get close to you, Arielle," he begged. "I'm not asking you to marry me. I'm asking you to give me permission to get to know you."

"Courtship is practically a marriage proposal," she said sourly.

He faltered and slowly pulled his hand away. "I'm not going to force you to do anything you don't want to do, Arielle. And I'm not going to sneak around behind your family's back to continue to see you. I openly asked your parents' to court you. The least you could do is give me a straight answer."

"It's not a simple yes or no answer!" she withdrew from her calm composed state. "I just need to think. Could you leave me alone for awhile?"

* * *

A week after the match Ernak noticed his sister distancing herself from everyone. She had since moved out of the khatun's suite upstairs and into a room in the back of the Adame. She was truly in seclusion and he never knew how large his home was until he walked through endless halls to stand outside his sister's bedroom.

Luckily the door was ajar and he allowed himself in. Eksama sat on the bed, brushing her long auburn hair and set the brush down as soon as he walked in. She shielded her slightly exposed chest with the silk robe.

Ernak kept staring at her like she was some rare jewel. He always wondered what it would've been like to have a sister. He always thought Anastasia to be an elder sister. She was the closest thing he had to a sister but now that he had a blood sister in front of him he didn't know how to feel.

They didn't know anything about each other and only had their father in common between them. He had a stranger living in his home –a stranger that was willing to wipe out everything in her path to get what she wanted. Spoiled princess, he thought.

"Are you going to hide in here forever?" he asked in a joking manner. "You're not getting off to a good start by secluding yourself."

"I don't want to be more of burden to your family than I already am, Ernak."

He found her cold exterior amusing and chuckled. "They're your family too, Eksama. You should open yourself up to them. Csaba's boys love Austraia."

Eksama stood and circled around him then walked to the vanity. She started braiding her hair and thought to ask him to leave but how could she? This was his home. She surrendered herself unto him willingly. She had no right to give him orders.

"Xena told me what happened to you," he broke the awkward silence.

She held the unfinished pleated hair in her hand and kept her back turned to him.

"If I had known you back then I would have helped you. You've been alone for a long time, Eksama. I just want to let you know that you're not alone anymore. I hope we can become friends one day."

A tear streamed down her cheek and she held her breath. She listened as footsteps gradually drifted further and further away. Her hands dropped into her lap and she let out a heavy lungful of air, finally feeling like she could breathe freely for the first time in a long time.


	36. Chapter 36

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Putting her differences aside, Ku-Ilm has a heart-to-heart with Arielle. Eksama tries to right her wrongs by owning up to her mistakes by attempting to get in Xena and Anastasia's good graces. In one last attempt to save their marriage, Gabrielle writes a heartfelt poem for Xena.

**And one more emotional chapter before we get back to war business ;)**

Chapter 36 –_The Poet_

Unrest and uneasy tension circled in the palace as soon as Xerxes arrived. All attempts to talk with Arielle about the subject were unfruitful. Cera tried to have words with her sister but was immediately left with a cold shoulder. Arielle requested to be alone and since then, a little over a week, she'd confined herself to her room.

While Ku had duties of her own in the palace she took mental notes of all everything that went on in the home. She liked to think that she knew Arielle the best even more so than Cera. Her last conversation with Arielle concerning the Persian did not end well and she was sure this one was going to follow the same course.

Ku entered the empress' quarters with caution. She saw Arielle sitting on the floor staring at the rug. It was the exact same position she was in this morning. Ku sighed and carried a tray of fruit and sherbet with her.

She set the tray down on the table and took a seat opposite of Arielle. She poured the drink into their respected glasses and stared at Arielle's blank eyes.

"I don't like to see you like this, Arielle," she broke the silence. "I overheard Xerxes talking with Kuba. He's going to return to Balaam soon because he's waiting for a message from Persia."

Arielle's eyes flickered up to the maid. She almost forgot that they were at war with Xerxes' brothers as she continued to battle her own demons. This was all just horrible timing, she thought. This wasn't a good time to be selfish.

"Are you going to give him an answer?" Ku asked. "You shouldn't string him along, Arielle. You've kept him waiting long enough."

"I'm not stringing him along," Arielle retorted with a sharp tongue. "I told him I needed time to think it over. Aren't I allowed to decide who I should be with and who not to be with?"

Ku snuffed a laugh. "Since when does _anyone_ stop you from doing anything." she spat.

Arielle's eyes grew twice their size, surprised by her friend's sudden witty comeback. It was so unlike Ku to strike back nastily in the way she did. She was so used to Ku's kind and calming nature that she didn't know how to react to the comment.

"You've always got what you wanted," the Assyrian continued with her spiel. "You were raised in a large home and given everything you desired since birth. You mow people down when they don't agree with you all the time."

Arielle's lip twitched. "That is _not_ true!"

"It is!"

Ku took a moment to compose herself and she sighed, staring into the wild eyes of her friend.

"I'm saying this because I care about you, Arielle," she said, softer this time around. "You can't have your cake and eat it too. You like Xerxes. You told me so and you told him too. But you can't just sleep with him whenever you want and throw him away like he's disposable. It's very obvious he cares about you more than you want him to."

In that moment, Arielle lowered her guard. She felt she was being attacked by all sides. Even her own friend said words that she never expected. She knew how she could be sometimes. Difficult: that was the word her grandmother used all the time. Yes, she was difficult and she knew it but she made no effort to change her behavior.

"I'm…afraid that I will be hurt again," she finally admitted aloud.

Ku grinned and grabbed her friend's hand. "Then you should tell Xerxes that. He is willing to listen to you. You're the one calling the shots here!"

"Would he really be willing to court me for _years_?"

"He's waited this long, over a year now," Ku reminded her. "He also asked permission from your parents and that is admirable."

Arielle crookedly smiled and then her eyes darkened. "This is my grandmother's fault. She's the one who pushed me to build a trust with Xerxes."

She received a slap to her hand and hissed.

"You stop that!" Ku snapped. "This isn't anyone's fault but your own! Stop blaming others for your actions, Arielle. I'm pretty sure your grandmother wasn't standing by the bed cheering you on while you were rolling around in bed with Xerxes like a couple of weasels."

Arielle's mouth gaped. "When did you become so hard, Ku?" she rubbed her stinging hand.

"Just because Xerxes has to put up with your shitty attitude doesn't mean I have to." Ku lifted the glass with a shimmering smile.

"Careful, Ku, I could have you beheaded for speaking to an empress like that," she joked lightly. "Well, I…should go talk to Xerxes." She thought she'd put it off long enough.

* * *

After searching endlessly she finally found Xerxes in the atrium by the fountain in the center of the palace. She fixed her hair and inwardly slapped herself. She probably looked horrible as she hardly eaten the last week and couldn't get a wink of sleep.

She casually sat down on the bench beside him and Xerxes gave her a warm smile. Her hand stretched across his lap and took his hand.

"I've come to a decision," she held her breath and felt sick to her core. "I…I will allow you to court me."

His brown eyes sparkled and he turned to embrace her.

"But I have a few things I need to get off my chest."

He let out a chuckle. "Why does that not surprise me? I'm all ears, Arielle."

Where to begin? She took a big inhalation and stated, "I have issues."

Xerxes stared into her uncertain eyes and then he started to laugh. Undoubtedly, he took a massive blow to the shoulder and he snuffed his laughter.

"I'm serious!" she pleaded. "I'm not the easiest person to get along with and it's been pointed out to me that I put my problems on others. I also don't like to listen," she went down the list, "and I can be very stubborn sometimes and when I don't get my way I throw a fit."

"I already know this," he stated. "Fear not, _empress_, we will work on that," he said assertively with a hint of playfulness. He paddled her thigh and grinned.

Arielle crinkled her eyebrows in response to his laid back attitude. "I just pointed out all my flaws and you're _still_ willing to court me?"

"The first step of fixing your problems is recognizing that you have them," he said, gazing into her perplexed eyes. "I have problems of my own. We all do. We'll discover each other and work on those problems together, yes?"

She smiled. "You must _really_ like me if you're willing to put up with me."

"I do really like you, Arielle and I like your family and your daughter. You're far too hard on yourself but once I break down that wall, you'll see that I care about you and maybe you'll finally let me in." He kissed her flushed cheek.

Her heart palpated rapidly from the gentle kiss and she suddenly felt like she was a teenager again though she never felt this way when she was with Bayan. She desperately wanted to change the subject as she wasn't skilled in expressing her emotions especially to someone who was so patient with her. Patience wasn't in her vocabulary.

"What –what are some of your flaws? Since I've just ousted myself in every way possible," she laughed uneasily.

"Well," Xerxes rubbed his trimmed beard. "I can get very jealous."

* * *

Gabrielle twirled the vial of fennel oil as she strolled down the hallway. Once she was notified that the physician extracted every bit of oil from the root of the fennel plants she immediately went to the infirmary. He told her that the process was excruciatingly difficult and it required over ten plants to acquire the tiny vial of supposed magic.

She pushed the door open with her back and kept her eyes fixated on the vial. She had her doubts that this was going to cure Anastasia's blindness. After all, Eksama said herself that the oil wouldn't cure blindness indefinitely.

"Xena, are you awake?" she called out. "I got the oil. It's not much but the physician said two drops a day would do the trick."

She parted the curtains towards the bed and found her wife in her dark robes and pants. Her arms fell limp. She didn't expect her to be up and walking around so soon after the spar.

"Oh," she choked. "Should you really be up? It's only been ten days. I don't want you to strain yourself."

Xena tightened the laces around her long sleeves and turned her back. "I can't stay in bed forever. I'm healed enough. I was waiting for the oil to be made. I want to go to Balaam to give it to Anastasia."

"_Balaam_?" Gabrielle wavered. "So soon? We just got here."

"And now we're about to leave." Xena spun around and met face to face with her small spouse. "I've already packed our belongings. After we see Ana then we'll return to Scythia."

She brushed by Gabrielle and stalked out of the room. Gabrielle was left alone, miffed and dazed by her wife's icy tone. Apologizing just wasn't going to be enough. Fighting Eksama to prove her worth wasn't enough either. Gabrielle didn't know how else to make her wife see that she was truly sorry for what happened.

* * *

Ernak and Csaba called for a meeting with Eksama and they all gathered in the conference room. Most of the beginning of the meeting was the three staring at one another. Csaba felt a bit awkward knowing that this woman was responsible for harming his mother and now he was inclined to include her in all of the Empire's politics and family affairs.

"Now that you are a Hun Queen you will abide by our rules," said Ernak. "You will confer with everyone including myself, Csaba, Anastasia, Navaz, Xena and Farah. Arielle is now the head overseer of the empire so all demands will go directly to her."

Eksama remembered the young princess and wasn't too keen on taking orders from someone much younger than her. Over the last ten days she had remained in her room and sensed she was being watched at all times given the guards posted outside her suite.

"We have a chain of command here," he added. "Anything that you want will need to be discussed with me, Csaba and Farah. Your request, if approved, will go to Anastasia then to Xena and finally Arielle. Do you understand?"

"_Yes_," she said with a dry mouth. "What of the White King? Does he not get a say?"

Ernak smiled. "Navaz has his own kingdom. He doesn't need to go through our chain of command but he will be informed of any changes in the empire."

Csaba slid a document across the rug towards his aunt and handed her a pen. Eksama peered down at the lengthy document and hesitated to take the pen from his hand. She lifted her eyes then grabbed the quill and read over the document silently.

"My grandmother deemed you worthy of holding the title of commander. All of your men now belong to us. That also includes all of Gepid territory. It's part of the Avar Hun Empire," he told her.

Her mouth parted and she was about to demand that wasn't feasible but she knew she was walking on very thin ice right now. She wasn't too sure if her family was going to accept her or behead her if she spoke against their laws and regulations at this point. She was grateful that her life had been spared.

"Since you killed the majority of our army you are required to pay us back for the lives lost," Csaba said with a malicious grin.

Eksama's brown eyes dilated. "_How_ am I supposed to do that?"

"I'm sure you have a large treasury back in your kingdom, Eksama. You will also give us Prince Elemund's estate. As you know, he is our enemy and yours as well, so he shouldn't have anything to come back to."

"You want to take _all_ my property away from me? Is that what I'm hearing?" she asked.

Csaba nodded. "Correct. You didn't expect to live here among us with no repercussions, did you?" he relished in the way she tried so desperately to hide her boiling anger. "Every step you take in this camp will be reported to Ernak and me. We are going to watch you very closely, Eksama."

She etched her signature at the bottom of the document and set down the pen, staring at the duo rulers.

* * *

Xena rushed through the hallways like she was on a mission and bumped into Eksama once she rounded a corner. She noticed the subtle disturbed eyes from the queen and put her arm against the wall, blocking the path.

"I don't trust you at all," she whispered. "I'm going to Balaam to see my daughter and give her the fennel oil. I only have your _word_ that the oil will improve her sight."

Eksama nervously smiled. "What I said was true, khanum. If it makes you feel any better about my intentions, I did not tell my spy to poison your daughter. She did that on her own accord."

"It doesn't."

The queen nodded and tried to side step Xena and was grabbed firmly by the arm.

"I'd be very careful from now on if I were you, Eksama," she warned. "If you harm Farah or Nisa and I hear about it then nobody is going to stop me from killing you."

She gave one final look to the queen and continued down the hallway towards the foyer. Eksama put a hand over her throbbing chest and peered over her shoulder at the guards following right behind her. Every move she made was to be recorded. She couldn't hide anywhere in this large household and she supposed she had nothing to hide now.

Eksama strolled through the rest of the Adame and stopped by the women's quarters. The place was very lonely and quiet when she lived here by herself. Now that there was an abundance of children around her she didn't know how to approach them. She could only assume that they feared her but she could be wrong.

She stood by the doorway and listened in on the conversations the children had. She smiled at the sight of her daughter talking with Farah and Csaba's twin boys. They were completely enthralled by the story she told them with animated hand gestures and facial expressions. It'd been ten days since she shared the same space with everyone, including her daughter.

Of all people, she was too shy to speak to or even look at Austraia. She could stop an army of thousands if she wished but she could barely utter a sound when around her daughter now. Before in her kingdom she would have brief conversations with Austraia but after all she'd done, she didn't think she could mend their already broken relationship.

Focused on the storytelling she felt a tug on her leg and looked down at Ernak's youngest son, Utighur. Her body tensed immediately at her little nephew.

"My mom wants to have tea with you," he said and pointed to his mother and Farah sitting in the far corner.

Eksama lifted her eyes to the two women and then received a wave from Nisa. Before she could answer her hand was grabbed by the little prince. He escorted her across the room and all of the children turned to gawk at her like she was some kind of spectacle to behold.

Nisa smiled, welcoming the redheaded queen. She motioned for Eksama to have a seat on the floor with them. A few moments passed and the tall queen sat down on the pillow and crossed her legs. Nisa slid a saucer with a silver glass across the round table.

"It is best if you try to assimilate with everyone," said Nisa.

Eksama nodded and grabbed the tea glass. She couldn't help but notice the wicked glare she got from Farah. She expected nothing less. She had so much to learn and so many names to memorize but she didn't expect any of the children to run to her. She was their enemy less than a month ago after all.

* * *

She waited a month for this conversation to occur and when she was finally in a room alone with Gabrielle she fell speechless. She wished she could see the look on the governor's face but perhaps it was a blessing that she couldn't.

It wasn't a wise choice to leave them in a room alone together. Ana knew that much but she requested it. Given the lack of concern from her mother for Gabrielle's safety she gathered they weren't on very good terms either. It looked like Gabrielle walked on thin ice around everyone.

"How dare you?" Anastasia spoke sternly.

It was bad enough that Xena wasn't speaking to her but it was even worse to be reprimanded by her wife's daughter too. She didn't even get that reaction from Xena but somehow it was more hurtful coming from Anastasia.

"I've known you almost my entire life and I very rarely side against you, Gabrielle. I often take your side over my mother's because I trust your instincts and decisions. I always have but I can't fathom why you would give that woman the role of commander and let her be queen!"

Gabrielle flinched and swallowed the lump in her throat.

"She tried to murder me!" Ana raised her voice. "Look what she did to me! _Look_ at me!" she pointed to her pale eyes.

Gabrielle lifted her head and quickly turned her gaze elsewhere. She never felt so small before and now she was subjected the khatun's wrath. Dare she say that Ana was far more menacing than Kreka ever was as ruling queen mother?

In attempt to quell the khatun's wrath she pulled the vial of fennel oil from her pocket. She held it tightly in her palm and finally met Ana's blue pastel eyes.

"Eksama…told me to give you this," she held the vial outward. "It's fennel oil. She said it will improve your sight."

Anastasia scoffed and folded her arms. "What is that? Is she trying to get in my good graces? Is this her idea of an apology?"

"It was your mother who wanted it." Gabrielle closed her fingers around the vial. "What Eksama did to you won't be forgotten. She's been stripped of everything and she's being watched like a hawk, Ana. She's not going to get away with what she's done to you –to everybody."

"Forgive me if I don't accept the _gift_ so graciously," the khatun mocked.

The governor nodded and found her mouth dry. "I'm sorry, Anastasia. I never wanted to hurt you. That wasn't my intention at all. Your mother already gave me a mouthful and she's not speaking to me at the moment."

She stepped forward and grabbed Anastasia's hand and placed the oil in her palm. She closed Ana's fingers around it and their eyes met.

"Sometimes I still remember you as the little twelve year old girl that I met so long ago. You've always been able to overcome everything that's been thrown at you. Whenever you set your mind to do something you do it. You always put yourself last."

Anastasia's eyes softened as her memories rushed back.

"I never once thought that you would be standing here before me as Khatun," Gabrielle weakly grinned. "You're a great queen, Ana and if there's a piece of you that can be put back in its place then you should take that chance." She squeezed Ana's hand tightly. "You shouldn't put yourself last anymore."

* * *

While her wife was being berated and lectured by her daughter, Xena was cornered in the king's bedroom. She didn't like having conversations alone with Navaz or any king. It smelled like trouble and she had enough on her plate already and here he is; adding more to her pile of things to do.

She was offered a chair and for a moment she almost refused but sat down. She propped her legs on the table and stared impatiently at Navaz.

He rolled his shoulders back and prepared for either a horrible or laughable reaction. Ana was right. He was still afraid of her mother even though he never had any issues with her after over twenty years since they met.

"I wanted to ask you something, Xena and don't make a face," he said.

She raised an eyebrow. "Oh now I'm _definitely_ going to make a face –whatever that means. What is it, Navaz?"

"I made a promise to Ellac." He laced his fingers on the table and looked at her polished boots near his face. "And I intend to keep my promise. I didn't think I was going to be able to when I was married to Safiya."

She leaned back in the chair, tapering her eyes. "I don't like where this is going but continue."

He took in a large breath to fill his constricted lungs. "I asked Anastasia to marry me. Again," he stressed, "she said yes but she told me to ask for your permission."

Xena took pause and then snorted. "You _what_?"

"I know it sounds ridiculous but I promised Ellac that I'd take care of her if anything happened to him. I think it's insane that I have to ask you for _permission_. I'm an adult but Anastasia _insisted_. I think she wants to make a fool out of me." He realized he was spewing word vomit which only made Xena's grin increase in size.

"You want to marry my daughter," she repeated. "Again."

Navaz rubbed his thumbs together nervously. "Yes."

"You want her to be your wife? Again."

He let out a short grunt. "_Yes_, Xena."

She pressed her tongue on the roof of her mouth and swung her legs off the table. She leaned forward with her fingers laced and eyed the White Hun King's nervous hand gestures. Amused by his boyish behavior she laughed under her breath and sat back in the chair.

"I know I may be old but if my memory serves me right, I do recall you and Ana argued a lot during your short marriage."

He nodded. "I know but that was a long time ago. She was also pregnant during most of our marriage and god knows she was not the nicest person," he joked and Xena frowned. He rubbed his throat and corrected quickly, "I didn't know her very well then."

"But you know her _so_ _well_ now, huh?" she winked.

Here we go, he thought. She was enjoying making him feel uncomfortable. This is why he didn't want to ask her in the first place. It was like he was a young king in his twenties again being intimidated by her. She was far too entertained by his discomfort.

"Xena I've been trying to get up the courage to ask you this for months now. Do I have your blessing or not?"

Her eyes fluttered and she gave a curt nod. "You're a big boy, Navaz. You don't need my permission to marry my daughter but I appreciate you asking." She patted his hand and got up from her seat.

"At least I won't have to deal with your mother this time," she added with a hint of bitterness. "What did Arielle and Soran have to say about this?"

"Oh…um," he rubbed the nape of his neck, "we didn't tell them anything yet. There's one more thing I need to discuss with you."

Xena groaned and sat back down in the chair.

"Shehzade Xerxes asked permission from me and Ana to court Arielle. We said it was permissible," he said with mild disdain.

She puckered her lips at the news. She wasn't the least bit surprised that the Persian prince was going to do that. She just wondered exactly when he was going to do it. Now she saw that Navaz was disturbed inwardly and that again brought her joy. Though, she chose to hide her crafty thoughts and keep her opinions to herself.

"Well I hope Xerxes will be able to put Arielle in her place. He has a calming nature about him that…_subdues_ her unpredictable and spoiled behavior."

"You're –you're not upset?"

"I liked Xerxes from the beginning. He doesn't fall from the same tree as Peroz." She smiled. "Oh but I do feel for you and Ana. If those two do decide to marry in the future then you'll have to deal with Nousha. Best of luck to you, Navaz."

She gave him a hard slap on the shoulder from across the table. It was meant to be playful but Navaz didn't even consider Nousha in the equation. He knew that Ana and Nousha loathed each other and did their best to avoid conversation living in close quarters. This wasn't looking good for anyone.

"I don't think Xerxes told his mother about the courtship."

She laughed aloud. "I can't wait to see that little woman explode when she hears this. She's like a mountain of fireworks!"

"Since you're Arielle's grandmother maybe _you_ should be the one to tell Nousha," he offered with a smug grin.

"Pass."

"Oh but I insist."

She huffed. "You sound like you're afraid of her, Navaz."

"Aren't you?"

Her shoulders drooped. "Just a little bit."

* * *

Later that evening Gabrielle returned to the suite that she shared with Xena. She avoided her most of the day and when they passed in the hallways they barely spoke a word to one another. Her visit with Anastasia went as she thought it would: horribly.

She didn't know how long they were going to stay in Balaam when Arielle was waiting for them in Scythia. Luckily the palace was only a few days ride from Armenia but she didn't know how much more of this silence she could take. The entire ride to Balaam was incredibly stressful because she couldn't get a word out of Xena no matter how hard she tried.

Now she was going to be stuck in the same room and share the same bed with her. Going to sleep with unresolved conflict was not high on her list of accomplishments. It probably would be better if she slept on the floor so she wouldn't have to wake up to her wife's backside every morning.

The tension in the air was so thick she could cut a knife through it. She went on about her nightly routine and took up writing for pleasure again. She hadn't written freely in so long she forgot how freeing it could be. It was a nice little distraction from her current situation.

Gabrielle threw her cloak on a chair and then slipped off her boots. She walked to the desk near the fireplace and took out her leather journal and organized her little space to begin writing.

Xena sat on the bed folding blouses and pants to be worn for the next few days. She heard the gentle pen taps on the desk and lifted her eyes, focusing on Gabrielle bent over the desk.

"What are you doing?" she asked.

Gabrielle paused at the somewhat jarring question. This would be the first time that Xena sparked conversation since they left Pannonia. She opened her journal and proceeded to go on about her business.

"I'm…going to write a little before bed."

"Hmm." Xena set the folded clothes on the chest in front of the bed. "You don't normally write this late."

A change of subject would be nice. "I gave the oil to Anastasia. I told her to apply two drops twice a day."

Xena climbed into the bed and pulled the thick silk goose feather blanket over her and shifted until she found a comfortable position. Her eyes were set on the candle by the bedside and the bright moonlight shining in through the open windows.

"Good." She leaned over the side of the bed and blew out the candle.

Once the sounds of rustling around in the sheets stopped Gabrielle peered over her shoulder. She saw Xena laying in bed in the darkness. Darkness; that was exactly how she felt right now. She was trapped in a sea of darkness with no light to lead her out of the tunnel.

She sat down and opened the journal then dipped the quill in the ink pad and inhaled heavily. Writing was so much easier than sleeping and she feared she wouldn't get any sleep tonight. Writing was a way to escape that she had forgotten about. She never realized how much she missed writing to clear her thoughts.

* * *

"Are you sure you want to do this?"

"Yes, I want to."

"Are you positive?"

"Navaz, just do it already!"

"As you wish your highness."

He settled on the edge of the bed and held the bottle of oil over her face. He tilted her chin upward and smiled softly. He clearly saw the fear in her eyes and he too shared the same fear but he put on his best face and convinced himself to pour the droplets of oil into her pupils.

He poured two small droplets into one of her eyes and saw her flinch. He grabbed her hand which she tightly squeezed. On to the other eye he distributed the drops.

"It burns!" she said with clenched teeth.

"I'm sorry." He gave her hand a gentle peck. "If I could take the pain away I would."

"Stop your gentleman act, Khushnavaz!" she hissed and gripped his hand firmly.

He chuckled. "Wow. You called me by my full name. You never do that." He winced as he donated his hand. "Your mother said I could marry you. That means you will be my wife and we will have a huge wedding, Pannonian style of course. You will have a dress made by your mother, a beaded kozak, burgundy preferably because I like that color on you."

Ana smiled, trying to ignore the stinging sensation in her eyes. "And what will _you_ be wearing?"

"Perhaps I will wear a black robe with gold lined sleeves. Or perhaps I should match my bride."

She shook her hand. "But you look so good in black."

"How are your eyes now? Less burning?"

She nodded and loosened her grip on his hand. She sat up in bed slowly and blinked a couple of times. The remnants of the oil rolled down her cheeks and she used the backside of her hand to wipe it away. She kept adjusting her eyes by widening them and narrowing them several times over.

Navaz leaned in close and she pushed his face away. "Can you see?"

"It's not a magical elixir, Navaz!" she said with a light laugh. "Besides, I don't really trust Eksama. She could be lying only to get a rise out of me and make fun of me for pouring that infernal oil in my eyes."

"She could be or she could not be." He pushed her down onto the pillows and climbed atop of her. "So, when do you want to have the wedding? A month from now? Two?"

Ana's eyes fluttered. "Um, I…I really haven't thought about it. We are in the middle of war with the Persians you know."

"And?"

His lips traveled along her neck and collar bone. He then slipped the dress strap off her shoulder and kissed her arm. He took another step forward and pulled her dress off her torso and cupped her breast then slipped his other hand beneath her dress, caressing her flat abdomen.

Her body quivered at his gentle touch. For such a large man he had the softest hands and handled her with care. Nobody would know that he could slice an enemy in two by the tender caresses roaming across her body.

"We…just woke up," she felt his hand travel in between her legs and slipped his fingers into her. "Navaz!" she gasped sharply.

He felt the muscles tense inside her against his fingers. "Anastasia." He put a finger to her lips. "Just let it happen," he whispered. "_Relax_."

* * *

In the back of the Adame where the seamstress room was located Gabrielle made frequent visits since her arrival a few days prior. Sleep was not her friend lately and now that Xena continued to ignore her she never wanted the sun to disappear. Days passed, weeks passed and now a month had gone by without having a proper conversation with her wife.

She did what she could. She apologized relentlessly to her but after the fight with Eksama she felt her wife drifting further away from her. Marriage was never easy and even though a paper represented their marriage officially she had been unofficially married to her for decades.

An apology wasn't going to make anything better and she was starting to feel annoyed by her own apologies at this point. She had a plan to hopefully stir Xena's feelings and if this didn't work then she didn't know what else to do. Time was going to be her best friend when it came to mending the hurt in this hurdle.

Gabrielle walked over to the head seamstress and smiled. She watched the elderly woman tediously sewing the beads onto the fabric one by one.

The seamstress looked up from her work and bowed. "Governor, good day to you."

"And to you too, Nigar. How is it coming along? Do you think it will be finished by tonight?"

Nigar sighed and set down the long needle. "I don't normally take requests on such short notice but I think I will be able to get it done tonight before dinner."

"Perfect," Gabrielle eyed the woman's fine craftsmanship.

"The khanum is going to love this," said the seamstress.

"I hope so. Thank you, I will come by before dinner to pick it up."

Gabrielle made her way towards the exit with her stomach in knots. This had to work because she had nothing else left to offer.

"Governor, would you like to commission something for yourself?" asked Nigar.

She halted with her hand on the door handle. "No, I'm alright, thank you though."

She left and strolled down the hallway and encountered Pamira leaving Prince Soran's room with a sheet wrapped around her body. She stopped in the middle of the hall and Pamira had a big smile on her young face and then turned to head in Gabrielle's direction and paused with wide brown eyes.

"Governor," the Persian greeted with flushed cheeks and unkempt hair. "Good morning."

Gabrielle tried to hide her curiosity but she let a grin slip. "I see it's been a _very_ good morning for you, Pamira."

The doors to the prince's room opened and Soran emerged with a sheet wrapped around his taut waist. "Pamira, you forgot your clothes," he said and was stricken with utter embarrassment when he laid eyes on Gabrielle.

"Wow, Soran," the governor admired his trim physique and muscular arms. "You are looking more and more like your father," she complimented. "Enjoy your morning. Excuse me," she slipped in between the couple and sauntered away with a bit of skip in her step.

* * *

Annual dinners were always a great opportunity to catch up with family and exchange events in their personal lives. It was the only time when war wasn't discussed and it was considered a safe space for everyone.

Gathered in a circle on the floor they ate food for more than an hour, talking to one another. All were present except for Gabrielle. That left Xena sitting beside an empty pillow and she ate silently while she listened to the conversations around her.

Navaz peered over at Anastasia and then looked to the lonely khanum. He didn't ever like to pry into her personal life but given that he knew the situation of Eksama's new reign as queen, he knew there was more than a little friction between Xena and Gabrielle. He didn't think he'd ever seen them separated before in his life.

"Xena," he called all attention to her. "Where's Gabrielle?"

She glanced at the eyes fixated on her and spooned rice into her mouth. "I don't know," she replied with a flat tone. "Anastasia, did you apply the oil today?" she diverted the topic.

Anastasia nodded and swirled the spoon on the plate to mix the rice with dried fruit. "I don't know if the oil is going to help at this point. It's been a long time since the…fire."

Xena picked at her food. "We'll wait and see what happens. It doesn't hurt to try."

"Mom, can you honestly tell me that you trust Eksama? What if she gave me that oil to completely blind me?"

"I _don't_ trust her," she spat. "I made it very clear that if she tries to harm anyone in the family again that she'll be six feet under. I think she understood the severity of my threat." She set down the spoon in her unfinished plate. "Nobody is ever going to fully trust her but she will have to work very hard to blend with the family. She desperately wants a family."

Ana cocked her head to the side. "_Really_? Is that why she tried to kill me?" she snidely retorted.

"Deep down, she wants a family. It was made clear that she wasn't loved as a child or as a wife to her Gepid King husband. She doesn't know what love is, Ana."

"Is that supposed to make me feel bad for her? Because that's not going to happen."

Xena clenched her jaw. "She was _raped_, Anastasia," she blurted out and there was a long moment of awkward silence. "Her daughter is a product of that just like Ebnedzar is."

Ana lowered her eyes and sadness crossed her face. A hand came to rest on her stomach and felt a burning deep within her core.

"That doesn't excuse what she did to you but I certainly understand why she's hostile to everyone. She doesn't trust anyone. She feels herself nonredeemable." Xena threw down the napkin on her plate and stood up. "I'm going to my room."

* * *

Worried was understatement. She tried not to worry about Gabrielle but it was hard not to. Avoidance had become her dearest ally as of late but she didn't expect Gabrielle to not show her face for dinner this evening. She tried to put aside her feelings which normally came naturally to her, but this was different.

She entered her bedroom and somehow, she wanted to see Gabrielle writing at the desk again but all of her belongings remained as they were from the night before. She traced her fingers along the leather journal and then pulled away as if the journal was emitting a fire within itself and entering her body through the simple touch.

She shook her head and walked towards the back of the room to grab fresh towels for a bath. A dark object on the bed caught her eye and she frowned. Setting the towels down on the foot of the bed she saw a black and gold headdress set on the bed.

The headdress was adorned with gold beads and the long veil sprawled across the bedspread. Ever since they were kidnapped and taken to Constantinople her kozak was left behind in the woods of Italia never to be seen again. She'd been without a signature kozak for a little over a month now.

She gingerly picked up the elaborate headdress and grazed her fingers along the beads. A smile crossed her lips and then she saw a scroll that was hidden underneath the veil. She placed the kozak on her lap and picked up the scroll.

Inhaling a large breath she unraveled the ribbon and opened the scroll. Her eyes scanned over the lengthy letter and found it wasn't a letter at all. It was a poem. Her lips curled into a smile as she read the prosaic and rhythmic words on the parchment.

Perfect handwriting, as always, she mused.

A wave of relief crossed her mind as she finished reading the poem. She laid the scroll back onto the sheets and then picked up the kozak and waltzed over to the mirror.

She pushed her bangs back and carefully placed the kozak on her head and smoothed the veil over her hair and brushed it behind her shoulders. The longer she stared at her reflection the more the guilt washed over her.

* * *

Gabrielle sat on a bench near the poppy fields with the darkness that never seemed to leave her. She picked at a poppy flower and tore the leaves off one by one to quell her restlessness. As she sat she lost all sense of time. She probably sat there for an hour or two, she didn't know.

Footsteps approached from behind and her body constricted on itself. She kept her eyes forward and then saw a dark figure sit beside her out of the corner of her eye. She licked her dry lips and could hear her heart rapidly ringing her ears.

Xena looked out at the ominous poppy field and tapped the scroll against her palm.

"I read your poem."

Gabrielle remained quiet and continued to tear the leaves off the flower until there was only one left. She looked down at the bare flower in her hand and closed her palm around it.

"I forgot how you have a way with words."

"It…was the only way I knew how to…talk to you," said Gabrielle in a defeated voice.

Xena smiled faintly. "Thank you for the new kozak."

The blonde shrugged a shoulder. "You needed a new one."

"Gabrielle. Look at me," she said softly.

Finally, she turned her head with teary eyes at her moonlit wife's face. A hand cupped her cheek and the flower fell from her hands. Tears were wiped away with a stroke of a thumb and her bottom lip trembled.

"I'm not going anywhere you know," Xena said with certainty. "I don't hate you. I don't think I ever could. We've both been hurt. Believe me; I was hurting just as much as you."

"You…treated me like a _stranger_, Xena. You looked at me like I was an enemy. All that was needed," she stuttered, "was the sword to plunge through me."

Xena crinkled her eyebrows and her hand drifted down to grab her spouse's hand. "I was angry."

"I know and that –that's why I tried to fix what I did by –by stripping Eksama of everything I gave her."

"Perhaps I shouldn't have shut you out like I did," Xena said her thoughts aloud. "But you must understand where I was coming from."

Gabrielle nodded and grasped her hands. "I do! I _do_ understand. I hurt you and I hurt Anastasia indirectly. You know that I'd _never_," she whimpered, "do that intentionally. I love you and Anastasia is like my own daughter." She took a moment to gather her short spurts of breath. "I wish I could go back and redo everything."

"Or we could just turn the page," the khanum offered with a warm smile.

A glimmer of hope glittered in the jade eyes of Gabrielle. She hiccupped her way through a smile and received a kiss to her forehead.

"But there is one more thing I'd like to address."

Gabrielle felt her stomach twist in on itself and she embraced what was to come. She only assumed there was to be another lecture or backlash. She was so close to forgiveness that she could taste it until it turned sour in her mouth.

"Did you really have to make me so angry in order to drive that poetic side out of you?" Xena said with a light tease.

_Relief_. Gabrielle sniffled and wiped her nose. "I'll write poems for you every day if you want."

"Now that's a bit ambitious, don't you think?" She cupped her spouse's cheeks and kissed her on the lips tenderly. "Are you going to stay up late at night writing mysterious poems? The bed is lonely without you." she pressed their foreheads together.

Gabrielle's cheeks radiated. "Are…you sure?"

"Are you _refusing_ me?" she insinuated an insult directed towards her.

"No, no!" Gabrielle smiled from ear to ear. "I just wanted to make sure you're absolutely sure."

"I'm sure."

They both stood, hand in hand. Gabrielle then looked upward to distract her meandering thoughts. "Are you still mad at me?"

With her patience wearing thin she let out a sigh and rolled her eyes. "If you keep asking questions I will be."

* * *

He lay on his stomach watching her chest rise and fall as she slept soundly. He gently pulled the sheet off her nude body and exposed her breasts. The whiff of the cold air caused her to stir and she shifted in bed then slapped an arm on the pillow above her head.

Mischievously his fingers slid along the sheet. He walked his fingers on her bare tattooed skin and her muscles tensed. She finally awoke and looked down at the prince's devious brown eyes. She rubbed her eyes groggily and sat up. The sheet fell off her torso and his eyes immediately went to her breasts.

"Like what you see?" she ran her fingers through his hair.

Xerxes raised an eyebrow. "If I get to wake up to this every morning then I'll be a very happy man."

She lightly clouted his forehead with her palm and crawled out of bed. Lazily she ruffled her wild hair and let out an audible yawn. Xerxes turned over on his side and admired her toned lean thighs and the curves that landed in all the right places.

Arielle spun around and placed her hands on her hips. "I think I'm in the mood to spar. I will go ask Cera if she wants another rematch. She got me good. Never have I ever been defeated by my little sister in a spar."

"I'd spar with you," he raised his eyebrows and grabbed her arm to pull her close.

"I think we did enough of that last night. Next time you can be in charge, how's that?" she tried to get a rise out of him but it was nearly impossible to irritate the man. He was completely untouchable when it came to her comments and attitude.

She stepped away and reached for a silk robe. Standing in front of the mirror she combed her hair and tugged at the knots and made grunting and hissing noises that only made the Persian snicker.

"You're lucky my brother doesn't know about this courtship."

He groaned and rolled onto his back. "I already know Soran doesn't like me."

"I was talking about my _older_ brother, Csaba," she said casually. "He beat the tar out of Bayan when I came back home nearly six years ago."

Points for him, Xerxes thought. He didn't think he was going to have an issue with Csaba especially since Arielle's father gave him the go ahead to court his daughter. He also needed permission from her brother too? He figured he and Csaba were close in age and they were almost the same size physically. He should have no problem defending himself if it came to that.

"Is he going to take a swing at me too?" he asked.

Arielle shrugged a shoulder. "He's very protective of me."

"I would be too if I had a little sister especially one that looks like _you_."

She saw the smirk on his face through the mirror's reflection and shook her head. "Just prepare yourself. He doesn't like _any_ man looking at me. He's worse than my father, I swear."

"I shall be ready then," he said confidently.

She tightened the sash about her waist and walked to the doors. "I'm going to see my sister. You should probably get dressed. I think Kuba is too afraid to come into my bedroom after what happened yesterday."

* * *

Cera circled around herself for the last hour, thinking of what she was to say and what to do. She found out the news from the physician early this morning while Mirac was out of the room. She planned this consultation cleverly and made sure Mirac wasn't going to be near her.

He was in charge of teaching Aurora calligraphy and that gave her some time to herself but he was due to come back soon. Thankfully, Aurora was a talker and she probably went off on tangents during her lesson which kept him distracted and kept him longer than needed.

This gave her enough time to think of what to say. She stopped pacing at the sound of the knob turning. She smoothed her black gown out and fixed her hair. She was as ready as she could ever be. Her eyes focused on the door slowly opening and dug her nails into her palms to quell her anxiousness.

When the door opened she had a big smile on her lips until she saw her sister. Oh, it's just _Arielle_. She inwardly groaned and wiped the smile off her face.

"Cera! Baby sister!" Arielle hurried inside. "I was thinking we could spar outside today. My schedule is clear for today. I want to get you back for what you did to me last month."

The princess sighed and wagged her head.

"No?" Arielle pouted. "Aweh, come on Cera! I'm in a good mood and that rarely happens around here," she joked. "It'll be fun! Then we can pig-out on _manakeesh _and I'll even tell the chef to get those pickled figs you like so much. Those are so disgusting. I don't know how you like that revolting stuff. Anyway, what do you say? Please?"

Cera was glad that her sister was in a great mood since Xerxes came here but she unfortunately had to decline on all the fun events that Arielle had in store for them today.

"_I can't spar with you_," she signed.

"Oh, I get it. You're _scared_ that I'm going to beat you," Arielle wagged her finger. "I gotta admit you got me pretty good last time, Cera. I'm willing to take another beating from you."

Cera huffed. "_I can't. It's not safe for me to spar_."

Arielle frowned. "What does that mean? I'm not going to drive you into the ground. I'll be careful." She lightly punched her sister's arm.

The redhead groaned and slapped a palm to her forehead. _Do I really have to spell it out for her_?

"What? Did I say something wrong?"

Cera slapped her sister's arm and told her, _"I'm pregnant_!" she clapped her palms together to stress her frustration.

Arielle widened her eyes and then her entire face lit up. "Really?!" she took her sister's hands. "This is magnificent news! See, I told you that you'd be blessed with another baby! Wow, this is great! Oh, sorry I hit you." She rubbed her sister's arm apologetically.

Cera rolled her eyes.

"You can stay here with me! I'll be with you every step of the way this time! You won't be able to get rid of me. I'll be more annoying than mother. Oh, _mother_," she pulled her hands away and tapped her cheek. "We need to write her right away. She's going to be so happy to hear this, Cera. This news will surely cheer her up especially after the whole Eksama ordeal."

She clapped her palms together and looked at her sister's distress. "We need to write Csaba and Farah too. We'll have the senlik here in my palace and we'll invite Mirac's family. I know Yana will be thrilled too! She adores you. Did you tell Mirac yet?"

Cera was a bit taken aback by her sister's abrasive questions and there were so many thrown at her that she didn't know how to respond except to stare in silence. She definitely didn't have the same excitement as her sister and instead was riddled with fear.

Her face distorted and she sobbed unexpectedly which caused all smiles to disappear from Arielle's face.

"_Oh_…don't do that, Cera." She wrapped an arm around Cera and led her to the bed. "Don't cry. I don't like to see you upset. I know it's only been four months since _it_…happened but don't let that torment you. You're going to have a baby and you should be over the moon!"

Cera buried her face in her hands and whimpered uncontrollably.

"It'll be different this time. I'll take excellent care of you. I have some of the _best_ physicians here. They'll check on you every day."

The princess lifted her head out of her hands and sniveled. Arielle smiled warmly and wiped away the tears.

"Don't stress yourself. It's not good for your baby. Take it from me," she put a hand over her chest. "I was super depressed when I was pregnant. Nothing good came of it. We'll be here for you."

Cera nodded and finally cracked a smile.

Kuba stood in the doorway and cleared his throat loudly to interrupt their conversation. Cera hid her puffy eyes and Arielle grunted, annoyed by his presence.

"A letter from your parents, khagana."

"Oh _great_." Arielle hopped up from the bed and snatched the letter from his hand. She read and grinned. "Grandma and Gabrielle are in Balaam."

Cera whipped her head around and her pale face illuminated with joy.

Arielle gasped loudly. "My parents are to be _married_?!" she blurted out. "That is…mildly _disgusting_." She shuddered. "Great! Now they're going to team up against me. I _swear_ they do these sorts of things just to fuck with me."

"That is superb news, khagana. Are you not happy for your parents?" asked Kuba.

"I mean…I suppose." She flung the letter at her blonde advisor. "I guess I can't call them hypocrites for having sex anymore."

Kuba's cheeks turned bright red at her comment.

"Let the people of Scythia know that the Empress' little sister and Hun Princess, is going to have a baby," Arielle ordered. "We will all celebrate!"

"Yes, khagana," he bowed and sent a smile to the princess.

Cera crashed onto the bed and released a heavy sigh. She felt the bed jostle and looked over at her elder sister's glowing face and gigantic eyes right beside her.

"_You're going to announce my pregnancy to the entire empire_?"

"Of course!" she cheered. "Oh wait, you should probably tell Mirac first. Kuba!" she soared off the bed and ran to catch him halfway down the hall.

* * *

"Lean your head back some more."

Ana whined much like a child. "But it stings."

Xena creased her eyebrows. "Do it."

She persisted to obey her mother and reared her head on the pillow and waited for the inevitable. A week of this torture was beginning to irritate her. She didn't know if she could keep doing this every day, twice a day, for the next couple of months.

Once the oil was dispersed in both eyes she squeezed her mother's hand and wheezed. Her fingers kept clutching the sheets as the pain increased and she was too afraid to open her eyes but she quickly figured out that only made the pain worsen.

Xena chuckled at her daughter's extreme labored breaths. "Anastasia, you sound like you're giving birth."

"Well, it burns!"

She dabbed the oil rolling down her daughter's cheeks with a damp cloth. "I know you haven't been taking this for a long time but have you noticed a change?"

Ana waved her shaky hand in the air. "A little."

"Really? How much of a change? Are you able to see faces better? Can you see how many fingers I'm holding up?"

"Mom," she laughed. "Don't start with the questions. It's too early for that."

"I'm sorry. I just want to see if the oil works."

Ana nodded and opened her eyes, hissing at the lingering sting. "Thank god that's over. You're in a good mood. Did you…patch things up with Gabrielle?"

"Something like that," Xena sneakily smiled. "So, what color fabric do you want for your wedding dress? Navaz was very insistent on burgundy but it's your choice."

"You're actually willing to sew my dress? I know that annoys you."

"I don't ever get to pamper you since you don't need me anymore."

Anastasia sat up and wiped her eyes. "Mother, I'll always need you!" she took her hand. "Regarding the dress, just do whatever Navaz says. If I look _that_ good in burgundy then who am I to argue?"

"Wow, you two actually agreeing on something," Xena chided. "What a wonder."

Gabrielle barged into the room like a rabid racehorse and jumped onto the bed. Jarring both of the women she waved a letter in the air. Xena frowned and looked to her overly excited wife. At least it wasn't bad news given Gabrielle's giddiness.

"Arielle sent a letter!"

"Well what does it say?" asked Xena.

"She said Cera is pregnant!"

Anastasia grinned and gripped onto her mother's arms. "My little girl is pregnant. A baby!" she cheered. "I hope Cera is doing alright. I should go see her to see how she's doing. She might be upset. You know she is very sensitive. I should go see her, right? Right?"

Xena gently rubbed her daughter's arm. "I'm sure she'd love a visit from you but maybe you shouldn't bring up the past."

"Okay," Ana nodded, "okay. I'll be very calm. Calm and collected." She said more to convince herself than anyone else in the room. "Will you two come with me?"

Gabrielle looked to her wife and shrugged her shoulder with a shy grin.


	37. Chapter 37

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Arielle enjoys her new hobby of bugging her pregnant little sister. While Xena helps her granddaughter keep the empire in order, Xerxes goes on a mission to Persia. Eksama and Csaba camp out, waiting to attack the Persians, and Eksama reveals information she's been hoarding for a while. Xena convinces Gabrielle to go on a dangerous hunt for illegal substances.

**I will be adding locations in the next few chapters. We're about to dive into heavy war territory lol.**

Chapter 37

_Four Months Later_

Immediately upon returning to Scythia everything crashed down all at once. Fortunately, half of the family was living under one roof, or at least for the most part. Navaz chose to remain in Balaam while Anastasia moved to Scythia to be with Cera.

Xena admitted that she enjoyed seeing a mellower Arielle for the first time ever but she was a little put off by Arielle's obsession over dethroning the young Shah. As much as she loved strategy talk she was tired of going to meetings every single morning and watching Arielle mark the map and circle possible areas to invade if the Persians were to counterattack.

Relaxed in a chair, Xena listened to her granddaughter spout off in a fit of raging excitement. Crushing the Persians was a priority but with Shah Jamasp sitting on this throne until he waited for the right moment to attack was ridiculously boring.

"Do you think we could stop for today?" she asked.

Arielle stabbed a dagger on the map. "Am I cramming too much information into your head, grandma?"

She waved her hand dismissively, "I get burnt out. We've been having meetings every day for the last two months, Arielle. Shah Jamasp isn't going to make a move anytime soon but I applaud you for being prepared."

"I was thinking we could train my army together. I want to be ready. I know you've been absent from the field and I'd really like your help since you're the _best_."

Xena raised her eyebrow at the compliment. "I don't know if I should be scared of your new attitude or in love with it."

"I'm in a good mood! Although that will fade once Bayan shows up tomorrow," she grunted.

"I'm surprised you gave him the Pontic region to rule over," Xena noticed the disturbance all over Arielle's face. "He's only here for Aurora's birthday. Can you behave yourself?"

Arielle sighed. "I'll behave. He's here for Aurora only. No fighting."

"Good. Let's keep it that way." Xena stood and eyed the pins all over the map. "How are you doing with Xerxes?"

Arielle shied away with blushed cheeks. "He's so nice to me. Maybe a little too nice," she said suspiciously. "I'm worried about him going to Persia with Tegin Irkin. I hope his brothers don't find him."

"He's a smart man. I think he'll be fine." Xena hooked arms with her. "I like this side of you, Arielle. It's very…refreshing."

"I'm trying my best but I have my moments."

"Don't we all," Xena muttered.

"What was that?"

"Nothing."

Arielle peered over at her grandmother with an inquiring lopsided grin. "Are my parents actually going to get married again? It obviously didn't work the first time!"

Xena let out a heavy sigh. "It's what your mother wants, Arielle. Can't you be happy for them? I haven't seen your mother this happy in a long, _long_ time."

"I am happy for them! I'm just…it's just a little strange."

"It'll be just like it was before. They've always worked together. The divorce never affected their relationship. I _suppose_ bringing you into the world served a purpose after all."

Arielle gasped. "Wow! Thanks a lot! You can be really mean sometimes, you know that?"

* * *

Gabrielle slid her hand gracefully along the staff which Anastasia held. She positioned the staff on Ana's shoulders and balanced it with a tap of her finger. Coming close to her trainee she leaned her body against Ana's and placed a hand on top of hers.

A hand came around Ana's waist and pressed against her flat abdomen. Ana inhaled and held her breath as her eyes danced around beneath the blindfold. With one knee bent to support almost the entirety of her weight and the other straight and stretched outward, she was in the correct stance.

"Breathe, Anastasia," the governor instructed.

She felt her trainee's stomach deflate against her palm and smiled. She skipped around to the front of Anastasia and looked at the still stance she was positioned in.

"Good, you're doing great so far, Ana. Now, slowly twirl the staff around with your hands. Let your body guide you."

Anastasia smirked and slowly twirled the staff about slowly and took a step forward. She abruptly halted and sensed Gabrielle near her and took a step to the side to evade her teacher. Twirling the staff above her head she spun around herself and swung the weapon in a semi circle and stopped it an inch away from Gabrielle's cheek.

Gabrielle's eyes widened at the closeness of the staff that was so close to whacking her cheek. She put a hand over her throbbing chest and nervously smiled.

"That was impressive. You've learned a lot in the last couple of months."

Ana ripped the cloth off her eyes and lowered the staff. "I can see better now, Gabrielle. Maybe not as well as I had hoped but I can still see everyone up close!"

"The point of these exercises is for you to get in touch with your other senses."

The khatun nodded and wiped the sweat off her brow. She peered over at Cera sitting on a blanket underneath a canopy and waved her hand. Cera smiled and waved back with her arm high in the air. The only thing she could see was an outline of her daughter's arm but it was more than she could see a few months ago.

"I doubt Navaz and my mother will let me back into the field," she said in disappointment. "But I guess it's nice to be prepared."

Gabrielle understood her pain and longing to be normal again. This was probably as normal as Ana could be and she had to make sure that Ana was prepared to deal with it for the rest of her life.

"It's time to focus on you, Anastasia. You've ignored your wants and desires for a long time. You said that your loss of sight has never bothered you but I know it does. You've never learned how to deal with it and now you are. Take what life gives you and run with it."

"Thanks for the motivational speech, Gabrielle," she mocked, "but I've already heard this from my mother ten times over this last month."

Gabrielle raised her palms in defense. "I tried."

* * *

Cera tapped her fingers on her knees and waited patiently for her mother and Gabrielle to finish the training lesson. She'd been sitting outside for over an hour and while she enjoyed watching the two she was restless.

A pair of hands came over her eyes and she grabbed the wrists of Mirac. She smiled when he came to sit beside her and kiss her hand. Mirac reclined on the spread of pillows and toyed with his wife's long hair.

"How are you feeling?" he asked.

Cera gave a big grin in response and he nodded whilst keeping his eye on her. A young maid walked by and set down a tray of pastries filled with savory cheese and strawberries. Cera sighed and looked at the pile of pastries stacked up. She picked up the tray and tried to hand it back to the maid.

"Khagana Arielle told me to take this to you, princess," the maid kindly refused the tray. She gave a short curtsy and then hurried away.

Mirac sat up and snagged one of the pastries. He couldn't help but laugh at his wife's scowling face. "What's up with you?"

Cera gestured to the tray. "_My sister is trying to make me fat_!" she slapped her palm against her knee.

He finished off the pastry and licked the berry juice off his fingers and smiled at her frustration. He tried to offer her a pastry and she turned her nose up at it. More for me, he thought.

"It wouldn't hurt you to gain some more weight." He pinched her bony elbow.

Cera snapped her head around and tapered her eyes. She was already being watched constantly by not only every single woman in this palace but also physicians came to see her once in the morning and once in the evening. She understood why everyone was so cautious around her but not having an ounce of privacy in her room was frustrating at times.

"For the baby of course," Mirac quickly added.

As he finished his second pastry he grabbed another then he saw Arielle and Xena making their way over. He threw the pastry down and nudged Cera's arm.

"Incoming," he whispered.

Cera turned and gasped at her sister coming this way. She tried to get up and cursed her slow mobility. It was too late anyway so she sat back down and huffed in frustration. There was no escaping now.

"Baby sister!" Arielle greeted cheerfully. "How are you doing today? Did you enjoy the pastries I had sent over?" she eyed the tray. "It looks like you didn't even eat any! You should eat the pastries, Cera. You're still so thin."

Cera looked down at the swell of her belly and then gazed up at her sister with a raised eyebrow. She thought she was anything but thin right now.

Xena rolled her eyes. "Arielle, leave the poor girl alone. You've been pestering her nonstop."

"I just want to make sure that she is fit to deliver a healthy baby." Arielle knelt down and cupped her sister's cheeks. "Grandma said she will sew your dress for you. I have a room full of fabric you can choose from!"

Xena's eyes bugged out. "I said no such thing!" she protested. "Arielle, I already have your mother's dress to work on. I don't need another thing added to my plate."

"But grandma, this is important. It's for Cera! Aren't you finished with mother's dress already? You've been working on that for months."

Mirac raised his hand in the middle of the brewing argument. "My sisters are coming in a couple of weeks. I'm sure Yana wouldn't mind making the dress."

Relief crossed Xena's eyes and she silently thanked him for intervening. "See, Yana can sew the dress. Problem solved."

* * *

Gabrielle twirled the staff and switched hands off and on. She thrust the staff forward and quietly hissed as she imagined an enemy standing in front of her. She jumped into a stance with bent knees and held out the staff with both hands.

Whilst she made whooshing and grunting noises as she kept swinging the staff in vertical and horizontal directions. She spun around with a jump and paused at her wife sitting up in bed with incredibly messy hair. She hid the staff behind her back poorly and showed her pearly whites.

"Xena, good morning," she said sheepishly.

"Morning." Xena scratched her head and pointed to the staff. "What're you doing?"

"Just practicing for my next session with Ana." she leaned the staff against the bed post. "She's improved a lot. You should give a lesson sometime. I'm sure she'd love that."

Gabrielle hopped onto the bed with an eager face. Her fingers trickled across the sheets and gave a mischievous look to her wife who seemed less than enthused.

Xena pulled her fingers through her hair and glanced down at the silver strands in between her fingers. She yelped at the hand on her thigh and grabbed her wife's wandering hand.

"As much…as I'd like to train Ana, you're doing a great job by yourself." she rolled out of bed.

Gabrielle plopped onto the bed and groaned. So close. She was so close!

"You got Csaba and Farah's gift for Aurora, right?" Xena stood in front of the mirror, combing her hair.

"Aurora's going to love her gift."

Xena smiled at her wife's reflection. "I know Csaba really wanted to be here. I got his letter about moving the army towards Persia. I haven't told Arielle yet. I think I'll wait until the Bayan storm blows over."

Gabrielle rolled over onto her back and grabbed her wife's black and gold headdress. She spun it around on her finger and then was poked on her forehead.

"Ow!" she looked up at Xena looming over her. "How goes the meetings with Arielle anyway? You've been stressed. I can see it all over your face."

Xena huffed and playfully nudged Gabrielle's head. "I can't believe I'm going to say this but she's actually driving me nuts. She's so focused on the Persians invading. I wish she had this drive a few years ago."

"I guess Xerxes is good for her," Gabrielle shrugged a shoulder. "So strange that she is courting a Persian and yet also fighting against his family. Ironic, huh?"

"Get dressed, governor." she threw a towel on Gabrielle's face. "We have a party to attend."

* * *

Gathered in the large formal sitting room, Aurora was far too eager to sit and wait for all the formalities of parties. As soon as the gifts were passed onto her she began opening each one of them. She held a box in her hand and looked up at her mother. She held the box to her ear.

"Can I open it?" she asked, barely able to contain her excitement.

Arielle sighed and nodded. "Go ahead. You've already opened every other gift. I hope you like it."

Anastasia smoothed her hand over her granddaughter's head then walked over to her sulking daughter. She wedged herself in between her mother and Arielle and discreetly nudged Arielle's arm to grab her attention.

"Where's Bayan? I thought he was coming," she whispered.

Arielle leaned into her mother. "He's coming. Kuba told me he just arrived."

Xena overheard their little conversation and joined in uninvited. "No fighting," she pressed. "That goes for you too, Ana. I know you don't like him."

"Neither do _you_, mother!"

Aurora stared at her gift with puzzlement. She picked up the items in the box which was a single feather, pieces of leather and a chisel.

"Mom, what is this stuff?" the princess asked.

Arielle smiled and knelt down to grasp her daughter's hands. "You'll need these for when you make your first bow. Xerxes promised to teach you how to make a bow. Remember?"

"Wow! When's he coming back from Persia? Do _you_ know how to make one? How long does it take?" the girl paused and gasped loudly then threw the items back into the box. "Daddy!"

She leapt from the floor and immediately ran to Bayan. She jumped up and he grabbed her by her small waist and embraced her tightly. She hung her arms around his neck and he held her close. Bayan looked at all of the women in the room. It was clear that he was very unwelcome here from all the glares he received.

"I missed you!" she squealed.

"Happy birthday, princess," he kissed Aurora's head and let her down on the floor. "I got this for you."

Aurora took the box from his hands and ripped the top off. She pulled out a necklace and thanked her father by giving him a kiss on the cheek.

"Thanks!" she grabbed his hand. "Come sit with me! Teyze Cera is gonna play the _kamancheh_."

Bayan passed by all the women standing in a single row and he eyed Arielle who refused to look his way. When Aurora sat down on the floor he was met with another glare from Cera. He chose to give a warm smile to the princess.

"Cera, I see you're having a baby," he said casually. "Congratulations."

She arched an eyebrow and grabbed the instrument then leaned the neck against her shoulder. She glided the bow across the strings and began playing only to ignore his presence and focus on Aurora.

* * *

_Babylonia, Persia_

Sneaking around Persia wasn't the easiest of tasks to accomplish. Tegin Irkin and Xerxes were left alone as they walked around the streets of lower Persia. Even though Estakhr was where Shah Jamasp and the remaining Sassan family lived, they still proceeded with extreme caution.

If anyone heard them or saw them they knew they'd be imprisoned immediately. Xerxes and Tegin came to the Babylonia region and to keep their identities hidden they disguised themselves in dark cloaks and scarves to shield their faces.

Most of the journey throughout his homeland consisted of lurking in the shadows. They'd barely gotten anything accomplished. Xerxes waited outside a tavern that was located in the outskirts of Babylon until Tegin scoped out the interior of the tavern.

A light tap on his shoulder was the signal to enter. He walked in and took the hood off. The place was filled with men of all ages drinking alcohol and smoking opium in the corners of the large room. If the Shah found out about this they'd all be imprisoned or possibly executed.

Xerxes weaved through the tables of drunken men and Tegin pulled him back.

"There he is." He pointed to a middle aged man dressed in fine leather clothing, and a long cape. He donned a short haircut and trimmed beard to accentuate his angular features and long tapered nose.

Xerxes marched forward and stopped in front of the man he was looking for. The group huddled around the assailant looked up at him with their glazed eyes.

"Siyawush," he announced. "May I sit?"

Siyawush instantly recognized the young prince and set down the wooden cup. The men who accompanied him were quick to draw weapons. He waved his hand and told his men to disperse. Xerxes sat down on the stool while Tegin stood at a fair distance to keep watch.

"Shehzade, it's been awhile," he said with a charming smile. "Word is that you're banned from Persia. You're very brave to show your face here."

Xerxes saw right through his act. "Does my aunt know you come here?"

"My relationship with Esther is none of your business, Shehzade."

"She is your _wife_ and I don't think my _father_ would like to hear that you come to drink wine and dance with whores while his _sister_ is at home," Xerxes reminded him.

Siyawush leaned back in the chair and rubbed his beard. "Why have you come here?"

"My father's been imprisoned and I need your help to get him out of Anosbord. My aunt has a lot of connections through you. You are an officer after all."

Siyawush chuckled. "Breaking your father out of Anosbord won't be easy. What are your plans after that? Your brother is a tyrant. He's executed most of the council already. He's got all of the Houses on his side except for the Karens. I hear they're a bit bitter after Sukhra was murdered."

"Pamira is married to a Hun prince now. The Karens are on our side. They will help you."

"Oh, you're allies with the Huns, Shehzade?" he snickered. "I'm not surprised. Your father made an alliance with them. Listen, Shehzade I'd love to see your father back on the throne but your brother is gathering an army to fight the Byzantines."

Xerxes nodded, already privy to the plan since he had close ties with Arielle and her family. He knew it wasn't going to be easy to convince his aunt's husband to break his father out of a heavily guarded prison.

"I can arrange for the White Huns to help get my father out of Anosbord. They've made a temporary deal with the Byzantine Emperor to overthrow my brother. Tell me what you need and I'll see it done."

Siyawush pursed his mouth and looked at his nephew. He leaned forward and rested his elbows on the table and eyed Tegin Irkin from afar. He gave the pasha a quick smile and looked into the prince's determined eyes.

"Alright, Shehzade, I'll help but this is going to be difficult."

* * *

The party continued for the next few hours. Bayan sat with his daughter and enjoyed listening to her stories about her new life as an Avar Princess in Scythia. It was the first time in many months since he'd seen her and while he was being watched like a hawk by all the women he tried to enjoy this time with his daughter.

Being the only male in the room aside from Mirac, he felt a little awkward as he knew he wouldn't be engaging in conversation with any of the women here. Mirac knew of him and it was clear that he didn't want to talk either and instead stuck close by to Cera.

Listening to his daughter talk about Shehzade Xerxes was irritating to say the least. He didn't really care for the Persian but knew that any opinion about another father-like figure around his daughter would be shunned and unheard.

Bayan excused himself from his daughter and walked over to Arielle who stood talking to her mother. He cleared his throat and Anastasia turned to him with a wicked glare.

"Can I talk to you?" he asked Arielle.

She gripped her mother's arm. "You can go, mother. We'll finish our conversation later."

Anastasia left the two alone and waltzed over to her mother and Gabrielle who were both seated by Cera. She kept her eye on Bayan until she took a seat by her youngest daughter. Now she really wished her sight hadn't improved so she wouldn't have to see Bayan's face.

"Thank you for inviting me to Aurora's birthday," he said kindly and Arielle gave a slow head nod. "I was surprised when I received your letter. Ernak told me that he put in a good word for me to have a share of the empire but I didn't think you'd give me the entire Pontic Steppe."

Arielle lowered her gaze to the almond sherbet she held in her hand. Talking to Bayan now was almost like talking to a stranger. She realized that she married a complete stranger and now they'd been divorced for over a year but their marriage ended long before that and she didn't know it until recently. His affair with Sarnai was just the icing on the cake.

"You're a good soldier, Bayan. You always have been," she admitted. "We will be working together from now on. I trust you already moved some of your tribe to the region."

He nodded. "I did but I left most of them in Harran and some families are relocating to Pannonia."

Arielle shied away and peered at their daughter who was enjoying her new gifts and talking to Ku-Ilm. She wore a crooked grin and then realization hit her. Now that Bayan was going to be living close by there was no escape from seeing his face from time to time.

"How is your son?" she asked.

He blinked and was surprised that she even bothered to ask. "He's doing well. He's with Sarnai in the palace." There was a long pause between them. "Arielle, I wanted to ask if it's alright if Aurora could come visit me in the Pontic Steppe since it's close to Scythia."

"Her home is here now. She belongs with me," she said protectively.

Bayan let out a short note laugh. "She's still my daughter, Arielle. Hate me all you want but you have no right to keep me from her. I divorced _you_, not our daughter."

"I know that!" she barked and drew attention to them. "Just give me some time to think it over, alright?"

"I'll take that as a yes." He nudged her chin with a knuckle. "I'd love for Aurora to meet her brother and don't worry I didn't tell her."

She thought of what Gabrielle said to her about including Aurora in Bayan's life with Sarnai and their son. She was Aurora's mother and she had final say as of now but surprisingly, her daughter wasn't too upset about the divorce and she seemed to like Sarnai. She came to realize that she shouldn't hold anything against the Mongol woman but it was hard not to since she had a child with a married man. But now she wasn't married at all and there wasn't anything she could do to fix the damage that had been done.

She put some space between them. "Don't touch me again."

* * *

Anastasia stood on a stool for her weekly fitting. She held her arms out while her mother kept pulling and tugging on the fabric. She was grateful that she hadn't been accosted by a needle yet but if she didn't stand still then her mother just might stick her on purpose.

Gabrielle sat on the floor, writing correspondence letters to Navaz to keep him informed of the situation in Persia and Csaba marching towards Persian borders with Eksama. She heard mother and daughter bickering and the morning had just begun. Fortunately, she never tired hearing their banter.

"I gave Csaba's letter to Arielle first thing this morning," Gabrielle said.

Xena mumbled with a pair of needles in her mouth. She took one of the pins and pinched the fabric around her daughter's waist. She pinned the fabric and took a step back to look at her work and rubbed her chin.

"Something's not right," she deduced.

"Mom, it looks fine. You've never spent this long sewing a dress. Why are you taking your time?" Ana looked down at the bell sleeves and held her breath as she was afraid to make any sudden moves in the pinned gown.

"Don't tell your daughter this but I'm avoiding her," Xena whispered. "Plus, I've never made a wedding dress for you and you've been married twice!"

Gabrielle gathered up her work and neatly stacked it into an organized pile –a pile of mess, she thought. Her eyes glanced upward at Anastasia and smiled.

"You do look very beautiful, Ana. Navaz made a good choice with the fabric. He really knows what looks good on you."

The khatun blushed. "Thanks, Gabrielle." she swung her arms around only to be smacked by her mother. "I miss Csaba. I'd love to have all of my children with me."

"Is that why you keep postponing the wedding?"

"I…I would just really love it if Csaba were here. It's not like Navaz is going anywhere! He doesn't mind waiting. He's waited for six years so he can wait another month or…two."

Xena arched her eyebrow. "Anastasia, you can't keep putting this off. I'll be finished with your dress soon. Navaz is a very patient man but he's not that patient."

"I guess you have a point." She tried to show a smile. "I just miss my son."

Arielle bolted into the fitting room with a sense of urgency. She blew the hair away from her eyes and smiled at her mother standing in the wedding dress that her grandmother had been slaving over for months now.

"Wow mother, you look great!" she ran to her mother and circled around, admiring the gown. "Dad's going to love that dress on you. I mean…well he loves you in anything or nothing at all. Um…" she looked at the disturbed faces around her. "You all know what I mean."

Xena nodded. "What do you need, Arielle?"

"Okay, well I got the letter that Csaba wrote. Obviously because Gabrielle sent it to my room. But I also got a letter from father too!" she pulled out the scroll. "Xerxes said he got his aunt to help his father break out of Anosbord. Father said that we should house Shah Kavad in Balaam and then we'll go ahead with the war to push Jamasp out."

Gabrielle shared a look of concern with her wife. "Um, wouldn't it just be easier to put Kavad back on the throne without a war?"

"No! We _need_ to have this war with Jamasp!" she crumpled the letter in her hand. "We will weaken the Persian army with Justinian's men, Csaba's and mine. Jamasp won't stand a chance!"

"You really want to go to war," confirmed Gabrielle.

"I just want order restored in the Persian Empire. Once Kavad is back on the throne then I will negotiate with him and convince him to give me a share of his empire. I have to go tell Kuba to prepare the army. I guess I'll need to tell Bayan too," she grumbled. "Grandma, you'll help right?"

She trailed out of the room with a determined grin and ran down the hallway.

Anastasia stood speechless and plopped down onto a chair. She wrapped an arm over her unsettled stomach and suddenly felt the air trapped in her body, unable to breathe. Taking in short spurts of air she hiccuped and heaved several times over.

Xena knelt down and grabbed hold of her daughter's hand. "Anastasia, breathe. Relax." She rubbed her arm gently to soothe her. "You're scaring me."

"I will go get the physician," said Gabrielle.

* * *

_The Caucasus_

In between the two seas that separated the Huns and Persians, Csaba set up camp with Eksama. While everyone waited in their tents to rest for the upcoming evening, Csaba sent out men to scout the area to make sure Persians weren't spying on them. He was very familiar with Sassanian ways of spying on Hun camps.

He walked over to his aunt who sat by a fire outside her tent. He sat down opposite her and warmed his hands. The last four months living with Eksama wasn't as horrible as he expected it to be. She wasn't a very warm person but she was easy to talk to when she necessary.

"I've sent a letter to my sister. She knows we're close by," he said.

Eksama eyed him and rubbed her palms together. "Have you heard from your mother?"

"Yes, she's marrying Navaz," he looked at her puzzled doe eyes. "And her sight improved like you promised." He knew that's the answer she was looking for. "My baby sister is also pregnant again. I'd like to be there when she has the baby. I haven't seen her in a long time."

"Is this…the sister that looks like me?" she asked shyly with reddened cheeks.

Csaba smirked and sent a nod her way.

"I'd like to meet her someday," she said.

That took him by surprise. "A…alright," his voice wavered. "Maybe I could surprise her. You could come with me."

Eksama smiled.

A soldier galloped into camp with his scouts. "Your highness, the Caucasus Mountains stretch across this area. There is no way the Persians could've marched through the mountains."

Csaba sighed and looked at the snowy mountain peaks. "The Persians know this area very well. They must have ways of getting through the mountains."

"I could search the outer rims of the mountains," Eksama offered. "I'm good at sneaking around," she joked.

He chuckled. "No doubt there. Okay, Eksama I'll give you three days to scout. Come back with something good."

* * *

Outside of the bedroom Xena anxiously chewed on the cuticles that were withering away on her fingers. She peered through the crack in the door at her daughter being tended to by several maids and the physician hovering over her like a baby bird. She felt a hand on her arm and jumped.

She turned to her wife. "Gabrielle," she put on a smile.

"How is she?"

Xena wagged her hand and brushed her wet fingernails on her blouse. "She's better now. I think she's spreading herself way too thin. I'm very worried about her."

"Me too." She wrapped an arm around Xena. "Did she tell you what caused a panic reaction like that?"

Xena shook her head. "I don't really want to ask."

"Xena, this is too much for her," she said quietly so the maids couldn't eavesdrop. "I know that she's the queen mother of the empire but she could barely breathe a half hour ago. Maybe we should let Arielle take over all of Ana's duties for awhile. You're also the khanum. You can take over too."

"Yeah, you're right," Xena folded her arms and shared a distanced stare with her daughter. She put on a smile and Anastasia motioned for her to come into the bedroom.

Anastasia sat up in bed and nervously toyed with her hair. She dismissed the servants that insisted on watching over her. Overcome with embarrassment she tried to shield her face from her mother who sat on the edge of the bed beside her.

"Sorry. I don't know what happened," she admitted coyly. "I didn't mean to scare both of you."

Gabrielle wrapped her arm around the bed post. "Well, you already did. What were you thinking about that caused you to panic like that?"

Ana twisted her hair around her wrist and shrugged a shoulder. "I don't know. When Arielle said she wanted to go to war with the Persians…" she trailed off. "I don't want Arielle to do that. I don't want her to go to war with anyone!"

Xena sighed and knew that was probably the reason why her daughter reacted the way that she did. She too, didn't want Arielle to go into the field but it wasn't her choice anymore. She couldn't keep Arielle from doing anything anymore just like she couldn't prevent Anastasia from going to war with Persia many times in the past.

"Anastasia, _tatli_ _kiz_, you can't stop Arielle from doing what she wants. I know how she can be and lately she's been a bit obsessive –"

"A _bit_?" Gabrielle interjected.

"Okay, a lot. She's been very obsessive about the upcoming war with the Persians but she has a huge army! And Justinian's men are with Csaba."

"I don't want any of my children to go to war!" Ana lashed out. "At least I won't have Cera anywhere near the field. I don't want her involved in war in the future either."

Gabrielle bit her bottom lip and eyed her wife. She climbed onto the bed and sat beside the very distraught khatun and took her hand.

"Cera _is_ involved, Ana," she regretfully told her. "She's been helping with the planning with Arielle and drew out several maps of Persia with Xerxes' help."

"Why wasn't I told this?" Anastasia grimaced at her mother. "Is there anything else that I don't know? What is the point of being khatun if I'm kept out everything my daughter does? I deserve to know!"

Xena gripped her angry daughter's hand firmly. "She didn't want to bother you. I think you should focus on yourself for awhile like Gabrielle said. Have your wedding with Navaz that you've been putting off. Spend time with Cera and let Arielle do her job as empress."

"I'm just supposed to sit here and do nothing but be a wife and mother?"

"Right!" Xena smiled. "Now you're getting it."

Gabrielle leaned her head on the khatun's shoulder. "We'll be with Arielle the entire time. We won't let anything happen to her."

* * *

Arielle sat beside her sister with an eager smile. Curiosity overcame her and she reached over casually and nudged her sister's belly, trying to rouse her niece or nephew.

Cera frowned and slapped her sister's hand.

Arielle's eyebrow raised and her hand roved across her sister's belly. "Is the baby sleeping or what?" she asked.

Cera groaned, clearly not amused but she couldn't help but smile at her sister's over enthusiastic attitude. She'd never seen her sister so happy before and honestly, it was a little bit frightening.

Arielle drummed her fingers on the baby which only irritated her little sister even further. She leaned over close to her sister's stomach. "Hello?" she said loudly. "_Neredesin_?"

Cera pursed her mouth. "_You're obviously scaring the baby_."

"Shut up, Cera." She felt small flutters and grinned. "See, I didn't _scare_ the baby," she spat. "Did we wake you up, _your_ _highness_?" She teased, talking to the baby. "Wow. You're clearly having a great time in there."

The princess nudged her sister's arm and their eyes met. "_Why don't you go bother someone else?"_

"But I'm spending time with my niece or nephew!" Arielle's eyes lit up. "Look at this!"

"_I can see_…" Cera pointed to her eye. "_Stop poking me_."

They argued back and forth much like they used to when they were children. Everyone around them snickered at the sisters' banter.

Defiantly, Arielle responded, "make me."

While giggling she kept getting pinched by her little sister. She shielded her face from the slaps to her shoulders and arms. Coiling in on herself she peeked through her fingers and saw her grandmother standing in the large archway at the other end of the room.

"Okay, okay, I surrender," she finally let up and kissed Cera's hand. "Gotta go receive a lecture from grandma. I can see it in her eyes," she whispered and Cera let out a muffled snicker. "I'll be coming by your room later tonight with the midwife. Don't even think of trying to avoid me, Cera!"

She ran to the other side of the room and her grandmother pulled her aside in a quiet space. She kept waving at her sister and then turned to the menacing stare in front of her. Suddenly, she felt a wave of uneasiness settle in the pit of her stomach.

"Arielle, I need to speak to you about your mother," she said softly.

"Mother? Is she alright?"

Xena's eyebrow twitched. "She's fine. She's in her room but she had a little…breakdown earlier."

"A _breakdown_? Was she crying? Did she faint again? Grandma, tell me!"

"Shut up, girl! I'm _trying_ to tell you!" Xena slapped the empress' arm. "She doesn't want you to go to war. She's worried that something will happen to you but _Gabrielle_ made a promise," she cursed her wife inwardly, "that we're going to watch over you on the battlefield."

Arielle crossed her arms. "You mean _babysit_ me. Grandma, I am an empress now. I don't need you and Gabrielle to watch over me like a little girl."

"I don't want to, _believe_ _me_." Xena shook her head and raised her brows. "But I'm only doing this for your mother and her sanity."

"Well, I don't want mother to have another breakdown I guess," Arielle was forced into submission. "But just to be clear, you're not babysitting me. You're just working _with_ me on the field. Got it?"

Xena leaned down close to her granddaughter's face. Much to her chagrin, she gave into Arielle's wishes.

"Whatever you say, _khagana_."

* * *

_The Caucasus_

Csaba gave her three days but she only needed two. Eksama rode back into camp with the Byzantine soldiers that came with her to scout. She regrouped with Csaba inside his tent and his quiet time writing a letter. was put on hold. She stood in the center of the tent and Csaba briefly eyed her, unaware of how long she'd been waiting for his undivided attention.

"Eksama." he set the parchment aside. "You're back early. Did you find anything useful?"

"Am I interrupting something? Should I come back later?"

"No, I was just writing a letter to my sister but maybe I should hold off on that if you've got news for me," he hinted, eager to hear her report.

She nervously grinned. "Could you send the guards out?" she asked politely but firmly.

Csaba didn't like the sound of that. He rarely spoke in private with other officials even if they were family. He did as requested and sent the Hun soldiers out of the tent. Once the space was cleared he stood and walked around to lean his backside against the desk.

"You've got my full attention, Eksama."

She took in a large inhale. "I don't trust the Byzantines," she said plainly. "I did find a Persian camp located in the east, wedged in between the mountains. I suspect that the Persians know that we are here."

He figured as much and nodded. "What does that have to do with your distrust of the Byzantines? I know we are enemies and Elemund is allies with Justinian but you don't have a very good track record yourself."

Though she'd been living amongst her family for months now, she was under constant surveillance like the true criminal she was. She knew that she was here because Csaba wanted to keep his watchful eye on her. She also knew that nobody in her new found family trusted her completely and that put her at a disadvantage. Somehow, she needed to earn their trust and loyalty but from where she stood, that just wasn't feasible.

"What is going to happen with the Byzantines after this war?" she asked.

"We'll go back to being enemies just like we were before. We've made temporary alliances in the past with the Visigoths and Romans. This is no different."

She pressed her fingertips together and puckered her lips. "Csaba, I know you don't trust me and you have very good reasons not to but I really don't think working with the Byzantines is a good idea. I've never fought against the Persians before but you have. We don't need Justinian's fucking men to fight this war."

"If you don't give me a good reason to not trust the Byzantines then there is nothing I can do," Csaba said and folded his arms, glaring at his aunt. "Do you have something to say?"

"I…sent someone to spy on Elemund." She hated to say that and knew she was already breaking her good streak with Csaba.

He groaned. "And you didn't say anything. How were you able to do that with the guards following you in Pannonia?"

"As I said, I'm good at sneaking around," she winked. "The point is; my spy said that Elemund is going around to other tribes in the north and forming a huge army to rival us –you."

Csaba gave a lopsided smile. "_Us_, Eksama. You are one of us. Why didn't you tell me this earlier?"

"I wanted to make sure."

He wagged his finger then sat down at his desk and pulled the parchment across the tabletop to begin writing his letter again. Eksama continued to stand in the tent amidst the awkward silence between them. She was expecting him to give her a stern lecture and she deserved it. She snuck around behind everybody's back and concocted a clandestine plan to spy on the man whom she once called her son.

"What are you doing?" she asked curiously.

"Writing Arielle. I'm telling her that you sent a spy."

She worriedly went over the various scenarios in her head. Was she going to be kicked out of the clan? Imprisoned? Beaten?

"Do you know the names of these tribes?" he lifted his eyes with a warm smile.

* * *

Gabrielle sat on the bed and massaged her wife's shoulders. She tried to be gentle as she was accused of having very rough sailor hands but it was difficult to be gentle when her wife's shoulders were beyond tight. She dug her fingers into one of the knots and Xena grunted.

"Gabrielle!" she hissed and reached over her head.

Gabrielle ducked down to evade the hand coming straight for her head. "I'm sorry! I don't know why you bothered to ask me to do this when all you do is complain that I'm hurting you. You're such a baby."

Xena gasped. "I am not and I never asked you! You volunteered."

"I won't make that same mistake again," she muttered. "You should really see a professional. Maybe you could curse them out instead of me."

"Alright, you've made your point. I will keep my mouth shut from now on," Xena said and winced at the aching pain in her shoulder.

As she kept massaging through the knots her eyes darted to the large doors and noticed the heavy latch was pulled over the handles. She rolled her thumbs along her wife's skin and hummed quietly.

"Xena, why is our door bolted shut?"

Distorting her face in obvious discomfort, Xena eyed the doors and smiled. "I don't want any interruptions."

"I see." Gabrielle dragged her thumb across the knot and heard a pop. "Oh…"

Xena's eyes widened and her shoulders tensed. "_What_ was that sound?" she asked and looked over her shoulder.

"Nothing…" she spun her wife's head around to face forward. "Are you relaxed yet?" she nervously kept massaging but gentler this time.

"Not really."

Had enough of the torture she released Gabrielle from her duties and spun around on the bed. She grabbed the blonde's hand and smiled.

"Thank you." she pulled the robe over her bare shoulders and tightened the sash around her waist. "There is one thing I don't like about living in Scythia."

"Aside from Arielle pestering you about war? Never thought I'd hear you tire from discussions of war," Gabrielle chortled.

Xena walked to her vanity and picked up a bottle of sherbet. "You have a point. I surprise _myself_." She held up the bottle. "Wine is illegal here. Who came up with that stupid law and why hasn't Arielle changed it?"

"There's probably a black market in the city that sells it." Gabrielle casually said and picked at the loose fabric at the hem of her silk robe. She raised her chin and saw a wild look about her wife's blue eyes.

"Xena…" she began warily, "I don't like that face."

"Gabrielle, you are a genius. What would I do without you?"

"Oh god." She slapped her forehead. "Forget I said anything!"

Xena stripped herself of her robe and Gabrielle's eyes widened at the pair of bare legs only a few feet from her. Her cheeks were warm to the touch as she watched Xena slip on a pair of black pants, leaving her topless. She put a hand to her chest and exhaled slowly.

"Just what do you think you're…you're doing?" she asked in a shaky voice that she tried to conceal.

Xena threw a black blouse over her head and tied the laces around her cleavage. Then, she threw a pair of pants at her wife's miffed face and laughed lightly.

"We're going into the city."

Gabrielle ripped the pants off her head. "Excuse me? It's the middle of the night!"

"All the more reason to scope the city to find wine." Xena grinned mischievously and quickly laced her boots. "Or you could stay here all by yourself. This was _your_ idea. Your call…"

"Nice, Xena, _real_ nice," the blonde mocked. "You're doing this all for a bottle of wine?"

"I am in desperate need of a distraction." Xena stood from the chair and smiled grandly. "Are you coming or what?"

* * *

To slink around in the middle of the night during the quietest time in the city wasn't Gabrielle's idea of fun. She liked to have adventures every now and then but it was always a bit worrisome whenever her wife got on one of her kicks to venture out. Gabrielle was just settling into the night until she just had to open her mouth.

They stalked the dark streets and wandered around quite a bit until they found a large lit tavern. There were a lot of people inside and music playing from within the tavern as well. Dressed in dark cloaks with hoods they approached the tavern.

They were accosted by a tall man blocking the doorway. Xena smirked and grabbed him by the throat and slammed him against the wall outside then kneed him in the groin. She grabbed Gabrielle's hand and hurried inside.

Xena flipped the hood off and wandered around the crowded tavern. The place was mostly filled with men. Some had their fill of wine for the evening. Yes, she thought, there is definitely wine here. But where?

Gabrielle stuck close to her wife and crinkled her face in disgust as women were sitting on men's laps, entertaining them with more than just their lips and sweet wine language.

"This place is filled with whores and drunkards," Xena whispered.

"Can we leave now?"

"Not yet, Gabrielle." she rounded the corner and smiled. "We'll stay for awhile, get some wine and then go back to the palace."

Gabrielle groaned. "I'm regretting ever coming with you."

"Oh, stop."

They sat down across from a group of men who looked like they didn't belong. Three of the men were blonde from head to toe and the fourth had red wiry long hair. Xena rested her elbows on her knees and studied the men from afar. The redhead eyed her and smirked then went back to conversing with his group.

She flashed a smile and waved her hand to let him know that she was close by. She was ignored and then a young man brought her and Gabrielle two cups of wine to the table. She pulled out a couple of coins and set them on the table.

Gabrielle took a sip of the wine and released a satisfied sigh. "Okay, I did miss wine too but did we really have to do this?"

"Coming with me wasn't such a bad idea, was it?"

While they enjoyed the wine, Xena looked around the room and smiled briefly at a few men who passed by their table. She heard Arielle's name from the blondes sitting across from her and suddenly her ears zeroed in on the conversation.

"Who wants to request a meeting with the empress?" one of the blondes asked. "I hear she speaks with everyone."

"She gives charity to the church which is surprising for a pagan," the redhead cackled. "Huns will soon take over every stretch of land especially if the Avar Empire is lead by a Hun."

Xena tapered her eyes as she eavesdropped on the men's table talk. In the front of tavern there suddenly were loud bursts of screams from women. She and Gabrielle stood up and left the secluded area and everyone in the tavern scattered.

Avar soldiers stormed in with weapons and threw out the men. They smashed all of the bottles on the ground and threw cups at the walls. The scantily dressed women ran to the back of the tavern and hid behind the bar to escape the brutish Avars.

Gabrielle slipped away with her wife and attempted to leave without going unnoticed. Two soldiers accosted them and forced them against the wall.

"Get your hands off of me!" Xena growled and she tried to resist.

Her body was pressed against the wall with an elbow pressing into her back.

* * *

After the raid was over the soldiers waited in the square with several of the men tied by their wrists with bags over their heads. Xena and Gabrielle were knelt down side by side. Xena itched for the sword strapped to her hip and squirmed, twisting her sore wrists.

A moment later all of the cloths were ripped off everyone's heads and Gabrielle blinked at the torch lights and then saw the royal guard standing in a row.

Arielle rolled her eyes. "What the fuck."

She pushed a soldier forward and they instantly untied Xena's wrists and Gabrielle's shortly after. Xena stood up to gather herself and then shoved the Avar soldier aside and walked up to her granddaughter with disheveled hair and wild eyes.

"You arrested my grandmother?" she turned to the undercover raiders.

"Arielle, we need to talk," Xena said with urgency.

"Yes, we _certainly_ do." Arielle crossed her arms. "What are you doing at a whore house in the middle of the night? I was dragged out of bed for _this_."

"That isn't important. There are men that were talking about you. I don't think they're from Scythia."

Arielle groaned. "We're going back to the palace."

Kuba raised his hand. "Um, khagana, what do you want to do with the others?" he gestured to the tied up drunken men.

She turned around and sighed. "Just release them. I don't have time to deal with this right now."

Gabrielle clapped her hands and jabbed her wife's ribs. "This was a very eventful night. You got your wine. We got arrested and then we're rescued by your granddaughter. Oh, I can't wait to hear what Anastasia has to say about this in the morning!"


	38. Chapter 38

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Anastasia gets cold feet right before the wedding and relies on her mother and Gabrielle to convince her she's making the right decision. Arielle plans a surprise for her mother. Meanwhile, slander spreads about her throughout the city. An assassination attempt is made on Arielle, and Xena reverts to her old ways of thinking to track down the perpetrators. Nousha receives a mouthful from an unwarranted member of the clan.

**Yay for ** _ **more** _ ** historical babies….**

**It's a lot, I know. I swear I don't add in babies for my own enjoyment, guys lol. Also, Cera is my original character but her child is an important historical person in the clan. The historical records didn't mention the mother's name. Anyway, thank y'all for reading and enjoy!**

Chapter 38 –_Unholy Matriarchy_

"I can't believe you went out in the middle of the night to steal some illegal wine."

Xena pricked her finger with the needle and glared at Gabrielle who seemed to be enjoying teasing her for the last few days. She tried to keep busy and focus on the last touches on her daughter's dress but ignoring that smug face plastered on her wife was more than difficult.

"Can you leave or go do something _useful_?"

Gabrielle cocked her head. "I can take a hint. I have Anastasia's face burned into my head! It was great! She was speechless!"

"You're giving me a headache."

"You're giving yourself a headache," said Gabrielle. She laughed softly and got off the floor. "Alright, I'll leave you alone. Navaz is coming today with Soran and Pamira. If Ana doesn't come up with another excuse then we can _possibly_ have a wedding."

Xena nodded and continued sewing. "I really need to finish this."

"Don't work yourself too hard now," she jested. "I don't want to have to bandage your bloody fingers later." she kissed her wife's forehead.

Xena peered over at Gabrielle leaving and shook her head then went back to sewing. She pricked her finger for the third time and cursed under her breath. She stuck her finger in her mouth to soothe the throbbing wounds. She stared at the damned gown that caused her nothing but pain since she started it. As much as she liked working on this dress for her daughter she was suddenly envious of Kreka's master seamstress skills.

She couldn't keep putting this off. She examined the hemmed sleeves and picked a fresh needle that _didn't_ have any blood on it and ripped some thread with her teeth and threaded the needle's eye. Settling the gown in her lap she heard soft rapid footsteps.

Aurora collapsed onto the pillows with a big grin. "Is that grandma khatun's dress?"

"Yes it is." she spread the dress out on the floor. "What do you think?"

"It's really pretty!" Aurora ran her fingers along the fabric. "Ku-Ilm's making me wear a dress to the wedding," she whined. "I don't want to."

"I bet it'll look nice on you," she cupped the girl's cheek. "Your mother doesn't like wearing dresses either and neither do I but sometimes we have to."

Aurora scoffed. "I don't _have_ to. I can do whatever I want."

Xena raised her eyebrows and focused on the fabric and was careful not to injure herself further. "Really? _Whatever_ you want, huh? Your mother lets you do whatever you want?"

"She's not around a lot anyway!" the princess said, batting her eyes. "Can you keep a secret?" she whispered.

Xena let out a sigh then leaned over. "Depends. Is this _secret_ going to get you in trouble?"

The impish eyes of the little princess soon faded and her pupils dilated. She contemplated of what might happen to her if she was to spill her guts out. She recoiled and jumped to her feet, suddenly very fervent on leaving.

"I gotta go. Ku's waiting for me. I have to study."

Xena nodded. "I thought so."

* * *

Making her way to the sitting room where she knew she'd find Arielle, she saw Navaz in the foyer with Soran and Pamira. She thought to go give her greetings and then halted at another guest who entered the palace with a slew of women trailing behind.

"Oh no," she muttered.

She marched over to the group and kept eyeing the extra guests. She smiled at Soran and Pamira who were talking to Kuba. Finally, Navaz noticed her standing off to the side and excused himself from the circle. He looked a lot more relaxed than everyone else in the palace. It took awhile for Anastasia to finally agree to stop postponing the ceremony but when she was to see who was in the palace, Gabrielle was sure this was going to cause uproar.

"Hello Gabrielle," he greeted warmly. "I was just talking with Kuba. He said Anastasia wasn't feeling well a few days ago. Is she alright now?"

"Um," she rubbed her throat, "yes, she's fine now. She's feeling much better."

"Good, I'm glad to hear that. Where's Arielle? I want to talk to her." he eagerly looked around the foyer, hoping to see her appear at any moment.

"Navaz," she gripped his arm. "What is Nousha doing here?" she whispered.

He avoided the topic. "Could you go get Arielle?"

"Navaz!"

"I don't want to talk about it," he groaned and turned to look at the petite Persian. "She's been making my life a living hell in Balaam. Wherever she goes, I go. Those are the rules."

Gabrielle took in a deep breath. "She and Anastasia hate each other. She's going to explode when she sees Nousha."

"Then she's going to have to get over it," he said affirmatively. "Nousha still doesn't know about Xerxes and Arielle so I'd appreciate it if nobody brings it up while she's staying here."

"What am I supposed to do? Lock her in a room? She's going to find out!"

"She _won't_. I'm going to find Arielle since you're not going to." He briefly smiled and quickly stormed out of the foyer.

Soran walked over to the governor holding Pamira's hand. Both had smiles on their faces and Gabrielle composed herself and tried to appear approachable and not worry about Xerxes' mother. She looked Nousha's way and a lump in her throat emerged. Nousha acknowledged her and sent a sneer her way and continued talking with the women.

"Gabrielle! This palace is massive! You must show us around," said Soran.

"Oh…yes. I'll give you a tour."

Pamira nodded excitedly. "Where's Cera? I'd love to see her. Is she still playing the _kamancheh_ I gave her?"

Gabrielle nervously scratched the back of her neck. "She plays it almost every day. Aurora loves it. So, about the tour?" she slowly lured them to follow her down the hall.

* * *

With her legs propped up on a couch, Arielle picked at a bowl of grapes and spat out the seeds on the floor. Wedding or not, she still had her duties and while she spent most of her mornings alone, she definitely wasn't truly alone. She was reading through a stack of letters she received from her subjects and came across a few from Bishop Salman and many other clergymen across Scythia.

She spat out another seed and groaned then tossed the letter onto the finished pile. She grabbed another letter and smiled when she saw the Hun wax seal. Ripping open the letter her smile grew at her brother's name signed at the bottom of the page.

While she read, she noticed someone enter her quiet bedroom. Her eyes peered over the top of the paper and gasped.

"Father, you're here!"

She jumped off the couch and crashed into his large frame, embracing him tightly. She pulled away and he cupped her cheeks.

He kissed her forehead. "Are you busy?" he eyed the large stack of documents.

"Oh yeah," she grunted. "Always. Every day. How was your trip over here? I wasn't expecting you until this evening. Mother is in the baths right now. You know how long it takes for her to wash her hair," she rolled her eyes.

Navaz nodded. "I've always liked your mother's hair. Listen, Arielle, there's something I need to tell you."

He led her to the sofa and they sat down together. She sensed the worry in his tone which only meant something horrible happened or was about to happen. Of all times for something to go wrong, she thought.

"I brought some guests with me."

She relaxed a bit hearing that. "Guests from Balaam? Did you bring some Sabirs with you? I don't mind."

"No." he set his hand on her knee. "I brought Nousha with me."

She burst into a fit of laughter. "Father, that's not funny. Tell me that's a joke."

He furrowed his eyebrows. "It's not a joke, Arielle. She's here. I had to bring her. I told her I don't want any problems."

"Dad!" she sprung up from the couch. "How could you? This is your marriage ceremony with mother! Nousha…she –she –she's just going to ruin it! She is not a nice person, father. She hates me. I can't believe she's in my home! I sleep here! I eat here! My god, what is mother going to do? Oh I know what she's going to do. She's going to implode."

"Arielle." He grabbed her hand and forced her to sit. "She's not going to cause trouble and if she does then I'll deal with her. She doesn't know you're courting Xerxes. Do not say a word."

She sank in the pillows and huffed.

"I can't believe this."

He pulled out a folded cloth and handed it to her. "Nousha made this for you."

She snatched the cloth and unraveled the fabric and laid it across her thighs. She was a bit surprised that Nousha made anything for her even if it was just a fancy handkerchief. Her fingers glided across the embroidery and smirked.

"She spelled my name wrong," she flung the handkerchief aside. "It's Arielle, not Ariel."

He knew that the misspelling of her name would annoy her and perhaps Nousha knew as well. "Where's Aurora? I have a late birthday gift for her."

"You didn't get her another horse, did you?" she eyed him suspiciously.

"No!" he denied immediately. "I also have a gift for Cera."

Arielle arched a brow. "No gift for _me_?" she teased with sparkling eyes.

* * *

"Nousha's here?"

Gabrielle gave her wife a knowing look and slowly nodded her head.

"Navaz is a dead man." Xena flung the dress across a chair. "Anastasia is going to throw a fit. Her emotions are all over the place right now. If she even lays eyes on Nousha I don't know what will happen."

"Xena, what are we going to do?"

"I don't know. Let's not mention it to her until the day of the ceremony. Once she's officially married to Navaz then her mood won't be ruined. How's that sound?"

Gabrielle rested her hands on her hips. "That's the best you've got?"

"Got any better ideas? Because if you do I'd love to hear them." She waited patiently and was left without a response from the opposing party. "Right. So, we're going with _my_ plan. Until then, we should probably avoid Nousha."

"You aren't still scared of her, are you?"

Xena stood and stretched her stiff arms. "Of course I am. She's a dormant volcano."

"How are we going to keep them out of the same room?"

"This palace is huge. We'll just have to be very clever about it. Don't sweat it, Gabrielle. Hey, if Nousha lunges at me then I know you'd protect me. You're just the right size to fight her off."

Gabrielle gasped audibly. "Short jokes. Really, Xena?"

"I'm only _half_ joking." She pat her wife on the back then walked towards the exit and bumped into Arielle. "Hello there…" she eyed the parchment in Arielle's hand. "What's that?"

Arielle frowned. "A letter from Csaba."

"War talk? Not today, Arielle. I'm off duty." She tried to bypass her granddaughter and was yanked back. "What do you think you're doing?"

"Eksama sent a spy to watch Elemund. He's been a very busy boy," Arielle waved the letter in the air and Gabrielle came running forward to retrieve and read. "He's going to northern tribes and gathering allies. I'm sure Justinian knows about this since they're best pals now."

"I don't recognize any of these tribe names," Gabrielle said. "Antes? Lombard? Who are these people? Xena, have you heard of these people? How _far_ north did Elemund go?"

Xena felt a headache coming on.

"I don't know those tribes. They might be friends with the Franks or Vandals," she said dismissively.

"Aren't the Vandals still in Africa?" Gabrielle asked and scanned through the letter again.

"Who the hell cares?" Xena groaned. "Move, girl."

Arielle folded her arms and blocked the entryway. "Those men who were talking about me in that den of filth you went to a few days ago; did they look like Franks to you?"

"Maybe? I'm not sure. They all were fair skinned with blonde hair. They're definitely from up north. Arielle, step aside. I'm in no mood to discuss this with you right now."

Finally, the empress took a generous step back and waved her hand.

"I want you to investigate this matter after the wedding. I'll put you in charge of the scout division. Gabrielle, you can go to the library and try to find any information on these unknown tribes."

Gabrielle nodded. "Will do."

Arielle watched the two walk together down the hall and grimaced. "When Xerxes returns I want to continue strategy talk! You can't avoid me forever, grandma!"

Xena waved her hand over her head and disappeared rounding the corner.

* * *

Anastasia sat in front of the mirror with her wedding dress on and kept staring at her reflection as if she stared at someone else before her. The memories of marrying Navaz the first time around over twenty years ago came rushing back. She was forced to marry him for the sake of saving her people. Everyone relied on her back then.

It was different this time. She wasn't forced to marry him and there were no strings attached. She did feel somewhat irked that Ellac had concocted this little plan with Navaz behind her back. She could've told Navaz no and lived as a widowed khatun like Kreka did. She wondered if Kreka would've been happier and less bitter if she found someone else to marry after Attila passed.

Or maybe it would've made her health deteriorate further. It also put Kreka on a pedestal as the only sole ruler among the women. She only had her sons and Csaba to rule alongside with. She was the ultimate matriarch in the clan and served as the voice for all the queens beneath her.

Ana no longer had the same authority that she used to. She was now considered beneath her own daughter. The circumstances were different now and somehow she felt the empire was withering away even though it was three times the size it used to be thanks to Arielle and far more powerful than when Attila reigned.

Xena stood behind her daughter for the last few minutes studying the mass of hair she had to work with. She looked over to Gabrielle who joined her in silence. She smiled and admired the green gown that Gabrielle wore.

"You look nice," she said.

Gabrielle's eyes scanned her wife's gown. "Black _again_. Why am I not surprised?" she snickered. "You haven't even started with her hair yet?" she pointed to Ana's lengthy mane.

Xena sighed and picked up her daughter's endless trail of hair and felt overwhelmed. She was supposed to style her daughter's hair for the ceremony and since she never did much to her own hair she wasn't sure what to do.

"I know we don't cut our hair but…" she pursed her mouth. "Ana, your hair is dragging on the floor. What am I supposed to do with _this_?"

She gazed at her daughter's silent reflection and titled her head.

"Ana?"

The khatun was taken out of her daze and caught her mother gawking from behind in the mirror. "Ah…I don't know, mother."

"Are you feeling alright? You haven't said a word since you put the dress on."

"I'm…just a little bit nervous." Ana put a hand over her unsettled stomach. "The last time I married Navaz I thought you were…" she paused, "dead. And I didn't have Gabrielle either and Ellac was imprisoned. I only had Csaba and now I don't have him here with me."

Gabrielle faintly grinned and knelt down to take Ana's hand.

"But we're here with you and Navaz loves you. I mean, he _really_ loves you," she stressed. "He's always cared about you even when he was married to Fairuza and Safiya."

Anastasia blushed. "I know that. I don't know why he married Safiya anyway. They were married for a long time and I ruined it. I don't think she'll ever forgive me."

Xena clasped her hands on Ana's shoulders. "Navaz only married her because she's attractive, Anastasia." she winked. "Safiya was a nice woman but she's not _you_."

"Then what was his excuse with Fairuza? She was very beautiful too!"

Gabrielle snuffed a laugh. "I think he loved Fairuza as much as he loved you but she's been dead for a _very_ long time. So, are we going to do this or what? Everyone's waiting on you."

Ana inhaled and exhaled to soothe her nerves. "Alright. Mother, let's do this." She picked up the comb and waved it above her head.

Xena smiled nervously and grabbed the comb. Tackling a mountain of hair wasn't her specialty and she huffed, staring at her daughter's hair as if it were some kind of forbidden task to conquer.

"For god's sake," Gabrielle pushed her wife aside and snatched the comb. "We could braid your hair. It'll keep your hair out of the way. How's that sound?"

Anastasia smiled and nodded.

* * *

Everyone waited patiently in the large ballroom. The Persian concubines were settled in a corner, talking amongst themselves. Soran stood beside Pamira with Cera and Mirac on the other side of the room. Soran kept eyeing the Persian women and took note of Nousha casually mingling with the women. They really liked to sequester themselves off from everyone else, he thought.

He searched the room for his sister and sipped the sherbet. He could tell his father was getting very impatient and rightfully so. Those women had been hiding for hours getting ready. He downed the drink and then grabbed another flute.

Pamira noticed her husband was on his third glass and took his hand. "You're very thirsty," she whispered.

"It's not wine. It's not going to do anything to me," he said and sighed. "Where the hell is Arielle?"

"Maybe she's helping her mother?" she guessed and turned to Cera. "Have you seen your sister?"

Cera shook her head.

Soran grunted. "Only Arielle would be missing at a time like this!" he swallowed the large serving of sherbet and coughed.

Finally, Arielle ran into the room and joined her siblings. She smiled at her brother who was annoyed by her absence. She fixed her straightened hair and her dress' collar. She wedged herself in between Soran and Cera who were both taller than her despite being younger than her.

"_Where_ have you been?" Soran questioned suspiciously.

"I was preparing a surprise for my mother. Don't be so uptight, Soran."

"What did you do?"

"You'll see!"

A few minutes later Anastasia walked out with her mother and Gabrielle by her sides. She smiled at everyone as soon as she entered the room. If she didn't feel like the weight of the world wasn't on her shoulders before, she surely felt it at this moment. Not to mention, her dress was incredibly heavy which wasn't helping the feeling she had when she eyed her two daughters standing together with Soran.

Her hand was released from her mother's grasp and she looked back as if to turn away. Xena smiled warmly and gave her a gentle push forward. She exhaled deeply and then walked over to Navaz who was waiting for her.

Navaz took her hand and then lifted the dark veil over her head to uncover her face. He smoothed his hands down her sleeves and was completely oblivious to the people around him. While he kept gazing into her eyes he realized others were waiting and he turned to Xena who held a sword in her hands.

He grasped Ana's hands in his and Xena walked over with the sword and then Arielle rushed forward.

"Wait!" Arielle said.

Gabrielle widened her eyes. "Oh god."

"_Arielle_…" Navaz warned, glaring at his intrusive daughter.

"I have a surprise for mother," she told everyone. "Mother, close your eyes and wait here. I have to go get the surprise."

Anastasia huffed. "Arielle, I don't want any surprises."

"Just do as I say, mother!" she yelled then darted out of the ballroom.

Xena shook her head and Anastasia stepped away from Navaz and closed her eyes as requested. She tapped her fingers together anxiously and crinkled her brows as the sounds of footsteps reappeared in the room.

Everyone turned their attention to Arielle entering the room again with the said surprise. Xena's jaw dropped and Arielle put a finger to her mouth to signal for the room to remain quiet. She walked over to her mother and then halted. She grabbed her mother's hands and opened the palms to face upward.

"Arielle, what is going on?" asked Ana.

She kept her palms open and then felt a pair of hands grip hers. Her fingers wrapped around the large hands that didn't belong to a woman. Slowly, her eyes fluttered open and she gasped.

"Csaba!" she beamed and embraced him tightly, weeping softly.

He kissed the top of his mother's head and then pulled away. He wiped her tears away and caressed her cheek. She sniffled and kissed his hand.

"W-what are you doing here?" she asked.

"Arielle wrote a letter to me and said you were pretty upset that I wasn't here. She convinced me to come but I can only stay for a couple of days and then I have to return to the camp."

Anastasia eyed her daughter and wiped her teary eyes. She then realized that everyone kept waiting for the ceremony to continue. She turned her attention back to Navaz and grabbed his hands firmly. By the look in his eyes she could tell he had run out of patience.

Xena stepped forward with the ceremonial sword and purposefully bumped Arielle's shoulder. "Nice one," she whispered.

* * *

Unlike most weddings, this was the quietest ones yet. Everyone sat in the center of the room sharing a massive meal while music played in the background. Instead of one large circle there were several small circles and the Persian concubines kept to themselves in their own little circle.

In one of the small circles, Csaba sat with his sisters, Soran, Pamira, Mirac and held Aurora in his lap. Csaba imagined that Aurora was lonely living in a large palace by herself with no other children to play with. He also missed his sons and was glad to spend some time with her before he had to depart.

He spoon fed Aurora much to his sister's annoyance. He looked at Cera seated across from him and smiled at the way Mirac was talking to her quietly and handling her affectionately like she was a glass doll.

"Have you been taking care of my little sister, Mirac?" he asked loudly to interrupt the conversation.

Mirac paled. "Y –yes, yes I swear."

Csaba nodded with a self-satisfied grin.

Aurora squirmed in her uncle's lap and crossed her arms. She looked to her mother who sat next to her. "Mom, can I take this dress off now?"

"No. If I have to wear one then you do too," Arielle scraped the last bit of rice from her bowl. "Why don't you go to bed? It's getting late."

"But I want to stay here."

Arielle chewed the rice slowly and narrowed her eyes at her defiant daughter. "You're not in a good mood right now. Ku will take you to bed. Go on now." She waved her hand.

Csaba picked up the princess off his lap and set her down on the floor. Aurora pouted and refused to budge from her spot. Csaba raised an eyebrow as he watched his sister slowly permeate with building rage. So far so good, he thought. She hasn't lost it yet.

Arielle waved over to Ku. "Aurora, I'm not going to ask again. _Go_ to bed."

"No."

Arielle slammed the bowl down and grabbed her daughter's hand and pulled her up off the floor. She didn't even bother to wait for Ku to walk over. Aurora kept resisting as her mother pulled her across the floor.

"_Buraya gel_!" Arielle growled. "_Zor olmas_!"

Csaba chuckled and everyone in the circle kept eating to ignore the little debacle displayed in front of them. He rubbed the back of his sore neck and continued to eat the rest of his food now that Aurora was off his lap.

He pointed his spoon to the corner of the room. "Who are they?"

Everyone turned their heads to the concubines. Soran nervously eyed the king and wiped his mouth. "Persians. My father has an obligation to keep them with him at all times. You know the situation with Shah Kavad."

"Hmm." Csaba spooned more rice onto his plate. "They're all women. Are they Kavad's harem?"

"Um…yes," Soran answered nervously for everyone.

Pamira quickly steered the conversation elsewhere as she knew nothing good could come of it. "So Cera, when are you going to have your party? I'm sure your sister has everything planned. She's been all over you."

Cera rolled her eyes. Today was the only day she didn't have her sister fawning all over her. She didn't really like all of the attention focused on her all the time and was grateful that today was reserved for her mother only and not her.

"I'd like to know when the senlik is too," Csaba chimed in. "Maybe I could tell Farah to come. She told me that she misses you."

Cera rejoiced in the idea of Farah coming and smiled brightly. She held up three fingers to her brother.

"Three months. Alright, I will write Farah. Expect plenty of gifts then," he winked at his little sister.

Pamira joined in, "is Farah your wife?" she asked him.

"Yes. I'm sure she would love to meet you, Pamira. She'll probably bring you dresses or some kind jewelry," he said indifferently. "My wife likes _nice_ things," he hinted Farah's tendency to like more of the materialistic materials in life.

"We have similar parties in Persia like these '_senliks'_, she pronounced slowly and awkwardly, "but I wondered if…since I don't have a mother and I'm sort of _alone_ here that…Anastasia Khatun would help plan a party for me in the future?"

Csaba arched an eyebrow at the young Persian. He half smiled and said, "of course. My mother would love to plan a senlik for you. Is there something you'd like to share with us?"

Arielle ran back to join the circle of siblings and fluffed her hair. "What did I miss?" she asked excitedly.

Csaba pointed to the couple across the way. "Pamira was about to tell us something. Right?"

"Um…" Pamira faltered, "Soran and I…are going to have a baby by the end of summer."

Arielle gasped. "That is great news!" she reached over and punched her little brother's arm. "It'll be like when my mother and Fairuza were both pregnant at the same time! Pamira, you must stay here with me and my mother. We'll take care of you. How far along are you? Maybe we could have a combined party for you and Cera."

Mirac felt sorry for them and laughed lightly. "You opened a can of worms," he whispered to Soran.

"How exciting is this? My baby sister and brother both having babies in the same year," Arielle clasped her hands together.

Soran was incensed by his elder sister's enthusiasm especially since she'd kept her relationship with Xerxes under the radar from his own _mother_ and the rest of the family in Pannonia. He thought to play into her little game and expose her in front of Csaba.

"Yeah, maybe _you_ will join the club too, Arielle," he blurted out. "Once you get married, that is."

The circle fell silent and Csaba turned to his sister, whose face drained of color, rendering her cheeks chalk white. "What's he talking about, Arielle?"

Arielle sent a mean glare towards her outspoken little brother. She wanted to strangle him. "Nothing. Forget it."

"Then why did he say that?" Csaba pried. "Are you going to marry someone?"

All the confidence Arielle had shriveled up and died inside as her brother kept staring her down. She felt like she was about to be interrogated at any second. She thought of jumping up to leave but that might look suspicious so she had no choice but to sit still, hoping he wouldn't continue to interrogate her.

"Answer my question."

"You know what? This party is for mother. We really shouldn't be talking about _me_," Arielle anxiously tried to evade the topic of Xerxes.

"_Arielle_!" he grabbed her arm firmly. "Who is it? Who are you seeing?"

She avoided his harsh stare. "Shehzade Xerxes," she mumbled.

Csaba's mouth gaped from her confession. He flipped his plate over and then stalked off. Arielle snarled and pinched Soran's arm for revealing a secret that she wanted to keep from Csaba for just a little while longer.

A few feet away, Anastasia sat in a circle with Navaz, Xena and Gabrielle. She was given the news about Nousha's presence shortly after the initial ceremony and at first she was upset but she decided not to let it bother her. She was grateful that Csaba had come to see her even if the visit was going to be cut short soon.

She peered over her shoulder at the little circle and smiled. "They're sitting together like they used to when they were little."

Xena ceased conversation with Gabrielle and lifted her chin to spy on the children who were definitely not children anymore. She saw Arielle bickering with Soran while the others kept to themselves, eating quietly.

"And they're still fighting I see," she said, amused by the banter. "Nothing's changed between them."

Kuba rushed over to their circle and bent down towards Gabrielle. He tapped her shoulder to grab her attention and whispered in her ear. Gabrielle whipped her head up at the advisor.

"Are you serious?" she whispered and Kuba nodded.

She grabbed Xena's arm and whispered in her ear. Navaz halted eating and saw Xena's face change from a smile to a frown in a matter of seconds. He set down the bowl of food and his eyes watched Kuba quickly leave the circle with a group of guards following him.

"What's going on?" he asked.

Xena wiped her hands and forced a smile. "If you'll excuse us, Gabrielle and I have something to tend to. Enjoy your meal."

Together, they stood and began making their way to the exit. Xena then whispered to her wife. "Get Arielle _now_."

* * *

She thought she was a good empress. She hadn't heard any complaints from her subjects since she moved to Scythia. She'd heard her grandmother and Gabrielle tell her that not everyone is going to like you and she came to terms with that. She imagined her father had heard the spiel before as did her mother.

But she didn't expect something like this to be displayed in front of her home. This was more than an embarrassment. It was a challenge to her sovereignty and her ability to keep the peace in Scythia as well as every other state controlled by her family.

She was rendered speechless as she focused on the flaming upside down crucifixes planted outside her home. There was a row of crosses. Ten or twelve. She didn't bother to count. There was also something incredibly disturbing written in the soil.

_Pagan_.

The words were lit on fire and kept burning and burning. The fire never ceased to go out no matter how many buckets of water were poured on the ground by the soldiers.

Xena placed a hand on her shoulder and Arielle brushed it off.

"I want those responsible for this found," she said. "_Immediately_!"

"The people who did this are probably long gone by now. It won't do any good to search the city especially at night," Gabrielle mistakenly advised.

Arielle walked up to the governor and breathed in and out heavily. She was close to shoving her aside until she saw the uneasy look in her grandmother's eyes. She slowly backed away before doing something she might come to regret later.

"I want soldiers out in the city by dawn. I'll go out myself if I have to." she turned and walked off.

Gabrielle shakily exhaled. "She was going to hit me."

"She wasn't." Xena squeezed her spouse's shoulder.

"She was thinking about it! Did you see the look in her eyes?"

"Don't let it bother you, Gabrielle. She's just upset."

Gabrielle gazed out the window at the charred crucifixes. All of the fiery crosses were put out by the Avar soldiers but that didn't stop the people from crowding around the palace to see the humiliating display. Across the city fireworks were going off, lighting up the night sky, to celebrate the khagana's parents' wedding.

"Poor Arielle. This is terrible. I don't think I'm going to be able to sleep tonight." She leaned her head on Xena's shoulder. "I don't think it's safe for Arielle to go out and find these people. I know most of the Scythians don't know what she looks like but still."

Xena agreed and toyed with her wife's silky hair. "I think I might have a way to bypass that. I just have to get Arielle to agree to my plan."

Gabrielle lifted her eyes to meet her wife's shimmering devious eyes. "Does this _plan_ involve anyone dying?"

"Let's hope not."

* * *

Still heated from last night's revealing news about his sister's relationship with the Persian prince, Csaba stood on one of the balconies early in the morning. He came here to support his mother per his sister's request and now he was going to leave with the idea of smashing a Persian's face in.

Soran came to join him on the balcony and Csaba smiled, welcoming the company.

"I do love my sisters," Csaba spoke openly, "but sometimes I wish I had a brother. Oran is the closest thing I have to a brother."

Soran picked at the chipped stone railing. "Me too. I like having Mirac around. He's like a brother to me."

The king exhaled. "Are you excited to be a father?"

"I…am not sure how I feel," Soran admitted. "I don't love Pamira but I do like her. She's a nice person and smart too. She is constantly looking for something to read. I think she's read every single manuscript in the Adame."

Csaba felt the prince's pain. He never experienced the feelings Soran had when it came to love. He loved Farah since the day he met her but he was also unsure of what to feel when he found out he was going to be a father during both of his wife's pregnancies. That feeling of never being good enough never went away even after his children were born.

"Oran and Yeter were in the same situation you're in now but they have three sons together! It took a very long time for them to develop feelings for each other. I don't think Oran loves Yeter to this day but he definitely cares for her a lot."

"I'm glad that Anastasia Khatun will be living with me now. She's always been like a mother to me. I'd _really_ like her help with Pamira."

Csaba nudged the prince's arm. "My mother will always be there for you. You probably shouldn't call her _khatun_," he snickered. "She's officially your stepmother now."

Soran nodded silently.

"So, Shehzade Xerxes." He frowned deeply. "Does he treat Arielle well? Do I have any reason to worry?"

"He asked permission to court her," said Soran. "Xena also likes him."

Csaba scoffed. "_My_ grandmother? She actually likes a Persian? I don't believe what I'm hearing."

"Believe it."

Despite Xerxes living in Pannonia for months, Csaba hardly had any words with the man. He didn't have a problem with him back then but now that Xerxes was courting his sister, he was thrust into a world of caution and distrust.

"Does he make Arielle happy?"

Soran eyed the very protective older brother that Csaba naturally was. He too shared the same doubt as him concerning their sister's well being especially when a love interest was in the picture. Even though they were born into different families, they were both tied to Arielle in the same way as brothers.

"I've never seen her happier," Soran admitted and Csaba faintly smiled at that. "I told Xerxes that if he hurts her then I will hurt _him_. My father told him the same thing. I think he got the message."

"Add me to that list then."

Soran bumped fists with the king and they shared a laugh. "I don't think Xerxes is going to be the problem. His mother hates our entire family. She's been nothing but disrespectful to your mother."

Csaba brought his eyebrows together. "Is she one of those concubines here?" he asked and Soran affirmed his question with a nod. "I'd like to have a talk with her before I leave."

They left the balcony together and entered the quiet palace. Once they were walking down the corridor Soran offered to take Csaba to the room in which Nousha stayed in. He wasn't sure what was going to happen once Nousha was confronted. He imagined she might have a small heart attack when she was to hear that her beloved and favored son of the Shah was courting a Hun. Secretly, he wanted to see her topple over but part of him wanted her to rage and yell at Csaba. He wasn't going to miss this.

Arielle briskly stormed down the hallway with Kuba and she caught sight of her brothers chatting together as they leisurely strolled through the large palace halls. She quickly evaded them and passed them up.

Csaba felt a gust of wind brush by his arm and called to his sister which she ignored. Soran also called her name and Arielle kept walking until she was no longer visible once she circled around a large pillar.

"She's still mad at me for ousting her last night," said Soran.

* * *

To keep distance, Xena advised that she stay behind with Gabrielle in the city square. If she planned this out correctly then it would lure the slanderous people who put on that wicked display of humiliation last night. She waited, wearing a dark cloak which hovered over her forehead to conceal identity.

Gabrielle wore a similar cloak and stood on the opposite side of the square. She kept looking to Xena for signals but she did as told and walked around the square, keeping an eye out for any suspicious behavior. Many people were whispering about last night and it was hard to ignore the conversations trickling in.

In the center of the square stood a large statue of a winged warrior-like woman on a horse. Gabrielle assumed that the statue was a representation of the late Khagana Jiulu. The people really adored her and she had an idea why. Queen Tomiri was a tyrant to her own people and she could never forget the moment when her head was severed from her body. The Scythians must've celebrated her death for years.

There hadn't been any complaints since Arielle assumed the throne but of course there would be those few who hated their ruler. Not everyone is going to like you. Gabrielle peered back at Xena who gave a wave of her hand as a signal.

She strolled around the large statue and her stomach bubbled with regret. She didn't like this plan and she made sure Xena knew that. A group of soldiers emerged into the square with a cloaked woman whom everyone thought was Arielle.

That poor girl, Gabrielle thought. Xena's plan to find a maid that looked enough like Arielle to walk the streets was a very dangerous idea. Sending in a double for this mission was incredibly risky but by the looks on the Scythians' faces, they were falling for it. They believed the maid was their ruler and parted a path for her and the soldiers.

Gabrielle kept her distance from the soldiers as they escorted the look-alike around the streets. She had her hand on the hilt of her sword, ready to strike at any moment. Her eyes lifted to the tall buildings to search for any assassins that might be lurking. Her heart pumped hot blood through her body as she kept close to the terrified maid.

In the distance, Xena began making her way around the square, casually eyeing the people who paid no attention to her. She wasn't one to be stealthy and with her size and ominous attire, being stealthy was far from what she wanted. She wanted to be seen. She wanted everyone to notice her and she knew that the people who had their mind set on destroying Arielle's reputation were _here_ in this square.

A whistling noise caught her attention and she saw an arrow soaring over the crowd's heads. The arrow pierced through the maid's shoulder and she collapsed into a soldier's arms. Xena turned her head in several directions to see where the arrow came from.

The crowd dispersed in panic and women's screams and cries filled the square. Gabrielle quickly pushed through the people angrily. The soldiers formed an enclosed circle around the wounded maid and protected her from another potential attack.

By the time Gabrielle broke free from the panicked Scythians, she spotted Xena on a horse, stolen no doubt, and riding through the square.

"Dammit!" she cursed. "Take her back to the palace," she told the soldiers.

She guessed she was going to have follow Xena on foot which was not a good idea with this many people blocking paths and alleyways. Also, riding a horse wasn't advised with the amount of innocents either. It looked like Xena didn't really care.

"And she says not to be impulsive," she cited.

* * *

In one the palace towers, Arielle observed her subjects running around like frantic birds. They fled the area so quickly. Unfortunately, her double was wounded but she knew that was going to happen. She wanted to be out there to help but she was outvoted by three people and if that were her down there, she'd be the one with the arrow in her chest.

She was able to spot Xena riding through the streets from such a high view of the city. She climbed the stairs to stare out of the windows to keep an eye on her grandmother. Another flight of stairs and she was now standing outside at the highest peak of the tower.

Cruel cold winds hit her face and her hair blew violently behind her. She ran to the opposite side of the tower and put a hand over her eyes.

"I can't see her anymore!" she shouted.

Kuba shielded his face with a scarf from the gusts of wind. "Perhaps we should go inside, khagana!" he advised.

"Someone is trying to assassinate me!" she turned to Kuba with wild eyes. "And my crazy grandmother is out there stupidly trying to find the assailant!" she pushed through the strong winds and ran down the spiraling staircase of the tower.

The sun had barely made its mark on the day and so much has happened already. She understood that she had enemies and this was far more than just a Persian army waiting outside the gates of the empire. There were more people who wanted her dead. This was a personal attack.

She met up with the soldiers who were out in the square and immediately went to the servant quarters to check on the girl who stood in her place. She leered over the bed at the maid crying profusely while the arrow splinters were being plucked out of her bloody shoulder wound.

"I'm so sorry," she gripped the maid's hand. "You may have whatever you want!" she said with an assuring smile. "I never wanted any harm to come to you."

The maid swallowed the large lump in her throat and chewed on her lip to distract from the throbbing pain in her shoulder.

Arielle excused herself from the infirmary. She had her back against the wall and felt her stomach doing cartwheels. She was the target. Someone or a group of people, or maybe an entire nation, wanted her dead, but whom?

Kuba flagged her down and she took in a breath to soothe the threat of her stomach rebelling against her. She came to the entrance of the palace and Gabrielle waited but of course she was alone. Arielle scanned the foyer and put a hand on her hip.

She asked the dreaded question, "where's my grandma?"

Gabrielle made a hissing sound with her tongue in between her teeth. She hung her head for a moment and heard Arielle release a loud throaty growl.

"She's still out there, isn't she?" she shook Gabrielle's shoulders. "Isn't she?"

"I tried to follow her! Believe me, I tried, Arielle." She felt her heart was to jump out of her chest the longer she was subjected to Arielle's penetrating glare. "She's not alone. A group of soldiers followed her."

Arielle felt the need to slap every single person in her elite guard for allowing this to happen. The capability of self control was slowly slipping away from her. She was so close to ramming a few heads into the walls.

"She has no right to say that I act without thinking anymore," Arielle's hand came to rest over her fizzling stomach. "People want me _dead_."

Gabrielle offered a comforting hand to the empress' shoulder. "You're no longer a princess. You aren't operating in the shadows anymore. Everyone knows who you are."

Those words weren't exactly what Arielle needed to hear right now. She wanted someone to placate her and pretend this never happened. She felt like she needed to crawl into a shell and never reappear. Fears of being assassinated occurred to her in the past when she announced her reign as empress but now that it was real, she wanted to hide.

"We can't tell my mother about this," she decided. "This is the last thing she needs right now. _Please_, don't tell her, Gabrielle."

"I won't but she's going to find out eventually."

"Then keep it a secret for now. I don't want to upset her. Besides, she's probably still with my father anyway," she shuddered at the thought. "Disgusting," she muttered.

Gabrielle's cheeks tinged pink at how Arielle reacted like a child at any mention of her parents together in any form. "I'll send out more men to find Xena."

"Yes, you do that," Arielle bobbed her head and chewed on her fingernail. "I'll be in my room if you need me."

* * *

Maneuvering through the crowd wasn't an easy feat but Xena was able to find the archer. He ran across the rooftops throughout the city. Halfway through the chase she realized that the Avar guard was following her. She didn't mind backup usually but for this she wanted to do it alone. The guards would only cause more unnecessary panic.

With ample speed, the archer soared across rooftops and Xena desperately kept trying to keep up with him. She was unable to get a good look at his face. She weaved in and out of the city and now they came to the outskirts towards the countryside. The population was scarce here and the archer had run out of roofs to jump to and from.

The look of panic settled in the archer's eyes as he stared at the Avar guard and Xena below the last building of the city. Xena flipped the hood off her head and drew her blade.

"Are you going to come down?" she shouted from below. "There's nowhere else to run!"

An Avar jostled her arm. "Khanum, we have company."

She followed his finger to the direction he pointed at. There was a group of three men hiding in the shadows behind a huddle of trees planted just outside another apartment building a few yards away. They slowly began to retreat once they realized their cover was blown.

"Bring them to me," she ordered the Avars.

With the horsemen following the hidden assailants, she was able to focus on the head assassin at hand. She pointed the sword up at the cloaked man and smiled. Since he had nowhere to run and hide the archer bit a capsule on his wrist.

Xena's smile withered away as she watched the man foam at the mouth and fall off the roof and land on the ground in front of her with a loud thud. She poked him with the tip of her sword and turned him over onto his back with a hard shove of the sword.

"Well," she sighed, "that's unfortunate."

In all her years as a military leader she wished she could say that she was surprised but nothing really shocked her anymore. She'd seen enough to last a lifetime and a pathetic suicide wasn't the least bit surprising. It was the most cowardly way to exit the world.

She sheathed her sword and the Avars escorted one of the three lurkers. She'd seen the Avars in battle against the Persians and she was quite impressed by their discipline and will to attack by command but to retrieve only _one_ of the assailants instead of three was just embarrassing.

The man was forced to his knees and hood removed from his blonde locks. Xena batted her eyelashes and eyebrows disappeared into her thick fringe bangs.

"Don't I know you?" she inquired with a mischievous look in her eyes.

He resisted in the Avars' grip and glared up at Xena.

"You were in that tavern," she hopped down off the horse. "I think you and I had a _connection_ back there," she bent over and winked.

"_Blutige sau_," he spat.

Xena lifted a brow at his insult. It sounded far too familiar to ignore. She'd heard that tongue before several times throughout her life and she had one too close to home now.

"Are you a Goth?" she asked and the man sneered. "Gepid?"

"Neither!"

She didn't have time to play interrogator with this foreigner as much as she wanted to. He would serve a better purpose being present in the palace. Maybe, if she was super lucky, she would get to interrogate him on her own but with the way her luck was going, she probably wasn't going to come anywhere close to this man once he was in Arielle's hands.

* * *

Nousha stood in front of a mirror in the large suite she was give upon arrival yesterday. She brought her essential clothing as she knew she wasn't going to stay here long. The palace was quite large and she was grateful for that. The Adame in Balaam wasn't even half the size of this place so it was easy to avoid everyone.

She combed her dark hair and then coiled it into a low bun that rested against the nape of her neck. She inserted a few pins into the large mound of hair and then gently placed a veil over her head and smoothed the wrinkles out of the fabric.

A couple of raps at the door caused her to jump. She turned with a furrowed brow, almost annoyed that her morning was being interrupted. She wasn't expecting anyone to come to her room and since the other Persian women were probably asleep due to being late risers, she didn't want any guests coming to invade her space.

She made sure her dress was buttoned and approached the door. "Who is it?"

"King Csaba."

Her eyes widened and she swung the door open with a nervous grin. Csaba stood in the hallway, towering over her. Instead of inviting him inside, she insisted on holding onto the door and blocked the doorway.

Csaba was very shocked to see how small this woman was. He expected her to be a bit more menacing looking but she _appeared_ to be very sweet. She had to be shorter than Gabrielle. In fact, he was positive his smallest sons were almost as tall as she. He wondered how such a small woman could impose such a negative impact on his family. Dynamite often comes in small packages.

"Nousha, is it?" he asked politely.

"Yes and _you_ are Anastasia Khatun's son," she scanned his trim physique and forced a smile. "What brings you to my room so early in the morning?"

He observed how standoffish she was being by her body language. He didn't want to rile her or stir up any unwanted emotions but he really needed to talk to her and he preferred not to do it in the hallway.

"I wanted to speak to you about my mother."

Nousha tried her best not to show any resentment and her eyebrow arched. She responded coolly. "Oh?"

"It's come to my attention that you've been very rude to my mother," he stated and saw her lip twitch. "I won't tolerate anyone being rude to my mother or talking back to her. I realize that you don't like us and that's fine but I'd appreciate if you kept your opinions to yourself."

Nousha's eyebrows kept rising up close to her hairline. Her eyes were wide and smile now faded into a gape. Her fingers gripped the door handle firmly causing her knuckles to turn white. She took a moment to calm her inner self and relaxed her tense shoulders.

"I will keep that in mind."

He nodded and noticed the tension across her features. It was so obvious that she hated his family so much that she was willing to disrespect his mother to get her point across. No doubt the concubines loved her.

"I…think you should learn to get along with my family," he advised her. "We will be seeing a lot of each other from here on out."

Nousha laughed softly. "I don't think so. Once the Shah is released from prison I will go back to Persia. This arrangement is temporary."

Oh, she really doesn't know, Csaba inwardly snickered. "Your son is courting my sister," he said with a big smile, sure to cause a surge of rage from the woman. "I haven't really had a lot of conversation with Xerxes but he seems like a nice man. I look forward to meeting him again. Good day to you, Nousha."

She stood in the doorway with flushed cheeks after he made his way down the corridor. She closed the door quietly and then ripped the veil off her head and threw it at the wall. A million thoughts entered her mind. Her son was courting _Arielle_? How was this not made aware to her? How long had he been keeping this from her? Was he ever going to tell her? Was she the only oblivious one in this Hun palace?

As her blood coursed through her veins and her cheeks radiated from the idea of her son stating an official courtship with the Hun woman, Nousha felt that she wanted to break something. No, she couldn't do that. She'd only receive another lecture from Anastasia's son.

She warned him to stay away from Arielle several times. He always listened to her before so why should this time be any different? He was straying from his customs and traditions. He already had a foot in the door with the Huns and now he was slowly being indoctrinated into one of the noblest families in the entire empire.

She felt her son slipping away from her. "Xerxes, _peshr a'zeezm_," she slipped her upper lip in between her teeth.

* * *

With butterflies in her stomach, Gabrielle paced around the foyer waiting for news to surface. She got a lot of stares from the maids passing by and they were a bit afraid to approach her. The early morning had long passed and it'd been a couple of hours since she sent out the soldiers.

Why was this taking so long? She sought to quell her nerves by whacking a small dagger against her palms. She wasn't intent on using it of course but it was the only thing stopping her from ripping the cuticles off her fingers. It was a bad habit that she picked up recently.

"This is what she does to me," she wagged her head. "She likes to torture me."

"Gabrielle!"

She stopped in her tracks and felt a weight lift off her shoulders. "Xena! Where have you been?" she ran to her wife and tucked the dagger in her belt. "Oh, I see you've brought a guest," she pointed to the blonde man who was being carried in.

Xena took her gloves off and smacked her wife's shoulder with the leather gloves. Gabrielle flinched and gave her a surprised stare. "Were you going to send the entire army to look for me?"

A trail of soldiers entered the palace and Gabrielle's cheeks reddened.

"Oh…well I didn't know where you were! I thought something might've happened to you."

"This isn't the first time I've tracked down anyone," Xena felt only a little bit insulted but inside she was amused and grateful that Gabrielle thought to have her looked after. "This man isn't the archer. That one killed himself," she said casually.

Gabrielle's jaw dropped. "He _what_?"

"Poison," she explained with an indifferent look about her. "But _this_ one was working with the archer. He's one of the men we saw in the tavern."

"Ah you mean the tavern where you drank _illegal_ wine," Gabrielle wagged her finger.

"Uh huh, that's the one…" Xena admitted sheepishly then waved her hand to the soldiers. "I'm going to have him interrogated. Is Arielle up to doing that or shall I?"

Gabrielle put a hand on the back of her clammy neck. "We could go ask her. She's in her bedroom. I think she's a bit shaken up since that double of hers was shot."

"I understand how that feels," said Xena with a soft voice. "I was targeted all my life. Luckily, most of those people who wanted me dead are six feet under," she teased and nudged Gabrielle's arm playfully.

"Xena, try to be a little more sensitive. She's very paranoid."

"I'm _sensitive_!" she retorted. By the look on Gabrielle's face she knew she wasn't going to win this. "Okay, _I'll_ do the interrogation then," she decided and saw relief cross her wife's face. "I'm going to need some hot pokers."

Gabrielle slapped her spouse's arm a bit too hard than she initially wanted to.

"No to the hot pokers then. Got it." Xena nodded and licked her dry lips. "Whips?"

"Xena…"

"You know what? You aren't even going to be in the room. I'll use _whatever_ I please during the interrogation to make him talk." She shoved her gloves into Gabrielle's chest. "If anyone asks where I am, just say I'm playing chess!" she sauntered down the hall towards the weapons room.

Gabrielle grunted. "You hate chess!"


	39. Chapter 39

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Xena interrogates her hostage, and when she sees that she isn't going to pry answers out of him, she turns to an external source. Eksama works with Xena and Gabrielle to fight the Persians, noticing it is tough to please Xena when it comes to commanding an army. Aurora lashes out at her grandmother due to the lack of attention from her mother. When Eksama takes a risk on the battlefield, Xena is forced to come to her rescue.

Chapter 39 –_War of The Shahs: Part I_

She slipped her leather gloves on and stared at the blonde man that was kept captive for over two weeks. She requested to be left alone in the room with him and so far all of her visits had been unfruitful. With all her years as an interrogator she never encountered such diligence from anyone before. He refused to utter a single word no matter how much he was tortured.

Xena pulled up a stool and sat down opposite the captive. She rested her elbows on her thighs and smiled. He lifted his head slowly and stared at her from one of his good eyes. He'd been beaten severely over the last couple of weeks. He lost count how many times he'd received a whip to his back and he'd been backhanded more times than any human should've.

She strategically beat him senseless and slashed his arms and backside almost every single day. She thought to give him a rest and let him recover for a few days.

"I don't know why you keep prolonging this," she said. "I'm not going to kill you. I'll keep you here as long as I need until you give me the information I want."

He licked his cracked lips and shifted in the chair which he sat on. He let out a sigh of exhaustion and hung his head, dreading his very existence.

"Once…I tell you, _if_ I do," he croaked, "you'll just kill me…anyway."

Xena wore a lopsided smile and paddled his sore thigh. "You're wrong. Maybe thirty years ago I would have no problem killing you but that was then. This is now. I'm going to let you go. I just need you to tell me who you work for."

He gazed at her with surprise and then his face darkened with an eminent frown.

"You lie."

"I'm not lying." She held up her hand. "I swear. Once you tell me who you work for then I will let you walk free. I'll even have the physician patch up your wounds. So…" she leaned forward, "who do you work for?"

His silence told her all she needed to know. Xena huffed and stood from the stool. She walked over to the wall adorned with several weapons and picked up one of the leather whips and turned around, smacking the handle against her palm.

"I see we're going to have to do this the hard way," she presumed. "So be it."

His light eyes enlarged at the dreaded whip. He became best friends with that weapon and he had the wounds to prove it. If he made it out of here alive he was surely going to complain to his commanding officers about the torture he endured. But the only way out of here was to talk and he was insistent on remaining quiet.

"You don't know how much it _pains_ me to do this," she revealed an impish grin.

He highly doubted that. She enjoyed this –enjoyed torturing him –and she was quite skilled at it. She was a skilled torturer and interrogator; so skilled that he nearly cracked a few times.

Xena held the whip over the flames of a torch and then turned to the captive. He tried to wriggle his way out of the chair he was bound to. She came over and pressed her hand on his shoulder, holding the flaming whip above her head.

"Last chance."

His body immediately tensed and he shut his eyes to endure the onset of pain he was about to receive.

* * *

Lost in the large library within the palace, Gabrielle dove into a world of thousands of documents and manuscripts that were archived by several past rulers. She tried to look for any useful information that might help their case with the captive but so far, all she found were old documents from Tomiri's reign and Jiulu's.

Any other documents she found were useless treaties that Tomiri broke several times over. She did however find a treaty with Persia which she found interesting. It was a document signed by Peroz long before the Huns decided to invade. There were also a few treaties made with the Magyars which were also useless.

The Magyars had disappeared off the face of the earth once Tomiri took over Scythia and the surrounding areas. Gabrielle recalled a long time ago when the Magyars came to Pannonia and asked for an alliance with Attila. That didn't last long.

"Maybe the captive is a Magyar," she thought out loud.

While she focused on flipping through the documents she lifted her eyes to see Cera walk into the quiet library with a tray. She smiled warmly at the princess and pushed the piles of parchment across the desk. Cera set down a tray of coffee and dessert.

Gabrielle peered at the single saucer and eyed the princess. "Aren't you going to have any for yourself?"

Cera gave a worn-out grin and spoke with her silent hands, "_Arielle forbade me from drinking coffee_."

"I see." She took the saucer. "Thank you, Cera." She sipped the scalding sweet coffee and burned her tongue. "Your sister just cares about you but I must say she is worse than your mother."

Cera couldn't agree more. She pulled up a chair and slowly lowered herself and smoothed her hand over the very active child inside her. She made a poor excuse to come into the library to spy on the governor's investigative work. She was more than curious and she wanted to escape from her sister and mother so she slipped away just for a little while.

"_Did you find anything_?" she knocked on the desk.

Gabrielle swallowed the hot coffee and coughed. "Oh um," she grabbed a couple of documents. "Not really. I have no idea who the captive is or where he comes from. I think I've read over four hundred documents. Tomiri is a piece of work I'll tell you that."

Cera rubbed her chin. "_Can I help_?"

"I don't know if that's such a good idea," she lamely said. "If your mother…"

She saw the pouty face that Cera made and it was too difficult to say no. Unlike Csaba and Arielle, there was a certain sweetness that Cera had that her siblings didn't possess. Gabrielle had only seen one side of Cera and that was the charming side but according to Arielle there was a super vengeful side that was kept locked away.

She relented, "I'm a major pushover," she grumbled. "Okay Cera, you can help but not a word about this to your mother! She'd kill me if she found out I allowed you to help with this."

The princess gleefully clapped her hands and scooted the chair closer to the desk. She took half of the stack for herself and began sorting, skimming over the documents and sent a grin Gabrielle's way.

* * *

Instead of holding a meeting in the council room, Xerxes joined Arielle in the bath chamber. He returned from his escapade in Persia a few days ago and he set eyes on Arielle the moment he entered the palace. His mind was clouded once he saw her but he had to remain focused. That was going to be quite a task considering she was sitting in the bath, entirely naked, washing her body and hair.

She flipped her hair over her head and sent a smile towards his way. Xerxes sank lower in the hot water and tried to keep his mind focused on anything but her bare breasts. He knew that she was teasing him. This was a horrible idea to have a meeting in a bath chamber. A _very_ horrible idea.

He cleared the lump from his throat. "Siyawush is on his way to Anosbord. Tegin Irkin is also with him. My aunt has sent your father a sum of funds to get my father out of prison."

"Very good," she squeezed the soapy cloth onto her arm. "Once your father is broken out he will live in Balaam until the war with your brother is over."

He sank further down into the water and his stomach churned. "Yes…that's the plan."

"Looks like my mother is going to get her wish. I'm not going into the battlefield because my life is in danger. Someone tried to assassinate me!" she splashed some water with a hard slap of her hand.

"Is the khanum –your grandmother –going to war then?" he asked and she nodded. "I'm surprised that she wants to put herself in that position given her age."

Arielle twisted her hair around her hand and snorted at his comment. "War is like her baby and don't _ever_ call my grandmother old. She really hates that."

"I would never," he said with a charming smile. "She doesn't _look_ her age."

"I'm sure she'd love to hear that," she mused and set the cloth outside the pool. "You won't be going to war?"

He swam over and sat on the bench beside her. "No, I'll be here with _you_. If my brothers see me then I'll be killed immediately."

"Ah." Her cheeks tinged pink. "You better not distract me, Xerxes. I am an empress and I have duties." Her tone was obviously more playful than serious but she wanted to make sure that her responsibilities as a ruler came first.

"I promise I won't get in your way." He kissed her hand. "Just make sure you fit me into your busy schedule." His lips traveled up her arms and she quivered at his touch.

She gently shoved him and lowered her body beneath the surface of the water. "My brother knows about us," she broke the sensual moment between them.

Xerxes felt his body reacting to her touch and quickly fell limp once she mentioned Csaba. He leaned against the wall and raised his arms over his head, stretching with an audible groan.

"Really." He was rather impartial in the topic.

"Good news; I don't think he's going to pommel you into the ground," she let out a giggle.

"That's _great_. You really know how to kill the mood, Arielle." He flicked water at her face. "If I didn't know better I'd say you're afraid of me getting close to you."

"I'm not!" she rose from the water and placed her hands on her hips.

Xerxes' eyes widened, focusing in on her breasts and then he grinned mischievously. "Then prove me wrong."

She wrinkled her nose. "Not in the bath!"

"Okay, we'll go to your room then," he stood and walked up the steps, exiting the pool. He wrapped a towel around his trim waist. "The bed awaits, _your_ _highness_."

* * *

Infuriated by the lack of confession from the assailant, Xena left the prisoner's cell in a hurry and tossed her gloves at a couple of guards passing by. She angrily stomped up the stairs into the library and searched for Gabrielle. Around a large shelf that reached the ceiling, she found Gabrielle and Cera sitting together, reading in silence.

Well, she guessed she couldn't release her anger here since Cera was present. She calmly approached and Cera swiveled in the chair. She smiled and smoothed a hand over the princess' red hair.

"What are you doing here?" she asked. Her heart thumped rapidly as her rage was slowly consuming her.

Gabrielle took notice of her spouse's feral eyes and red swollen knuckles. "Um, she's helping me sort through these piles of archived documents."

"Hmm." Xena's hand traveled to her granddaughter's shoulder. "You really shouldn't bother yourself with this, Cera. I don't want you to stress."

Cera grinned. "_I'm fine, grandma_." She put a hand over her chest and gave a slow incline of her head.

"Why don't you let me and your grandmother talk for a bit?" Gabrielle offered and turned over a page she was in the middle of reading. "You've been such a great help, Cera, truly."

Cera peered up at her grandmother and knew they desperately needed to talk alone. She hated being left out of everything recently and everyone breathing down her neck constantly was super irritating. She nodded to Gabrielle and set down the documents in her lap onto the desk. She braced herself to stand and pushed her hands down on the armrests of the chair.

Xena immediately grabbed the princess' arm and hoisted her out of the chair gently. It was strange to have her granddaughter stand taller than her. The longer she stared into Cera's brown doe eyes, the more the smile on her lips expanded. Her mind wandered elsewhere and the anger she'd harbored inside her exited from her body.

"Yes…you've been such a _great_ _help_, Cera," she said just above a whisper.

Cera arched an eyebrow and then her grandmother kissed her forehead. She scratched her head in confusion and slowly made her way out of the library.

Gabrielle folded her arms. "What's on your mind? You have that _look_."

"We're going to the Caucasus Mountains to meet with Csaba and we're also going to take our prisoner." Xena clasped her hands together, internally concocting her plan.

"I take it that you didn't get anything out of him," the governor deduced.

"No but _Eksama_ speaks his language. She will be able to help us."

Gabrielle couldn't help but snort at her wife's sudden gleeful disposition. Any mention of war around her wife immediately caused a rush of adrenaline. She was going to be like this even on her death bed, Gabrielle thought.

"When are we leaving?"

"We can leave in a few days. Since Arielle is staying behind I won't have to worry about protecting her and Anastasia won't have a reason to worry either. It all works out!"

Gabrielle pinched her wife's arm. "The _only_ reason Arielle isn't joining us is because there was an attempt on her life."

* * *

While the palace was filled with numerous guests, after the wedding ceremony, Navaz had to return to Balaam with the Persian concubines, but soon after there were more guests that filled the spacious palace. Yana and Inzhu opted to stay with their brother and Cera for as long as necessary. Soran and Pamira also remained in the palace but mostly because Anastasia insisted on it.

Anastasia didn't imagine spending so much time apart from Navaz especially after they recently married but they'd known each so long now that being apart for large amounts of time was normal. Her attention was focused on Cera but now she had Pamira to focus on as well. She'd always considered Soran as another one of her children and she never treated him differently than any of her other children.

Everyone sat in a large circle for their daily dinners to share food and conversation. Anastasia sat wedged in between Cera and Pamira, giving them both her undivided attention.

Yana smiled seeing the khatun's face glowing with adoration for the girls on either side of her. "Pamira, I will be making a dress for Cera's party. Would you like Inzhu to make a dress for you too?"

Pamira gaped at the offer and she shyly looked at the Nezak Chieftess. "That is so nice of you. I don't know what to say."

"You need not say anything!" Inzhu said. "I will happily make a dress for you. Have you told your family about the baby yet? You're farther along than you thought," she indicated to the Persian's small bump present under her dress.

The thought of revealing the news to her brothers was going to be strange. Her family wasn't exactly very friendly with the Huns despite the forced alliance. She too, had several brothers just like Mirac, and they were all protective of her since she was the only girl in the family. She wasn't sure how they were going to take the news but she couldn't wait _too_ long to tell them.

"I haven't told them yet," she admitted and her eyes watered. Her face dropped into her hands.

Arielle reached over and smacked Soran's leg. "Comfort her, you worm," she whispered.

He glared at his sister and then made a poor attempt to comfort Pamira and awkwardly wrapped an arm around her small frame. He felt like everyone was watching their interaction and embarrassment was blatantly obvious on his reddened cheeks. There were far too many women here judging him.

Xena clearly saw how uncomfortable Soran was. He reminded her of Navaz when her daughter was pregnant. He was so afraid to touch her or say the wrong thing to upset her. Both men had a certain quality that women sought after. Even Csaba wasn't as polite and affectionate as Navaz and Soran. Like father like son, she supposed.

"Soran, you should take Pamira to her room," she suggested. "Comfort her in _private_." Her glare was directed towards Arielle.

After everyone finished their meals and Soran left with his weepy wife, Xena glanced around the circle. Everyone was so focused on their conversations with each other and she was itching to drop a massive bomb that would most likely ruin the tranquility.

"I would like to announce something," she said and the air cleared. She put on a big grin and told her family, "Gabrielle and I are going to the Caucasus to meet with Csaba. We're taking the prisoner so Eksama can interrogate him. Who knows how long we'll be gone but I'm also taking the Avar army with me. I'm sure Shah Jamasp will be attacking soon. We're going to leave in a few days so I'll need the army to go ahead and march out to the mountains."

She spoke too quickly for everybody to process what she just said. It was Anastasia who was the most worrisome of the group but she was glad that Arielle was staying behind. She still worried that her son was going to be in imminent danger but there was nothing she could do except wait and seclude herself in Scythia.

"I…hope you'll be careful, mother," Ana said with an uneasy voice. "Please watch over Csaba. I don't want to receive a letter of him being hurt again."

"I can't make any promises but I'll keep an eye on him of course." Xena reached over and caressed her daughter's arm.

"Mom, Csaba is not a little boy. He'll be fine," Arielle chided and continued eating casually.

"He's my son!" Anastasia snapped back. "I will always worry about him."

Arielle didn't reply and pointed her finger at her grandmother. "I want a full report about everything. Don't leave _anything_ out, Gabrielle," she narrowed her eyes.

* * *

_The Caucasus_

After Csaba took a quick sabbatical to see his mother's wedding ceremony, he was thrust into a war zone in which Shah Jamasp decided to move his troops further through the mountains. He had just about the same amount of men as Jamasp but he didn't feel nearly as prepared as he wanted to.

The last major war that his family had with the Sassanians, his father lost his life and his mother was left alone _again_. He felt like he was going to hurl the more he thought of his family being invaded and attacked again. Only last year, he fought against his aunt and now they were fighting on the same side.

He twirled his family's pendant in his hand and heard horses enter the camp. He sprung up from his bedroll and got to his feet. He ran out of the tent, shirtless and barefoot, sweating profusely from the blistering heat. A smile formed on his lips when he saw Gabrielle and his grandmother ride in together.

"Over here!" he waved his arms.

Xena dismounted and walked over to him and contorted her face in confusion. She had barely gotten used to seeing him as an adult and not a little boy. Seeing him shirtless was strange at its best, muscular lean frame and all, and he reminded her of Ellac so much.

"Where's your shirt?" she pinched his chin.

He looked down at himself and blushed. "I'm so happy to see you!" he hugged her.

"Csaba!" her body stiffened. "You're nearly naked! Get off me!"

"Sorry," he stepped away and wiped the sweat off his chest. "It was really great to see everyone at the wedding. I missed Cera a lot. I'll have a tent set up for you and Gabrielle. Did I mention how happy I am to see you?"

"Uh huh," she adjusted her crooked headdress. "Where's your crazy aunt? I've got someone I want her to meet."

He backtracked towards his tent. "Oh, she's preparing the front line in the east. Jamasp is moving his troops inland. We expect an attack any day now hence why I said I'm happy you're here."

She crossed her arms over her chest. "You don't trust Eksama to do her job? She is _commander_."

"Is that _jealousy_ I detect?"

"Get over yourself, Csaba. Are we going to go to the front line?"

He entered the tent and grabbed a loose tunic and threw it over his head. "Actually, I'm supposed to stay here," he called out. "But you're more than welcome –"

He ran out and saw her galloping off without responding to him at all. Gabrielle galloped ahead with the captive bound to another horse tied to hers. She halted in front of the disgruntled king and snapped her fingers in front of his face.

"She's going to do what she's going to do." Gabrielle laughed under her breath.

* * *

She despised working with Byzantines and even more so now that she knew Elemund sided with Justinian. At first, her relationship with the army was incredibly stilted but after months of training the soldiers, they slowly grew on her. Being part of the family was tough and she often excluded herself from family get-togethers in Pannonia. Constantly making excuses to train the army weren't going to work forever.

Eksama split the Byzantines and Huns in half along the eastern mountains. She could see the Persians on the other side of the crevice in the mountains. If she had her men she'd know exactly what to do and that was to attack head on but since she never fought against the Persians before she didn't know what to expect.

She took a mental note of the placement of her enemy's army and walked back towards camp. Much to her surprise, she found the infamous khanum and governor at the campsite and they weren't without company. Hundreds of Avars joined them.

Xena jaunted over to meet with the redhead and passed her horse to an Avar. She took a quick glance around the camp, studying the clusters of soldiers spread across the rough terrain. Not exactly what she would have done but she was curious to see what Eksama planned to do.

"Khanum," the redhead bowed her head. "You're early."

"I thought I'd pay you a visit Eksama and I've brought someone that I want you to meet." She waved her hand to Gabrielle off to the side.

Eksama gawked at the scruffy blonde man who was forced to his knees. His face was severely bruised and eyes almost swollen shut. There were gashes across his neck and forehead with slashes spattered along his barely exposed chest.

"I assume that he is not a friend," she stated.

Xena slapped a hand on the captive's head. "My granddaughter has a bounty on her head. Someone attempted to kill her. This is one of the men who were involved in the scheme. He speaks your language."

"Ah," Eksama understood everything now. "You want me to make him talk? He's not one of my men if that's what you're thinking."

"Now, now," she wagged her finger. "I _never_ said that. Be a dear and interrogate him. Maybe he'll talk for you. I obviously couldn't get him to utter a word except call me horrible names."

Eksama lifted the man's chin with a finger and felt nauseous at the sight of the ghastly wounds. She didn't know how the man was still alive and wasn't sure if he was up to talking, if he could.

"You did a number on him. I'll see what I can do but I can't promise anything."

"Great, I'll leave you to it then." Xena clamped her hand on the commander's shoulder. "While you're busy with that you don't mind if I take a look around the camp, do you?" she winked and slowly sauntered off towards the front lines of soldiers.

Eksama knew she was being watched constantly and now she knew why the khanum had come here early. The real reason was obvious. Xena didn't come here with a prisoner to be interrogated. She wanted to spy on the camp and how the army was operating in terms of attacking the Persians.

"Xena," she called with her back turned. "How is Anastasia?"

_Does she really care_? Xena studied the woman's stance from afar. "Better."

"You aren't ever going to forgive me, are you?"

"Just interrogate the man."

* * *

Evening rolled around and while Xena scoped out the campsite, she could say she disapproved the way Eksama had the soldiers spread out the way that she did. She would never put so many men on the defense especially since the Persians were waiting on the other side of the mountains. Everything Eksama did was wrong. It was all wrong.

Gabrielle bumped her wife's arm and came to join her on the hill. Torches were lit throughout Jamasp's campsite. There were hundreds of tents and horsemen guarding the camp. It was too dark to tell if Jamasp kept ballistic weapons but knowing him, there were probably catapults saved for the attack.

"I just came from Eksama's tent. It didn't sound pretty," she shuddered, recalling the screams of the captive echoing in the camp. "If he doesn't talk soon I don't know what will happen. She might kill him."

Xena took in a deep breath. "She won't kill him. She knows better."

"I know you don't trust her and I'm partially to blame for that," Gabrielle said quietly.

"You didn't blind my daughter, Gabrielle. She did that, _not_ you."

"But I gave her the role of commander."

Xena turned and gripped her wife's arms. "We're not talking about that anymore. We've moved on." She said and Gabrielle gave a slow head nod. "I'm the one who bestowed the title to her in the end. She won it fair and square."

"Yet here you are, judging her strategies." Gabrielle slyly said. "I know what you're doing, Xena. You can't let it go. You can't let anyone upstage you."

"It's not about that," Xena defensively spat. "She's got the army scattered."

Gabrielle snuffed a laugh. "Trust her, Xena. Easier said than done, I know. You're going to have to let this go. She knows what she's doing."

"Does she?" she revealed a menacing frown to which Gabrielle backed off.

To break the silence, Eksama trotted through the thick grass and wiped the blood on her chin. She took off her gloves and smiled awkwardly at the two. She was sure that Xena was judging her on the way she was conducting soldier placement.

"His name is Tait, although I'm sure that's not his real name given the meaning," she snickered under her breath and Xena's frown deepened. "He didn't tell me who he works for but he did say that he's from the Antes tribe."

Gabrielle snapped her fingers. "Antes. Csaba mentioned that tribe in his letter to Arielle. Is Elemund aligned with that tribe?"

Pain clearly crossed Eksama's face at the mention of her adopted son. "I believe he is from what my spy told me. Justinian is funding that tribe as well as the Lombards and Franks."

"They're creating a huge alliance. I don't think it was a good idea to join forces with Justinian after all. He wants a peaceful Persia because it helps him form a huge empire to fight us in the future." Gabrielle pinched the bridge of her nose and let out a frustrated sigh.

"I told Csaba that we don't need the Byzantines but he was adamant that we keep them to fight the Shah," said Eksama.

Xena's eyes darted to the Persian camp and felt a burst of fire swelling in the pit of her stomach. They were caught in between two enemies and yet helping both of them at the same time. If Shah Kavad was going to be broken out of prison and put back on the throne, it would weaken Justinian. He always wanted to be on top and what better way to do that than to ally with his foe to put Kavad back on the throne all while building a stronger and more diverse empire from varying northern tribes.

"You're right, Eksama."

Both Gabrielle and Eksama widened their eyes at her sudden honesty.

"Justinian allied with us because he needed a distraction. Whatever he and Elemund are up to isn't going to be good for any of us," Xena raised her chin and frowned at the Byzantine soldiers huddled on the west side of the camp. "And he wants Arielle dead so his allies can take over Scythia."

Gabrielle could sense there was going to be a change of plans. Her wife's recent impulsive behavior was something to be cautious of. Dealing with multiple entities was not unusual in war but this time was different. They were allied with Shah Kavad and their goals of dethroning his son were only one part of this massive conflict. Justinian had plans to completely wipe out the Huns and Avars.

"What are you thinking?"

"We're going to send the Byzantines back to their emperor," Xena said with a smile.

Gabrielle pursed her mouth. "Pardon? It's too late to do that. They're already here."

"I never said that we'd send them back _alive_." She circled around Gabrielle and met with the commander. "Eksama, provoke a riot and kill all of the Byzantine soldiers in this camp."

Eksama's eyes grew wild. "You and I think alike."

"Let's not get carried away." She began walking to Eksama's tent to release the prisoner as promised.

Gabrielle didn't understand what just happened in those last few seconds. One moment everyone was on each other's side and now there was going to be a massacre.

"Xena, you're going to weaken the defense if you kill the Byzantines."

"We have Arielle's men with us. We don't need Justinian's men to fight this war." She untied the man supposedly named 'Tait' and threw him to the floor. "You're free to go. Take the horse on which you arrived on and go back to where you came from."

Tait rose to his feet and hobbled out of the tent, holding his sore ribs. He glared at Gabrielle on his way out and pushed through the tent flap.

Gabrielle adjusted her gauntlets and turned to her oddly calm wife. "We can't possibly kill all of the Byzantines. Some are going to escape and tell Justinian that we violated the treaty."

"Good. I want Justinian to know what a piece of shit he is."

"I hope you know what you're doing."

Xena stood before her wife and caressed her arms. "Justinian had this coming, Gabrielle. He's the one who violated the treaty when he tried to assassinate Arielle."

She had a point there, the governor thought. She kissed her wife's hand. "How can I help? You're not going to let Eksama do all your dirty work alone."

* * *

_Scythia_

Aurora completed her work for the day and since it was Friday she didn't have Ku-Ilm to follow her around for the remainder of the day. Bored after a couple of hours of alone time in her bedroom she went to the large sitting room which was very similar to the women's quarters in the Adames.

The women were gathered in a circle, gushing over fabrics brought in by the head seamstress. Aurora went to look for her mother but Kuba kindly kicked her out of the conference room and told her to come back later. She stood by the entrance and listened to all the women talking all at once and passing off the fabric to Cera and Pamira to look over.

She skipped over and tugged on her grandmother's sleeve to get her attention. Anastasia turned to her with a big smile and kissed her hand.

"_Tatli kiz_, sit with us. We're picking out fabric for Cera and Pamira. Would you like to help?"

Aurora scrunched her face. "No thanks. Will you play a game with me?"

"Not right now, _sevimli_ _kiz_," Ana squeezed the girl's arm. "What do you think of this?" she presented a yard of dark blue fabric.

Aurora expressed dim interest in the choice of fabric. She shrugged a shoulder and grabbed Ana's arm. "Grandma khatun, come on, let's play a game. I wanna play backgammon."

"We will play another time, Aurora. Right now I'm doing this, okay?"

"You're always spending time with Teyze Cera and Pamira!" she yelled and all the women fell silent.

Yana suggested, "I'm sure we'd love your input, Aurora. I was going to go to the market to buy some items for the party. Maybe you could help pick out a few gifts for your baby cousins."

"I don't want to go to the market!" she raised her voice and balled her tiny fists. "I wanna play a game!"

She was really trying Anastasia's patience. She grabbed her defiant granddaughter's wrist firmly. "I _said_ we will play another time. If you don't want to help then you can go to your room until you've calmed down."

"I am calm and I don't need to listen to _you_!"

Arielle walked in and heard the last bit of the argument between her mother and daughter.

"_Aurora_!" she yelled and the princess craned her neck. "You can't speak to your grandmother like that." She marched over and gripped Aurora's shoulder. "Apologize. Now."

The little princess folded her arms and lifted her chin, staring down at Anastasia. She was given a hard shove by her mother and still she refused to utter an apology.

"I said _apologize_." Arielle said in a low growl. She was met with silence. "Go to your room. I'll deal with you later."

Aurora huffed and spun around then shoved her mother as hard as her little body possible could though her mother didn't even stagger backward an inch. She gazed up into her mother's furious eyes and then ran out of the room.

Arielle sighed and glanced at all of the women, a bit embarrassed by her daughter's behavior. She rubbed the back of her neck with an apologetic smile.

"I'm sorry mother. I don't know what's gotten into her."

"She needs children her own age to play with. She can't study all the time," said Ana. She tossed the fabric on the floor.

Arielle nodded and was met with Kuba standing right behind her. He greeted the women with a warm smile then whispered into Arielle's ear. At the news, her mouth gaped which caused everyone to crinkle their eyebrows at her reaction.

"Are you fucking kidding me?!" she barked in Kuba's face. "Sorry everybody. I have to go. I'm _really_ sorry, mother." She pleaded with clasped hands while backing away hastily.

* * *

Xerxes was in the middle of writing in his room until Kuba hurried into his room and called him to the conference chamber. Breathlessly, he stood in front of Arielle sitting on the chaise, drumming her fingers on her knees impatiently.

"I'm here. What's the big emergency?" he asked.

"We have a fucking problem." She groaned and sat back, stroking her hair. "I received a letter from my father. He said that Tegin and Siyawush are blowing up the prison! They've let every criminal out of Anosbord!"

"That is…definitely a problem," he approached her and she put a halt to him with a raise of her hand. "Did they get my father out?"

She pressed a finger to her pulsating temple. "I assume so. I need a report from Gabrielle as soon as possible. This war could go on for a long time. This rescue mission was supposed to be discreet! Now that's ruined!"

He tapped his boot on the rug and avoided eye contact. "My father will be safe in Balaam for awhile. My brothers will attack once they figure out who's behind this."

"Then we better hope this war ends quickly," she jumped up from the chaise. "I have to go talk to Aurora. She had a little outburst earlier and yelled at my mother."

Xerxes smiled and took her hand, kissing her knuckles. "You have enough on your plate. Let me talk to Aurora. She _likes_ me," he flashed a charming smile.

"You'll do that?" she asked skeptically and he raised his eyebrows. "I can't let you do that. She's my daughter, not yours. I need to set her straight. She can't talk back to my mother like that."

"Looks like she's taking after you," he hinted.

"_Oh_…" she chewed on her bottom lip. "God, what kind of mother am I?" She slapped her cheeks and moaned. "She's copying my bad behavior! How could I allow this to happen?"

"Don't be so hard on yourself." He pecked her forehead. "Let me talk to her. If I'm going to be around you then that means I'll be around Aurora too. She should be comfortable with me, right?"

She was puzzled and touched by his willingness to conform to her family no matter what his mother or father thought of their relationship. She took his hands and she embraced him with her rose colored cheek settled in the crook of his neck.

"Where have you been all my life?" she muttered.

"Fighting your family," he jested and then she pulled back and whacked him across the chest. "I'll go talk to her. We'll get started on that bow I promised to help her make. That'll give her something to do."

She twirled a strand of his hair around her finger. "You really don't have to do this."

"I want to."

* * *

_The Caucasus_

Well into the morning, the massacre of the Byzantines continued. Gabrielle continued to send Avar archers out to continue the round of arrows. She had the higher ground and watched as hundreds upon hundreds men were slaughtered be it by arrow or sword.

She yelled at the top of her lungs to send in the next wave of archers. Her voice had gone hoarse since yesterday afternoon. As much as Xena wanted to be on the field Gabrielle made sure to keep her far away from all the action. Surprisingly, Xena was amenable and bended to her condition. Gabrielle was impressed that Xena was able to keep off the field but of course that didn't stop her from overseeing the soldiers from afar. Strategy was her game and this little plan was definitely a huge game to her.

Eksama steered her horse across the field and trotted over to the line of archers. Her hair wild like a cluster of roaring flames, eyes untamed and Byzantine blood spattered on her armor and smeared on her cheeks.

"A hundred of them escaped!" she yelled in the midst of the chaos.

Gabrielle heard her and waved her hand for the archers to make their marks. She sauntered away from her legion and looked back at Xena standing by the tents talking to a group of Avars.

"Let them go. Xena wants them to flee." Her eyes darted to the Persian camp and they were beginning to spread out along the mountains. "We need to focus on Shah Jamasp now."

Eksama nodded and heaved from exhaustion. "What's the best method to use against the Persians?"

Caught off guard, Gabrielle stuttered. "Um, Persians love ballistic weapons. You can count on them having a few catapults."

"We don't have any of those."

"That never stopped us before," Gabrielle smiled sneakily. "I'll tell you a secret. Xena loves to use Roman formations in battle: three large blocks of soldiers on the field and archery front-liners and those on the defense as well on the sidelines."

Eksama crinkled her nose and wiped the blood from her cheeks. "That's a little predictable."

"It works every time but she also likes to use spiral formations."

"Spiral?"

Gabrielle rested a hand on her hip. "It's a head on attack and she leads the charge first. She guides horsemen into a spiral with archers shooting on the outer rim. She traps the enemies in the center of the spiral and it confuses them so they don't know who to attack first."

The gears were churning in the commander's head. "Do you think Xena could explain it to me?"

* * *

Exhaustion and sleep deprivation affected not only Eksama but Gabrielle and Xena too. Hours after the massacre of the Byzantine soldiers, many of the Avars took to the field. Jamasp was not only advancing his men through the mountains at an incredible pace but he also loaded the catapults with heavy ammunition.

Eksama didn't exactly have a set plan mapped out and it took some time before Gabrielle could find some parchment to work with. She sketched a quick map of the area with some charcoal she scrounged up from a soldier's supplies. She drew each side of the opposing armies and marked their army with 'X's' and Persians with 'O's'.

Gabrielle wiped her blackened hands on her coat's breast and passed the charcoal over to her partner. "The floor is yours, Xena. Tell her everything you know."

Eagerly, Eksama leaned her palms on the table and tilted her head from side to side, studying the map. She was impressed with the detailed map which was drawn in a matter of minutes. Working under her husband for years didn't prove her worth until she was able to put her skills to the test when she fought against Ernak and Csaba.

Xena drew a few lines on the Persian side of the map. "Jamasp has a row of catapults. It's dire that we take those out first before we begin a head on attack. How many catapults are there?" she asked Gabrielle.

"Twelve confirmed but he probably has more. It wouldn't surprise me if he had siege towers."

Eksama blew out a large gust of air. "Siege towers, huh?" she pointed to the 'O's' on the map. "I won't be able to take out twelve catapults and defend the army at once. This would be easier if I was _allowed_ to bring my ballistic machines."

"You have to work with what you got," said Xena and circled the lines she drew earlier. "Even if you take out half of his catapults you still have a chance."

"Persians are show offs," Eksama chuckled. "They like big fancy machines to show who has the bigger cock in war."

Gabrielle muffled her laugh with a tight mouth at the comment and saw her wife's cheeks redden. She turned and covered her mouth, continuing to guffaw.

Eksama lifted her eyes and gave an uneven smile. "Am I wrong?"

"No…uh, you're right on the mark," Xena awkwardly replied. "_Big_ egos. Anyway, you need to destroy the catapults. We can use block formations until the machines are destroyed."

The commander drummed her fingers on the desk. "Show me the spiral formation. I need to know how it works in the field."

Xena dipped her head and glared at Gabrielle. "That…tactic won't work in a tight space. There isn't a lot of leeway between the mountains. You'd lead the army to their deaths."

"Either way I need to get close enough to dismantle the catapults. A hundred archers on horseback aren't going to take those things down." Eksama arched her brow. "_Explain_ the spiral tactic, khanum."

There was a long moment of silence and Gabrielle chewed on her fingernails. Xena and Eksama were staring each other down, both studying each other's next moves and predicting who was to say what next. Two headstrong and stubborn women in one tent wasn't the brightest idea. It was definitely a recipe for clashing opinions and both had a superiority complex and competition between them.

Xena broke the tension. "Fine, but on one condition." She stared directly into the commander's amber eyes. "We use block formations on the defense and I'm in charge of the archers."

"That's _two_ conditions." Eksama said seriously and then winked with a sneer. "I'm just pulling your leg, khanum. Back to business." She tapped the map.

* * *

_Scythia_

To pique her interest, Xerxes instructed Aurora on how to build the foundations of a recurve bow from his motherland. It took some time for him to get the princess to open up and even allow him entry into her bedroom. Using materials that he ordered from the armory he coached Aurora on how to bend the wood with minor tools.

They sat together on the floor and Aurora meticulously bound the leather around the end of the bow while asking minimal questions during the process. Since this was her first time learning how to construct a bow it required a lot of patience and thankfully Xerxes had more patience than anyone. He answered all of her questions and helped her with the leather.

Arielle peered through the crack of the door at the two bonding together. She leaned her hip against the wall and folded her arms across her chest. Smiling at the two exchanging a quiet conversation together was the highlight of her day.

Out of the corner of her eye she saw her mother approaching. She straightened up and hid her embarrassment with a veil of curls covering half her face.

Anastasia stood beside her daughter and peeked into the bedroom at the two blurry figures inside. She recognized both figures as Xerxes and Aurora.

"What's going on in there?" she asked quietly.

Arielle brushed a tendril behind her ear. "Xerxes is teaching Aurora how to make a bow." She turned her body to face the khatun. "Mother, I am so sorry. Aurora should've never talked back to you like that."

"It's alright," Ana shrugged it off.

"No it's not! This is my fault. I'm supposed to set a good example for her and it doesn't help that I sometimes lash out at you and grandma."

Anastasia's eyebrow rose. "She pays attention more than you think she does."

"I'm a terrible mother."

"You're not, Arielle. Mothering is never easy no matter how _old_ your child is," she nudged her daughter's elbow. "Aurora is older now and she's just starting to figure out who she is and express her authority."

Arielle huffed. "She still can't talk to you like that. I don't want her to be like me. I want to raise her right and I've already screwed that up by not providing her a good father."

The khatun released a muffled laugh.

"Mother, this is not funny."

"It isn't your fault that Bayan had an affair, Arielle. Bayan is her father but Xerxes seems to be doing a fine job with her so far," she nudged her head to the bedroom.

Arielle's attention was drawn to her daughter and Xerxes again. This felt like a strange alternate reality. She could never see Bayan with their daughter like this. He was very helpful and easy to be around during their daughter's birthday ceremony but they only spoke for a few minutes the entire three days he was here.

She thought about Bayan's offer to allow their daughter to go spend time with him in the other Avar palace. Seeing Aurora with Xerxes and remembering how her parents were split when she was young, made her realize that she wasn't doing Aurora any favors by keeping her away from Bayan. Arielle had her father there for her always but when he wasn't there, Ellac was.

The only difference between the two situations was that an affair wasn't the cause of her parents' divorce.

"I should tell Aurora about Bayan's son," she divulged.

Anastasia, surprised by her daughter's words, turned her eyes away from the room. "Are you sure you want to do that?"

"Yes." Arielle lowered her eyes. "She should know that she has a brother especially if I'm going to let her go see Bayan every once in awhile."

Ana smiled and kissed Arielle's temple. "That's very mature. I'm proud of you, _tatli kiz_."

"She can go visit him once a month and spend birthdays with him but he is not, I repeat he is _not_, allowed to come here!" she assertively put her foot down.

The princess got to her feet and was very anxious to show her mother the progress she made on her new bow. She ran to the door and rose to her toes and pulled the door handle. She gaped at her mother and grandmother standing just outside the door. She had a feeling she was being watched for some time now.

She swallowed the lump in her throat and held the unfinished bow in her palms. "Grandma khatun…" she sheepishly greeted.

Anastasia knelt down on one knee. "That's a very nice bow you got there. Did you and Shehzade Xerxes make that?"

"Mhm," she refused to look into Ana's eyes.

Xerxes gave her a gentle nudge and she inhaled then looked into her grandmother's eyes fearfully. Her gaze averted to her mother standing in the hallway. Suddenly, there was an immense amount of pressure put on her.

"I'm…sorry," she murmured.

"Apology accepted." Ana smiled and kissed the girl's forehead. "Yana hasn't gone to the market yet if you still want to join her."

* * *

_The Caucasus_

"Don't stop shooting until I say otherwise!" Xena yelled at the archers.

Only two days after the onslaught with the Byzantines, Jamasp and his army decided to attack. Unlike his family members, he didn't use the catapults immediately. He was saving his heavy ammunition for when everyone's defenses were down. Most of the fighting was long range which was very peculiar for a Persian.

Normally, from Xena's experience, Persians would attack using all of their assets: swordsmen, spear throwers, archers and catapults. It was a quick way to end a war. But Jamasp was not like the other Sassanians. He was going to tire his archers and save his brute force for later.

She walked behind the archers and met with Gabrielle who observing the battle of the arrows. They both stood, arms crossed, and mouths pursed. Their eyes followed the Persian arrows raining down on the defense block in the crevice of the mountains.

"This isn't going like I thought it would," Xena declared in slight disappointment.

"Agreed."

Gabrielle cocked her head to the side when arrows pierced their archers' and fell to the ground. She was too worried about the outcome of this little archery battle to mourn over the losses. She was sure that Xena didn't expect this many losses in such a short span of time.

One of their three block formations had dismantled and the soldiers ran back to the camp once they realized the Persian rain of arrows wasn't going to cease.

"Dammit!" Xena screeched. "Where's Eksama? This isn't working!"

She searched the area and a loud horn was blasted into her ear. She grabbed the horn blower by the collar and threw the man aside. The ringing in her head caused her vision to distort for a few seconds. She kept walking across the camp and Csaba trotted in.

He immediately saw the bloody field and was outraged by the amount of corpses displayed from his side. He growled and marched over to his grandmother.

"What the fuck is going on? Are _you_ in charge of this disaster?" he gestured to the failing plan before them all.

"I was about to find Eksama. We need to change our strategy. Jamasp isn't like most Persians and he has three times the archers that we do and this time…they're actually _good_," she made a small joke and Csaba was unimpressed.

His upper lip twitched. "You better fix this, grandma. I was told the Persians have almost fifteen catapults."

Xena rubbed her lips together, unsure of what to say. He was very angry.

"I wrote Oran and told him to give us his catapults." He brushed by her to oversee the damage. "Holy…god, what the hell?!" he slapped his thigh.

"You asked Oran and Ebnedzar to come?" she asked skeptically.

Csaba craned his neck. "Yes and I'm glad I did!" he searched for his aunt. "Where is Eksama? Tell everyone to fall back, now!"

Gabrielle overheard his orders and she signaled the horns to be sounded and flags to be raised to call a retreat. All of the soldiers began making their way back to camp and even though it was apparent that there was a temporary fall back and truce, Jamasp's men kept firing. Gabrielle stood by and watched several Avars tumble into the grass with multiple arrows plunged into their backs and lower legs.

Very few times had she seen a retreat and never had she seen the opposing side continue to attack. She narrowed her eyes and scanned the field and heard Csaba calling out for Eksama.

While she heard the sounds of yelling, arrows snapping, soldiers crying out, she blocked everything out and focused on the field. Close to Jamasp's camp, she spotted long flowing red hair wafting in the wind. Eksama.

Gabrielle staggered forward and a few soldiers bumped her shoulders. Too frozen to notice, she gaped at the sight before her. Eksama ignored everything she and Xena talked about days ago. She went out with elite Avars and went about commandeering one of the Shah's catapults.

"She's stealing a catapult," she uttered softly.

Xena gripped her shoulder. "Gabrielle! We need to go to the camp for safety!" she advised. Her wife refused to budge. "Gabrielle! Come on! Why are you standing there?"

Gabrielle lifted her arm slowly and pointed to the field.

There, she followed Gabrielle's finger and gasped. Eksama now confiscated one of the catapults while Avars fought off the Persians who attempted to attack her. In the field, Eksama instructed the men to load the catapult and centered the machine to aim directly at the mountainside.

"Oh, she's more insane than I thought."

Csaba grabbed both of their shoulders and tried to pull them away. "Have you two seen Eksama? We need to get to the tents!"

Xena and Gabrielle pointed to the field and he parted their shoulders and stepped in between them.

"What…the fuck is she doing?" his voice was wobbly and unstable by his fury building within.

An eerie silence fell over the field and then a loud boom echoed throughout the territory.

It was as if everybody stopped fighting and turned their heads to the smoldering mountain that crumbled down onto the field. Csaba stood with wide eyes as he watched an avalanche unleash onto the battlefield crushing Persians.

"God almighty," Xena yanked on Csaba's arm. "We need to go!"

Gabrielle acted instantly and rounded up the soldiers. She was on crowd control and forced everybody to leave the area. She mistakenly looked back and saw hundreds of Persians being buried by rubble and snow on the mountains that lingered from last winter. She persevered and pushed the soldiers up the hill.

"_Csaba_!" Xena barked. "Stop standing there like a gazelle!"

He finally came to his senses and acted. "Right!" he charged through the sea of soldiers. "Everyone vacate the area! Leave your posts and weapons!"

Riding furiously through the field, Eksama dangerously outran the avalanche which chased her. She peered over her shoulder at the mountain of snow and rock following behind. She saw one of the Avar men being swallowed by the monstrous muddy snow slide.

She stripped herself of the heavy armor and coat she wore to lighten her load. She unhooked the sword at her hip and slashed the saddlebags tied to the saddle. The roaring avalanche behind her rung in her ears as she continued to dart and weave through the barren field, stomping on dead bodies of Persians, Avars and Huns.

Xena waited atop of the hill watching Eksama play a dangerous game of chicken. She could barely watch as the commander struggled to guide her steed up the hill.

Once the area had been cleared, Gabrielle double-checked for any soldiers left behind. She ran back to the hill and found her wife standing by herself. This was no time to be fearless.

"Xena! What are you doing?" she cried.

Eksama fought the losing battle of trying to force her exhausted horse to climb the hill. She felt the animal slipping down further and further down leading them both to their deaths. She leaned forward on the saddle, forcing all of her weight to push the horse up the hill. Sweat drenched her hands and the reins slipped out of her palms. Her body reared backward, nearly causing her to topple off the horse.

On the verge of bursting into tears as death was calling her name, light shined down upon her. She gazed up at Xena holding a hand to help her. She smiled graciously and took Xena's offered hand and she was lifted off the saddle and dragged up the hill, scraping her legs and unarmored chest along the rough rocky hillside. Her horse was swallowed instantaneously.

Xena pulled up the commander and wrapped an arm around her.

"You saved me…" Eksama said warily.

"Don't get too excited."

Gabrielle smiled in relief and waved over to them to hurry across the hill to safety on the other side of the mountains where the camp was stationed. Eksama hung onto Xena's shoulders and hobbled her way over to the anxious governor who kept waving her arms in the air speedily.

As soon as they were in the clear, barely missing the roaring wave of snow and mud, Eksama collapsed into Xena's arms. She carefully lowered Eksama's thin body onto the ground and cradled her head in the crook of her arm.

"Get one of the men to carry her to a tent," she told Gabrielle.

Csaba pushed through the crowd and rushed over to the edge of the camp. He caught a glimpse of auburn hair splayed across the grass and felt his heart sank to the pit of his stomach. Hesitantly, he approached then dropped to his knees at the sight of Eksama's limp body in his grandmother's arms.

"Is…she…?"

Xena checked Eksama's pulse. "No, she's very much alive."

He let out a sigh of relief.

She crinkled her eyebrows at the warm liquid she felt on her palm. She lifted Eksama's tunic to reveal a large gash across the entirety of her torso beginning from her hip to her left breast.

Moments later Gabrielle returned with a couple of willing soldiers to help. They gently lifted Eksama onto a stretcher and carried her to a nearby tent. Gabrielle got a good look at the gash and felt sick.

"Is she going to be alright?"

Xena stood and wiped her bloody hands on her coat. "She'll be fine. It's not a deep wound. When she wakes up she's going to have a lot more to worry about than a chest wound."

"That was a very risky thing she did," Gabrielle grabbed her spouse's hand and walked to the tented area.

"She was so close to death."

Gabrielle smiled, leaning her head on Xena's shoulder. "But you saved her. That's a ghastly wound she's got. She's going to be held up for awhile. You know this isn't going to stop Jamasp. He's going to come after us harder and stronger than ever before."

Xena sighed and peeked through the tent at the soldiers tending to Eksama's wounds. It wouldn't be long before Eksama was to wake up writhing in pain but the soldiers were working as fast as they could. Eksama's fingers twitched as her body was being jostled and prodded.

"Hey," Gabrielle pulled her wife away from the tent. "We should rest. She'll still be there tomorrow."

* * *

_Scythia_

Arielle found her daughter in the one place she didn't think to look first: the bedroom. She quietly slipped into the room and shut the door, trying not to alarm her daughter's study session. She stood in front of the bed for a few moments until Aurora caught her shadow.

"Mom!" she set down her notepad and pen. "I was writing some Latin. Wanna see?"

"Maybe later." Arielle sat down and scooped her daughter into her arms. "I have something that I've been meaning to tell you for awhile."

Aurora played with her mother's hair. "Is it bad?"

That definitely depends on the reception but she was already here. There's no turning back now and she didn't know what to expect from Aurora. She went over this conversation with Ku for the last few days over and over again. She also spoke to her mother as well and she was convinced she was ready. But now that she had her daughter present, she wasn't so sure this was a good idea.

Her stomach knotted and felt like vomiting. "No, it's not bad," she said. "You would like to spend some time with your father, yes?"

Aurora looked up at her mother. "Yeah!"

She should just get this over with. Arielle took in a deep breath. "You should know that you have a little brother."

Aurora crinkled her nose and peered down at her mother's stomach. "You're having a baby too?"

Arielle's cheeks flushed. "No, no. No, I'm not." She adjusted her daughter on her lap. "Your father had a baby with Sarnai. They're married now, remember?" she asked and Aurora kept staring at her confusedly. "You can go spend time with your father once a month like you used to in Harran. I'm sure your brother would love to meet you."

The princess tapped her cheek pensively. "A little brother," she whispered. "I'm a big sister?"

"That's right." Arielle pinched her daughter's arm. "What do you think? Would you want to go see your father _and_ meet your brother?"

Aurora's face lit up and hopped off her mother's lap. "Do you think my brother will like me? Can I bring him some presents? I can teach him Latin!"

This wasn't exactly the reaction she was looking for but she was happy to hear that Aurora was very accepting of this jarring news. When she was a girl, younger than Aurora, she was absolutely furious when she found out that she was going to be a big sister, not once, but twice in one year. Aurora was light-years ahead of her maturity-wise. She thought she at least did something right.

"You'll be a great big sister, _tatli kiz_."

* * *

_The Caucasus_

A few days of coming and going in and out of consciousness, Eksama woke up groggily. Her eyes fluttered and with every move she made she felt the stitches on her abdomen and chest twitch and sting. She turned over onto her side with great effort and let out a dry heave.

Startled by Xena who sat on a stool beside the bed, she nearly jumped back. She lifted herself up off the cot and rested her cheek on her palm with a supporting elbow on the pillows.

"Khanum…" she hissed with a sharp painful inhale. "How long have you…been here?"

Xena grinned weakly. "Awhile. How are you feeling?"

"I've felt better." Eksama peeked under the sheet at the large bandages wrapped around her body. "I never got the chance to say thank you."

"Don't thank me yet."

Outside the tent several horses galloped through the camp and soldiers yelled at one another. Eksama furrowed her eyebrows at the ruckus outside and she attempted to get out of her sick bed. Xena reached over and firmly clasped a hand on Eksama's arm.

"You aren't going anywhere."

"What's going on out there?" asked Eksama.

"Jamasp is gathering his troops. We're going to attack him soon."

The commander huffed and slowly rose, adjusting her stiff body. She put an arm around her sore midsection and looked down at the blood seeping through the gauze bandages.

"I should be there…"

Xena nodded. "Yes, you _should_ be."

Eksama sneered. "I see. You're going to take over for me."

"For now but I need you to heal. You're a valuable asset to the army." Xena stood up and saw the shock on the redhead's face. "Don't ever do something like that again. Next time you might not be so lucky and I won't be there to save you."

Eksama hung her head shamefully. "Thanks."

"I'll send Gabrielle in to go over battle plans with you." she tidied up the tent to keep her mind busy. "Csaba was very worried about you. I'll tell him you're awake." She trailed backward and flashed a quick smile then disappeared.


	40. Chapter 40

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After a failed attempt to kill off Arielle, the Antes messenger returns to his superior to reveal his failures. Gabrielle takes charge by giving commands to her wife but plays by her own rules by conversing with the enemy. Xena tests out some new skills that she learns from Arielle, hoping to save Gabrielle and distract the Persians.

**As of this chapter we will now be dealing with entities other than Byzantines/Romans and Persians! Exciting, isn't it? I'm excited lol. Thank you for reading and following along, lovely readers :)**

Chapter 40 –_War of The Shahs: Part II_

_Sukow, Baltic Sea_

Riding endless nights and days, the man named _Tait_, arrived to his tribe. Upon his arrival he received several unwelcoming glares from his people. His skin was burnt from the blistering sun and his body quenching for thirst from dehydration. Tait nearly fell from his horse and he wandered over to the nearest well.

The men surrounding him blocked the well. He scowled and then saw a drinking pool where the horses drank from daily. He dropped to his knees and dunked his head in the lukewarm water, slurping up every bit of water that he could.

A hand grabbed him by his long blonde locks and reared his head back. Water dripped down his chin and his eyes gazed up at the commanding officer of the tribe. He knew that he was going to receive more beatings the minute he returned home once his ruler found out that he failed in his mission. They all failed.

Radogost, a tall thin officer with stick straight golden hair that reached his navel, was one of the most important men in the tribe. He spoke for their chieftain and carried out every single message that went in and out of this tribe.

He bent over, glaring into the failed mercenary's eyes. "I wasn't expecting your return, Herleif. You should've killed yourself instead of allowing your capture." He pushed Herleif to the ground and others laughed about.

"I need to speak with the chieftain!"

Radogost let out a throaty laugh and others joined in. He kicked the mercenary in the gut and then drew his blade to strike.

"You have the gall to show your face after you _failed_ to murder the Hun Empress," he stomped his boot on Herleif's head.

He saw his life flashing before his eyes and his face sunk deeper into the soil. "Eksama allied with the Huns!"

"Radogost!" the Chieftain emerged from his tent and the camp silenced. "Let him go."

The commanding officer withdrew and took a few steps back. He sheathed his weapon and folded his arms. The Chieftain approached the beaten mercenary and allowed him to get to proper footing. He cocked his head at the young assassin and smirked.

Herleif had never seen the chieftain before and felt immediately intimidated by the man's piercing blue eyes and strong build. He rubbed his sore stomach and straightened his spine out as best as he could without showing any sign of weakness.

"The Gepid Queen is an ally of the Huns," stated Chieftain Mezamir.

"Yes…yes sir."

Mezamir rubbed his wiry long red beard and nodded. "Prince Elemund failed to disclose this to us," he turned to his shamefaced commanding officer. "How did you come by this information, boy?"

Herleif spoke hoarsely, "she interrogated me, Chieftain. She's in the Caucasus Mountains with the Huns. They –they are fighting the Persians," he stammered.

The redheaded chieftain nodded slowly, examining the young man's brutal wounds. It was clear he'd been tortured for more than a couple of days. His body was covered in bruises and gashes that would soon turn into scars with time.

He whipped out a dagger from his belt and plunged it into Herleif's stomach. He held the mercenary's shoulder and continually stabbed him. Blood spattered on his leather armored vest and Herleif gasped for air and he slid down, holding onto Mezamir until he collapsed onto the ground.

With an arm wrapped around his gut wounds, he sputtered blood onto the grass. He looked to the sky and let out a heavy gasp which was his last and thick blood poured from his mouth and trickled down his chin and throat.

Mezamir spun around and wiped the blade clean with his palm. He smiled at Radogost and everyone in the camp gawked at him in fear.

"Send a message to Alduin. Tell him that we no longer _need_ Prince Elemund."

Radogost bowed. "Yes, Chieftain." He parted a path for his ruler to pass. "What of the Hun Empress?"

Mezamir halted and sent a malicious glare to the blonde officer. "Let her come to us. We will have patience. It is too risky to send another assassin to Scythia. Her palace will be heavily guarded by now."

* * *

_The Caucasus_

Catapults or not, Shah Jamasp continued to attack for more than seven days straight. The Avars were spreading thin as more and more soldiers continued to injure themselves on the front line. The archers were stationed closer to the camp and continued to fire with minimal breaks to conserve energy.

Oran and Ebnedzar arrived a day after the stunt that Eksama pulled. They brought more soldiers from the Gokturk army and three catapults since it was all that they had. Even though the Persians kept attacking using brute force instead of their usual tactic using archers and skilled horsemen, Oran was unable to put the catapults to good use.

Xena stood behind the archers and observed how Jamasp was using everything he had to combat them. Unfortunately for them, the army kept dwindling despite the loss of the Persians' ballistic weapons legion. Of all of the Sassanians, Jamasp was the most prepared and he rivaled his family members, Hormizd and Peroz, who were deemed unstoppable for decades.

In Csaba's tent, Gabrielle recorded the events over the last couple of weeks. During the war she had an argument with Xena but she deduced that it was due to exhaustion and frustration of their immense loss of manpower which caused them both to bicker and snap at one another.

As she jotted down today's notes she sat at Csaba's desk and listened to him and Oran go back and forth. At first they were talking strategy but soon it turned into a full on argument and slew of personal attacks. Losing concentration, she slammed the quill down.

"Stop!" she yelled and grabbed their attention. "Stop fighting, both of you."

Oran and Csaba hung their heads shamefully and turned away from each other. With their backs turned, Gabrielle rose from the chair and ruffled her hair and let out a deep breath to soothe the angst swarming inside her.

"We need to retreat," she said.

Oran spun around. "What? No, we can't do that, Gabrielle!"

"We are _losing_!" she came to stand in between the men. "I haven't received a word from Navaz about Shah Kavad. Without that, it is pointless to continue this war with Jamasp. We're going to lose all of our men."

Csaba grimaced. "We have more men than he does. We can win this."

"And lose everyone in process? I don't think so, Csaba." She organized her notepad and stuffed it into her satchel. "I'm going to tell Xena to pull the soldiers back. I don't want any more arguments about this."

Just as the cousins were about to bicker, there was a series of explosions coming from outside and it sounded like they were coming from their side of the field. Gabrielle lifted her head calmly from her notes and her lip twitched. She turned on her heel and the two men stared at her with wide fearful eyes.

"I thought you said you weren't using the catapults," she said to Oran.

"I…I wasn't going to." his head throbbed. "I mean, I'm not."

She pushed her way through the men and exited the tent. Her keen ears didn't deceive her. The explosions did come from their side of the field. Xena was manning the catapults and instructing them to keep firing at the Persians.

"You've got to be kidding me."

She marched across the field and covered her ears from the loud explosion of the catapults going off. She grabbed Xena's arm and pulled her off to the side. Angrily, she glared up at Xena, her nostrils flared and cheeks flushed crimson.

"What are you doing? I thought we agreed _not_ to use the catapults."

"And I've decided that we are," Xena folded her arms.

Gabrielle's fingers twitched and she was so close to losing her temper. She set a hand over thumping chest and exhaled calmly. "Tell the men to fall back. We aren't going to win like this especially if you're using all of our ammunition."

"Fall back?" she laughed. "Gabrielle! We aren't going to win by using archers alone either! This way, I can kill large masses to hold Jamasp back."

"Xena, no! Tell the soldiers to _retreat_," she advised. "You're making irrational decisions without consulting anyone. This is a team effort and you're acting alone. I'm going to ask you to stand down."

Xena's eyebrows rose and disappeared beneath her headdress. "Stand down?"

"This isn't personal, Xena. I'm telling you as your governor to take a step back. You're being impulsive and it's dangerous. You're going to cost everyone their lives if you keep doing this." Gabrielle said and Xena was rendered speechless. "And as your friend –your spouse –you're scaring me."

She trailed back to the tents and crookedly smiled. She mouthed, 'I love you' and gave an apologetic expression then darted back to Csaba's tent to keep writing.

* * *

Ebnedzar strolled into his sister's tent to check up on her now that the camp was quiet but incredibly restless. Finally, his son and Csaba stopped disagreeing with each other and there was a bit of peace round the campsite. He took a seat on a stool and Eksama failed to see recognize his presence, though he knew it wasn't her intention to ignore him.

He loudly cleared his throat and Eksama sharply turned her head. She shifted on the bed and slowly lifted herself up and swung her legs over the edge of the cot.

"What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be outside with everyone?" she asked.

Ebnedzar shrugged a shoulder. "We pulled our men back. Xena was very hard to convince but she finally agreed."

She scratched the itchy wound across her flat abdomen. "She is very good at commanding an army."

"She's been doing it for a very long time. She doesn't always show the best judgment though." He leaned over and whispered, "don't tell her I said that."

Eksama grinned and set her eyes on her brother she hardly knew. "How long did it take for Xena to like you?"

"Seriously?" he snorted. "She _still_ doesn't like me." He watched Eksama's eyes fade dismally. "I'm joking of course. I didn't exactly give a good first impression to everyone and neither did you. It takes her a very long time to come around but she will, _eventually_."

"I doubt that. She hates me."

Ebnedzar nibbled on his lip and smoothed his fingers through his beard. "You did try to _kill_ Anastasia."

"I apologized for that!" she snapped back.

"Apologies sometimes aren't enough around here," he sadly admitted. "Time will be on your side, Eksama. If you truly want to assimilate with us you will have to make more of an effort. Giving Anastasia some serum to cure her loss of sight and apologizing isn't enough."

She slammed her palms on the bed and growled internally. "Then _what_ will be enough?"

"Be more involved with the family. Show that you want to be a part of their lives. Get to know each and every single person of the clan. Going around apologizing isn't going to do anything but bring up painful memories."

She felt like there was a weight on her chest and the more she spoke the harder it was for her to breathe. She sighed and smiled at her elder brother.

"I think Ernak is the only person who likes me. He's always nice to me. He's been nice to me from the very beginning."

Ebnedzar arched his eyebrow. "Listen, Ernak is a huge softie. He loves everybody but I'll tell you this; he doesn't trust you and he'll never let you be khatun of the clan. He swore on Ellac's grave that he'd never allow that to happen."

She swallowed her pride and lifted her chin. "I realize I will never be khatun. I've come to terms with that ever since I found Elemund betrayed me. I am happy with being queen and commander."

He chuckled and wagged his finger. "If Kreka was alive, she would've beheaded you."

"I hear so much about this woman yet she was the one who _knew_ about me all along," Eksama huffed. "She sent my mother an allowance for years!"

"Perhaps Kreka's heart wasn't so cold after all," he pursed his lips.

Oran darted into the tent, interrupting their conversation. He ran a hand over his hair and eyed his wounded aunt. He briefly flashed a smile at her then came around to stand in front of his father.

"Have you seen Gabrielle?" he whispered.

Ebnedzar stood with a furrowed brow. "What do you mean? She's not here?"

Oran hung his head. "Her horse is gone. Nobody knows where she is."

"Xena." He clasped his hands on Oran's shoulders. "Does she know about this? Did she send Gabrielle somewhere?"

"She's asleep in her tent."

"Fuck." Ebnedzar turned to his sister and then peeked out at the campsite. "Send scouts to search the area. She couldn't have gone far."

Oran gave a weary look. "Father, what about Xena? I don't want to be the one to tell her."

Eksama overheard their conversation and chimed in. "I'll tell her."

Oran laughed lightly. "Very funny, Eksama. You're wounded. Xena will just injure you further. You're staying here where you're safe."

She got to her feet and grabbed her sword resting against the tent wall. "I think I can handle it. She doesn't scare me."

"Well, she scares me," muttered Oran.

* * *

Gabrielle lurked in the trees in the Persian's camp. She saw Shah Jamasp talking with a few officers huddled in a circle. Coming here was probably the most ridiculous idea she ever had but she knew that nobody was going to allow her to do it. She left as soon as their camp settled in for the night and made sure that Xena was asleep.

She pulled out a scroll from her coat pocket and her heart raced. She didn't expect the Persians to be warm to her and she was alone. Also a dumb move, she thought. But this had to be done. This war was going to continue for another two weeks if she didn't put a stop to it. She couldn't look at Xena's face anymore. The war was consuming every bit of clarity Xena had.

After she saw Jamasp was alone, she trotted into the encampment. Soldiers immediately surrounded her in the darkness. Shah Jamasp hastily made his way over and looked behind Gabrielle to see if others were following her.

"I came alone," she stated and the Shah called his men off. "Nobody knows I've come."

The Shah snickered and stepped forward. "Governor, what a bold move. Have you come to plea for your surrender? I can't think of another reason why you'd bother coming here especially since I've killed over half of your soldiers."

Her fingers wrapped around the scroll, crinkling the parchment. If she was smart about this she could go back to camp unharmed and free from this war. She just needed to convince Shah Jamasp that she had confirmation that his father was freed from prison. She desperately needed this plan to work: a plan of coercion. She needed to dig deep inside her and bring out the confidence she claimed to have.

She was representing the entire empire at this point. If this failed her body could be met with the end of a sword. She chose to show complete serenity although her stomach was swimming and her heart beat rang in her ears.

"I've come to report that Shah Kavad has been released from Anosbord. He is on his way back to Persia and will dethrone you."

Jamasp's mouth parted. "Where is your proof?"

She extended her hand and he snatched the scroll from her. While he read over the document she forged, she turned and eyed the Hun camp on the west side of the mountains. There were several torches rapidly moving around. They must've figured out she was missing.

"Where is the seal?" he asked, drawing her attention back. "This letter was sent by _Xerxes_ yet there is no royal seal."

Her heart sank and she swallowed deeply. He isn't as dimwitted as his ancestors. He's not falling for her scheme.

Jamasp made his way over to a fire and dropped the falsified letter into the flames. He held his hands behind his back and turned with a smile, glaring at the governor with fire-lit dark eyes.

"Coming alone was a huge mistake, governor. Writing a false document was also a mistake. Is this how Huns conduct affairs? With lies and coercion?" he snorted a laugh.

Running away was impossible now. She thought for a split second of escaping but she'd be shot down before even making if halfway across the field.

"Detain her," he snapped his fingers.

* * *

_Balaam_

In the middle of the night General Zolten informed Navaz that Persians were crossing the borders of northern Armenia. Navaz dressed and went outside and stood behind the Adame to greet the said Persians. He didn't know what to expect when he saw a cluster of torches approaching his home.

He armed himself with several Sabirs, Gokturks and Huns along the border. Communication was scarce with Tegin Irkin and he supposed that was to keep everything a secret from the other Sassanians. Once he wrote that letter to Arielle he didn't receive any correspondence from Tegin and the other members of the clandestine team.

The horde of Persians approached close enough that their faces could be made out from the moonlight and torches which they carried. Zolten ran forward to meet with the head horseman who was guiding all of the Persians. There must've been over fifty men.

Navaz waited patiently until their identities were confirmed. Impatiently, he was ready to go out himself until Zolten trailed back, a bit calmer than he was just a few minutes ago.

"It is Tegin Irkin and Officer Siyawush," the General confirmed. "They have Shah Kavad with them."

Navaz scanned the horde and furrowed his thick brows together. "Which one is he?"

Zolten hesitated. "They want entry into Armenia and then the Shah will reveal himself once he's in the Adame."

The king laughed. "Fucking Persians," he pushed his general aside and looked to Tegin who had now revealed himself, wearing a dark hood. "You aren't allowed into my kingdom until the Shah shows his face."

Tegin smiled at Navaz. "I sense you do not trust me, your highness."

"Call me crazy but I don't have a good relationship with the Sassan family. My people are at war with one of them as we speak. I won't allow anyone into my home until I see Kavad's face. Does he not trust me?"

Moments later, the crowd parted and the Shah emerged, wearing simple clothing just like everyone else. He lifted the veil off his face and bowed his head curtly at Navaz.

"You have seen me now, White Hun. Allow me entry into your land."

Navaz smiled and nodded to Zolten in the background. "You must understand why I did this. You are my ally yes but I don't trust your family."

Shah Kavad dismounted from the horse and walked alongside Navaz. "I understand. My son, Kawus, knows that you helped break me out of prison. He also knows my sister is involved. He will most likely attack my sister or imprison her."

"Did anyone follow you here? Should I expect Kawus to come knocking at my door?"

"It wouldn't surprise me but I believe he is going to Babylonia where my sister lives."

Navaz grunted. "If your sister is smart she will have left her home already. I have to write a letter to Gabrielle and tell her that you're in my custody now. I don't think they're fighting a winning war against your son at the moment."

It would be shameful to say he was proud of his son. Maybe if he hadn't been dethroned and imprisoned he could perhaps share some of that pride but now he wanted nothing more than throw his son into a cell to rot.

"Jamasp is an excellent soldier. He is almost as good as Xerxes."

Was that possible? Xerxes was an even _better_ soldier than his tyrannical brother? Navaz couldn't imagine going to war with a person worse than Jamasp and he was surprised the Shah mentioned Xerxes. He thought of Arielle. A conversation for another time, he thought.

* * *

_The Caucasus_

Csaba received a message from one of Jamasp's emissaries and he was not pleased by the message at all. With little sleep he was barely able to focus. He thought his eyes deceived him when he saw his grandmother marching through the camp, weaving in and out of the soldiers.

He grabbed his cousin's shoulder. "Hide me."

Oran saw Xena approaching at a dangerous speed and snickered. "You're on your own. Good luck telling her." he slapped Csaba's shoulder. "Hey if you need anything to help with your sleeping issues, just let me know," he winked and hurried away.

Csaba took in a deep breath and closed his eyes. Clutching the parchment, his eyes shot open and flinched at the close proximity of his grandmother. He scratched his trimmed beard and ran his fingers through his messy long hair. Stalling wasn't working as Xena's glare intensified.

"Where is she?"

He let out a nervous laugh. "About that," he began, "I would just like to say that I have nothing to do with this."

"Csaba…"

He let out the crumpled parchment. "She's in Jamasp's camp. He's holding her there until there's proof that his father is freed from Anosbord."

"Excuse me?" she snatched the letter from his hand. "She wrote a false document?" she couldn't believe what she was reading. How could Gabrielle be so careless? Why would she risk her life for a Persian?

Xena threw the parchment on the ground and stalked over to the edge of the camp. She laid her eyes on Shah Jamasp who arrogantly stood in the center of the camp. There, she could see Gabrielle's black horse tied to one of the posts near the Shah's tent. An incredibly overwhelming itchiness roamed across her skin. Persians alone made her skin crawl but the fact that Gabrielle was trapped there with no way out made her nauseous.

She did what Gabrielle wanted. She pulled back and allowed the ballistic weapons team to stop firing at the Persians. She obeyed Gabrielle and tried her best not to take the orders personally. It was difficult not to take orders personally especially when she disagreed but this time, she didn't argue. Could Gabrielle have wanted the firing to stop because she had this plan to stop the war?

"Gabrielle, what were you thinking?" she whispered.

Eksama was brave enough to tell Xena about the news and for that the men around her thanked her. She walked through the camp with labored breaths. She looked out at the Persian camp and several soldiers were getting ready to line the front of the camp with archers.

She coughed and dropped her sword. Ebnedzar craned his neck and caught her just before she collapsed. He scooped her up into his arms. With her limp body laden in his arms, he gazed at the Persian archers dipping their arrows in hot oil and igniting them.

"They're going to shoot at us!" he shouted to the camp. He hurried to the back of the camp to put Eksama back in bed.

Once inside the tent he gently laid her down and checked the bloody wounds across her torso. He tried to remove the bandages and retracted his hands as soon as he touched her bare skin. He crinkled his nose in disgust, unsure how to help her but the blood soaked the gauze. He felt somewhat uncomfortable that he was coming in incredibly close contact with his sister.

"God." He ripped the bandages and looked away. He reached for a blanket and covered her breasts. Once it was safe to look, he dabbed the wound with a wet cloth. "I need a physician!" he cried.

Outside, Oran ran to the front line where the archers were. He instructed them to load their bows and looked behind at Xena who stood completely in her own little world, glaring at Jamasp.

While the archers were preparing, he ran to Xena and nudged her arm. "Xena, what do we do next?" he asked.

She looked over to Oran and knew she couldn't lose her focus. She was already worried about too many people here in the field and in Scythia. She couldn't allow Gabrielle to distract her further. That would just incite Gabrielle.

The first wave of arrows soared across the field and wounded several front liners on their side. Xena frowned and marched back towards camp. She had her eye on a pile of burning wood and gazed up at the sky at a flock of birds that scattered from the treetops. With a raise of her eyebrow she smiled. Arielle's goose feather trick was ingenious and unlike anything she'd ever seen before which gave her an idea.

She spun around to Oran who was very flustered. "Do we have any bags of sugar?"

"_What_?" he puffed his chest out. "Xena, what the hell?"

"Sugar. Do we have any bags of sugar?"

"Well, I think so. Why do you ask?" he followed her as she weaved through the camp. "Xena! We're losing men left and right!"

"Shut up, Oran. I have an idea." She marched up to a few soldiers who were chopping logs of wood. "You," she addressed a young Avar. "I need you to shave all these logs into a fine grain."

* * *

Gabrielle paced back and forth in the Shah's tent. The moment she heard the arrows whistling in the sky she knew that their camp was scattering about. It didn't matter if she was here or there, the Persians were going to attack. Never had she ever seen such resilience from Persians before. Jamasp was nothing like Hormizd or Peroz.

Shah Jamasp entered the tent and smiled at the governor. "Your people are running for the hills."

He circled around her and took a seat behind his desk. He poured himself a glass of wine and offered her a glass.

"No thanks," she snubbed the offer and kept pacing, listening to the soldiers shouting to keep shooting.

"More wine for me then." He lifted the glass and sipped the alcohol leisurely. "We have a common enemy," he said and Gabrielle placed her hands on her hips. "Emperor Justinian. I saw what you did to his men. He is going to crucify every single Hun there is once he finds out you betrayed him."

"He betrayed us _first_," she spat.

"Byzantines," he shrugged. "They're no better than Romans. Different side of the same coin."

Gabrielle scoffed and turned her back to him. "You're going to lose, Jamasp."

"It sure doesn't look that way, governor."

"You have Huns, Avars, Gokturks, oh and, your own _father_ working against you. Even if we don't win this war, there will be plenty more wars to be fought and you will ultimately lose." She peeked out of the tent at the Hun camp that was set aflame.

Jamasp swished the wine and clicked his tongue against his cheek. "But I have you. You're one of the most important people in the empire, right? I hear you're very skilled in several languages. I know Latin too, governor. I was taught by Roman tutors as a child."

"Please stop talking," she said loudly.

* * *

Csaba ran across the camp and a soldier nearly rammed him with a bucket of water held over his head. He coughed from the black smoke filling the camp. Several of the tents were set aflame from Persian arrows and he just got the word that his grandmother was making a group of soldiers shave logs and pouring sugar into small leather pouches.

"Grandma!" he shouted and Xena turned with a menacing frown. "I mean…khanum," he coughed violently and covered his mouth. "What the fuck are you doing?" he gestured to the soldiers.

"Watch your mouth, Csaba," she waved her hand dismissively. "We're almost done here."

He struggled to find words to describe how furious he was. He spun around himself and gaped at the flaming tents, meanwhile his grandmother was completely calm about the destruction.

"My camp is _on_ _fire_!" he screeched.

Xena took a quick glance around. "I can see that."

"W…what…aren't you going to do something about it?"

"What do you think I'm doing? Making cake?" she paddled his cheek. "Don't you worry, Csaba. I have a plan. I need Oran and Ebnedzar to ride into the Persian camp." She snapped her fingers to the soldiers to work faster.

Csaba's heart sank. "You want a head on attack? Jamasp is slaughtering us!"

"They're the best riders we have, Csaba." She grabbed an Avar who carried a basket with the leather pouches filled with wood chips and sugar. "Take those to the archers," she ordered.

"If you have a plan I need to know what it is," he came around to stand in front of her. "Is this some elaborate plan to rescue Gabrielle because I'd like to know!"

Xena smiled and cupped his cheeks. "You'll get to go onto the field too but don't tell your mother about this. She'd skin me alive. Get your horse ready." She slapped his arm and walked with the Avars to the archery line.

Despite the flaming arrows being shot right over their heads, Ebnedzar and Oran waited on their horses with Gokturk soldiers right behind them. Xena smiled at them and then instructed the Avars to tie the leather pouches to their arrowheads. Csaba quickly mounted his horse and joined his uncle and cousin. All three had looks of horror in their eyes, all gawking at each other nervously.

What seemed like hours later, the archers had tied all fifty pouches to their arrowheads. Xena inspected every single arrow one by one with a bubble of serenity encompassed around her. She was not the least bit frightened or disturbed by the flaming arrows shot directly at her or the front line.

Oran leaned over to his cousin, "your grandmother is nuts."

Xena walked over to the trio. "When I give the signal you all ride into Jamasp's camp. Get Gabrielle and then, if you can, detain Jamasp."

Csaba's cheeks went pale. "I beg your pardon?"

"Trust in me, _tatlı çocuk_." Her tone darkened. She went back to the archers. "Ignite the arrows!"

Oran chuckled. "She _still_ calls you that." He teased.

"So does your mother!" Csaba combated and his cousin frowned.

"And fire!" Xena shouted and walked behind the last row of archers.

Their arrows hit center of the field and they didn't hit any Persian soldier. Csaba smacked a hand to his forehead. He normally was gung ho for his grandmother's plans but this was entirely insane. Flaming arrows were stuck in the barren field, not even in the Persians' range.

Moments later the fire withered away and ignited the leather pouches. The Persians kept firing and then suddenly the field was slowly filling with violet smoke. Less than a few minutes, the Persians stopped firing at the opposing side once the field was no longer visible.

Xena clapped her hands with a grand smile. "Go, go!" she waved her hand to Csaba, Oran and Ebnedzar.

* * *

A cluster of confused muffled voices from outside the tent alarmed Shah Jamasp. He set down his quill and walked in front of Gabrielle, quickly sending her a glare. He exited the tent to see what the commotion was since he could no longer hear his officers shouting commands any longer.

Gabrielle turned to the desk piled with documents. She got up off the floor and flipped through the stack of parchment paper while Jamasp shortly stepped out. She found a document pertaining to the future of the Persian Empire.

Her eyes widened at what she read and she rolled up the parchment that could possibly be used against the Shah and stuffed it down her blouse. While she was trapped in the tent she heard swords clashing and soldiers screaming at the tops of their lungs. Too afraid to look, she kept siphoning through the documents hoping to find something useful that she could destroy Jamasp Sassan with.

Oran rushed into the tent, covered in Persian blood. "Gabrielle!"

She recognized the familiar voice and peered over her shoulder. "Oran?"

"We need to leave, come on!" he didn't wait for a response and grabbed her wrist to drag her to his horse outside.

She grabbed the last document she had her hands on and stuffed that one into her blouse as well. The moment she exited the Shah's tent with Oran, her eyes burned from the violet smoke swarming in the air. After a short inhale and a heavy cough, she covered her mouth and ran with Oran to his horse. She played a game of hopping over Persian corpses.

He helped her board the horse and trotted through the thick purple fog. He kept his sword handy whilst holding onto the reins, trying to make his way through the distorted field.

"What is this?" she asked.

He spoke over his shoulder, "Xena's doing!"

* * *

After the smoke cleared and everyone reported safely back to camp, Xena waited on the front line for Csaba to return. She smiled upon seeing Jamasp bound by his wrists atop of Csaba's horse. She walked a few steps forward and Csaba threw the Shah onto the ground with a bag over his head.

Csaba ripped the black cloth bag off Jamasp's head and Xena leaned down, narrowing her eyes to slits.

"I win," she whispered.

He growled. "Your governor forged a political document!"

She pulled out a letter written by Navaz himself. Just moments after she set off the smoke bombs, Zolten rode into camp to a deliver the message that Shah Kavad had arrived safely in Armenia. She unraveled the parchment and forced the young soon to be dethroned Shah, to read the document.

"Your father has been released from Anosbord."

Jamasp felt as if it was another ruse but noting the seal at the bottom of the document, it wasn't a forgery. He hung his head and cursed under his breath. He glanced over at Csaba with a malicious stare to which Csaba just smirked in response.

Xena nudged her head to the Avars beside the captured Persian. "Hold him in a tent."

Oran huffed. "All that damn work and we don't get to behead him?!" he shouted in annoyance. "What a waste of time!"

"It's not our job to punish him. We're going to let Shah Kavad do that." Xena decided and flashed Oran a smug smile.

It took a few hours for all the fires to be put out in the camp. The Persians were beginning to take down their weapon lines but they weren't ready to dismantle their tents. Stubborn, as usual. After sunset, Xena found Gabrielle sitting by a fire by herself with a blanket wrapped around her.

She smiled with hesitancy and sat down beside Gabrielle. She took off her headdress and gently set it down next to her boot. With a quick finagle of her fingers she smoothed out the fringe on her forehead and scooted closer to Gabrielle, crossing her legs.

"I was so worried about you," she admitted and took Gabrielle's hand. "Why did you do that?"

Gabrielle let out an exasperated sigh. "Because you wouldn't have agreed to let me go."

"Yes, I would have."

"Xena," she turned with a dubious look about her. "You wouldn't have. Let's be honest."

"_Perhaps_ you're right," Xena said and wiped her nose, avoiding eye contact. "But why didn't you tell someone? Something could've happened to you. Jamasp could've killed you."

Gabrielle half smiled and returned the grip on her spouse's hand. "But I'm alive!"

Xena raised an eyebrow and looked into the mischievous jade eyes beside her. "And I'm very glad that you're alive. When I found out that you weren't here, I couldn't breathe. I didn't want anything to happen to you because then I'd blame myself."

"I was the one who left. Don't blame yourself. I hate it when you do that. Have you learned nothing over the last thirty-something years?" Gabrielle chuckled.

They sat together, admiring the fire and then Gabrielle pecked her wife's hand to which she saw Xena smile softly from the corner of her eye. Gabrielle then shifted on the grass and brought her knees close and titled her head to the side, creasing her brows together.

"I just have to ask _one_ thing," she interrupted the stillness. "What was that purple smoke? What did you do?"

Xena raised her finger. "I channeled some of Arielle's crazy ideas," she said proudly, subtly giving praise to her granddaughter. "It was a mixture of sugar and wood. A spur of the moment idea. Pretty clever, huh?"

"Hmm, yes." Gabrielle rubbed her thumb along Xena's knuckles. "You should tell Arielle about that. It's a good trick." She leaned over and dug her fingers into her blouse. Xena peered over and raised an eyebrow. "I have a few tricks up my sleeve as well."

She smacked the documents down into Xena's lap.

"What's this?"

Gabrielle lifted her chin proudly. "I _commandeered_ some documents from Jamasp's tent. I could've taken more if I had more time but I had to work quickly. Arielle could use these."

Xena skimmed through the documents. "_Gabrielle_," she inhaled sharply, "you sly woman. Did you plan to do that?"

"It was…a spur of the moment," she said teasingly.

"Ah, of course it was." Xena nodded and set the parchments aside.

* * *

_Scythia_

Due to the rainy weather over the last week, everyone was quarantined to the palace. Cera put herself up in the bedroom and decided to spend her time alone and far away as possible from her mother, sister, Yana, Inzhu; basically any female in this palace. She sat in front of her easel and sketched a still-life of her _kamancheh_.

Mirac entered the bedroom quietly, carrying a tray of food that he knew his wife was going to refuse. He snuck up behind her while she was super focused on sketching. He wrapped his hands over her eyes and Cera gasped.

"_Gülüm_," he came round and kissed her cheek. "Arielle told me to bring this to you. It's _gozleme_," he hovered the tray in her face.

Cera rolled her eyes. She wasn't surprised that her sister sent more food to her room. She ate an hour ago and had no desire to stuff her face. She was starting to think that Arielle was jealous of how much she could eat and hardly gain any weight. It was amusing but that still didn't make her want to eat an abundance of food.

Convincing Cera to eat was a moot point. He knelt down beside her and took her hand. "How is _gülü_?" he leaned over and kissed her belly.

"Who is _gülü_?"

Mirac flinched at the familiar voice. "Your _mother_ is here?" he whispered. "Why didn't you say something?"

Cera apologetically smiled.

He stood up and smiled falsely at Anastasia who was in the back of the room, folding clothes. "Khatun, I didn't know you were in here."

"I didn't mean to harp on your alone time," Ana apologized and set down the folded dresses in a chest at the end of the bed. "Do you call my grandchild '_gülü'_?" she pried.

Mirac's cheeks reddened. "I…um," he rubbed his arm.

"That's so sweet of you," Ana said, smiling. "Since I'm here and I really hate to tear you away, but Yana wants to fit you for your dress, Cera. She's with Pamira right now but I'm sure she'll be finished soon." She ran her fingers through her daughter's hair.

Cera sighed and looked at her unfinished sketch. She swiveled in the chair and looked up at her mother, tapping her charcoal against the wooden easel.

Anastasia nibbled on her lip. "I'll tell her we can reschedule. I know your measurements." She could see the relief on her daughter's face. "I'll leave you, Mirac and…_gülü_ alone," she winked at Mirac who was blatantly embarrassed.

Once she left the room, Mirac knelt back down and grasped his wife's shoulder. "We are never going to have any privacy here and this palace can house fifty people."

Cera laughed lightly and faced forward to finish her sketch. With a few strokes of the charcoal on the canvas, she studied the instrument as her subject. It was hard to concentrate when she felt Mirac's hands all over her. She brought her lips to a firm line and looked down at the hands roaming across her stomach.

Mirac kept the smile on his lips and then stared up at his displeased wife. "Am I bothering you?"

She gave him a look of discontent and exhaled heavily through her nostrils.

"Sorry. I'm playing with little _gülü_." He tapped his fingers on her belly lightly. "_Cik, cik, cik_."

Cera tried not to smile at his silly behavior but she couldn't hold it in anymore and with flushing cheeks, she grinned. She turned in the chair to face him and pushed his hands away from her for a moment. Tears clouded her vision and Mirac's heart stopped the moment he saw her watery eyes.

"Are you crying? Why are you crying? Please, don't cry," he begged.

"_What if something happens again_?" her hands shook as she tried to express herself. "_If something goes wrong…I don't know…_" she dropped her hands in her lap and wept.

Mirac smiled and grasped her hands in his. "We made it past the halfway mark. Everything's been great so far, Cera. We have so many people to help us and the physician said you're in perfect health. Don't be sad, you're going to upset _gülü_."

He kissed each of her knees and gazed up at her with warm eyes.

* * *

Anastasia walked the halls and was able to make out a few people in the foyer. She got a little closer and a pair of arms waved at her. Overjoyed, she instantly recognized the outline of those far away. She darted down the hall.

"Mother!" she crashed into Xena and embraced her much like she used to when her mother was away on lengthy missions long ago when she was a child.

Xena stilted her posture and gently pat her daughter's back. "I wasn't gone _that_ long."

"Long enough." Anastasia then wrapped her arms around Gabrielle, squeezing her tightly until the governor couldn't let out a single breath. "I missed you two! I had no idea when you'd both return. Is Csaba alright? He's not hurt, is he?"

Gabrielle coughed and rubbed her tight chest. "He's fine," she croaked. "He captured Jamasp. He's going to hold him at the camp until Shah Kavad returns to Persia."

"I want to hear everything. Navaz wrote that he's housing Kavad in Balaam. I should go get Arielle. She's teaching Aurora how to spar."

Xena puckered her lips and looked at the violent rainstorm outside. "In this weather?"

"Inside, mother. They're inside. We should get you both out of those wet clothes," she grabbed her mother's hand and tried to pull her forward.

"Anastasia," she let her hand slip away. "We brought Eksama here."

The khatun lowered her gaze to the floor and her lips turned into a frown, wrinkling the lines around her eyes. It had been several months since she met with Eksama face to face and when she did finally meet the Gepid Queen she couldn't make her out at all but now that all changed. She could see almost clearly when someone was within a few feet of her. Eksama was the cause of her blindness and yet also the curer of it.

Gabrielle grabbed Ana by the arm. "She was badly wounded in the field. We couldn't leave her there. She still needs a lot of medical attention."

Ana smoothed her hands down her dress and her chest rose and fell heavily. "Where is she?"

"We asked Kuba to take her to a room to be examined," Gabrielle studied the khatun's face to determine what kind of reaction was to ensue. She cautiously took a step back to stand by Xena. "She definitely earned the title of being crazy. She caused an avalanche with a catapult to stop the Persians!"

Anastasia's mouth twitched. "I am not surprised in the least."

"She won't hurt you, Ana," Xena reassured her.

"You _trust_ her now?" Anastasia scoffed.

"I never said that."

"She tried to kill me!" she marched up to her mother. "Whose side are you on, mother? I can't believe you brought her here."

Xena rubbed her lips together. "Anastasia, she's trying her best to blend with everyone. It doesn't mean that I trust her but I couldn't leave her to die in the field."

"So, that's it? You're going to allow her to stay here until she recovers? She could be here for _months_!"

"Ana, I know you're upset but –"

"_Upset_?" Ana laughed. "I'm not upset. I'm furious! How dare you?" she jabbed her finger into her mother's chest.

Gabrielle stepped in between the two. "This isn't your mother's fault, Ana."

"You're on _her_ side now?" Ana dug her fingers into her hair and trailed backward. "I can't believe you're both doing this to me."

"I'm not on anyone's side, Ana," Gabrielle calmly told the frazzled khatun. "Eksama is our commander. She fought on _our_ side."

Ana nodded. "Oh, so that means we should just be one big _happy_ family now?" she snarled. "I'm going to find Arielle." She marched out, muttering obscenities under her breath.

Xena smacked her wet gloves against her palm and sighed. She received a squeeze to her hand from her wife. She tried to smile only to please Gabrielle but all she could think about was the horrified and livid look in her daughter's eyes. While she anticipated a reaction like this, she wasn't prepared for it. Every time her daughter was in distress it broke a little piece of her inside.

"We did the right thing by bringing Eksama here," Gabrielle vocalized both of their thoughts. "Anastasia will come around. She has a big heart and she's stubborn, just like you."

Mild jests weren't enough to ease the ache inside her. "That doesn't make me feel any better. Did you see her face? She's really hurt."

"I know." She ran her fingers along Xena's hand. "It's a natural reaction. We should get out of these soaked clothes. I'm dying to take a hot bath. I could sit in it for hours!" she rejoiced. "I'll even wash your hair for you. I wonder if there's some of that cinnamon oil left." She waggled her eyebrows.

Xena's lips twisted into an off-center smile. "You want me to smell like a dessert?"

"No, I want you to _taste_ like a dessert."

* * *

Soran stood by one of the windows and sat on the large ledge. He gazed at the circle of women from afar. He was the only male in the room since Mirac deserted him awhile ago to go spend time with Cera. He didn't mind spending time with the women but all the talk about dresses, parties and babies made his head ache.

Arielle came in holding Aurora's hand and she spotted her lonesome brother. She urged her daughter to go join the talkative women and went over to sit by her sulking brother. Soran briefly eyed her and she crossed her arms, leaning against the wall.

"Stuck in a hen house, huh?" she joked.

He blushed and nodded with a half grin.

"How come you aren't spending more time with Pamira? I've noticed you've been distant."

Soran felt the aching headache returning. "I'm…not very good with this baby stuff," he was embarrassed to admit. "I don't know what to do. Mirac is so helpful with Cera and I don't know if I can be that way with Pamira."

She snickered at her brother's coyness and pinched his arm. "Pamira's just as scared as you are. Just tell her how you feel. Be there for her. She'll appreciate it, I promise."

"I'll make more of an effort to be involved. Thanks, Arielle," he said sincerely. "Did…Bayan help you when you were pregnant?"

That man again. He really got under her skin but she was trying to forgo all of those negative feelings from her body and focus on her new relationship with Xerxes. She tried not to let the foul taste in her mouth become detectable to the eyes.

"He was too busy with the tribe." She twirled her hair around her finger. "I was alone most of the time. Ku was there for me when Bayan wasn't."

His blood boiled and he clenched a fist. "I'm sorry you had to go through that alone, Arielle."

She hid her glossy eyes and wiped her nose.

"When you have a child with Xerxes, I'll make sure he takes care of you," Soran promised.

Sourness lingered in her mouth and suddenly this conversation became a lot more awkward. She didn't want to discuss her love life with anyone especially her brother. It was too late. The conversation was happening and she couldn't do anything to stop it. She did admire her brother's protectiveness.

"We aren't even married," she mumbled. "I'm just getting to know Xerxes. I want us to be in a comfortable place before we even approach the subject of children."

Soran chortled at his elder sister's embarrassment. He was so used to seeing her at the top of the mountain being the mountain lion that she is. This side of her was odd but amusing.

"Well, if it does happen, he better treat you well or I'll disembowel him."

She shot him a look. "Please don't do that."

"Then Xerxes better behave." He wrapped an arm around Arielle and brought her close. All while she tried to resist Soran put her in a friendly choke hold and tickled her.

"Stop!" she begged, laughing uncontrollably. "Stop it!" she elbowed him in the gut and he finally released her. "You're lucky I didn't aim lower." She flicked her brother on the head.

"Arielle!"

She paused at the sound of her mother calling her name. She apologetically smiled at Soran and walked across the room to meet with her mother who was waiting in the middle of the doorway. Earlier, she was in a great mood but now from seeing the look on her mother's face, she was incredibly concerned.

"Mom," she grabbed Ana's shoulders. "What's the matter?"

"Your grandmother and Gabrielle just arrived. I think you need to speak with them." She spoke rapidly. "It's about the fate of the Persian Empire."

Arielle nodded. "I will. There's something wrong though. I can tell."

"I'm flattered by your concern, _tatli kiz_." She kissed Arielle on the forehead. "I think I will go to my room for awhile. I want to be left alone."

"Alright," her hands slipped off her mother's shoulders and stepped out into the hall, watching her mother drift further away. "Mother!"

Ana halted and turned.

"If you need anything just tell me. I could write dad and tell him to come here to see you."

With a smile, Anastasia continued walking down the hall without answering her daughter. The staircase looked so far away. Just a few more steps until she was in the clear. The sound of laughter filled the stone box she was living in. Her mood soured ever since she found out Eksama was staying here. She was tempted to go see her but that wasn't a good idea.

"Mother?"

She groaned and stood on the middle of the stairs. "What is it, Arielle?" she called out wearily.

"Please don't hide in your room. If something is wrong, don't keep it to yourself. If you can't tell grandma, you can tell me." She offered, nervous that her mother was going to lash out.

Anastasia raised an eyebrow, miffed by her daughter's kind words. She could count on her hand how many times she witnessed Arielle being overly nice and it was usually when she wanted something. Somehow, she knew this time was different.

She hesitated and clutched the stair railing. "Thank you, Arielle."

* * *

_Mount Vesuvius, Italia_

Alduin woke to the sun shining in his face through a ripped seam in the tent. He tried to lift himself up and forgot that his wife spent the night with him. Her arm was draped over his chest. Smiling, he pried her arm off him and gently placed it on the pillow behind him. Rising up, he ruffled his blonde hair and scratched his beard, letting out a lengthy yawn.

He reached for the unfinished wine beside the bed and downed the rest of it. There was a letter beside the empty wine carafe. He tried not to wake his slumbering wife and grabbed the letter. How long had this letter been sitting here? He shifted in bed and quickly dressed himself.

"Mmm," Rodelinda moaned sleepily. "Where're you going?" she opened her eyes and tousled her auburn braided hair.

Alduin laced his pants and tossed the letter at his wife's face. "I got a message from Mezamir."

The blanket fell from her body, exposing her tattooed breasts. Uninterested in the letter, she read only the main points that caught her eye then flung it aside and settled back into the goose feather bed.

"That hot head," she grumbled. "What does he want now?" she stretched her arms over her head.

"He wants me to kill Prince Elemund."

Rodelinda sprung up, suddenly very awake. "Does this mean we will have full control over Italia now?"

He knelt down and generously kissed her, leaving her breathless. He pinched her chin and touched cheeks with her as he reached across the bed to grab his tunic.

"That and then some," he whispered and threw the tunic over his head. "Once Elemund is gone, we'll have Italia and then we're going to make our way to Pannonia."

She kicked the blanket off her body and extended her legs, crossing her ankles. "Land of the Huns," she bit her bottom lip and traced her foot along his thigh. "I don't know if we can trust Emperor Justinian to keep his end of the deal."

"We'll just have to wait and see."

**On to bigger things for the Avars/Huns!**

**Cera and Mirac are so adorable lol.**


	41. Chapter 41

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> For the third time in her life, Xena is assigned a new military role but is unsure if she can command properly at her age. Arielle discovers some new feelings deep inside her and is uncomfortable with the idea of sharing them with Xerxes. Gabrielle and Xena are assigned a stealth mission involving a gaggle of children, a nun, and a priest.

The Lieutenant Part III

The Avar Invasions and Conquests

_Constantinople_

Empress Theodora stood on the far side of the throne chamber, watching her husband throw a childish tantrum. When she received word that the Huns had reneged on their alliance, she wasn't shocked. She expected this from the tribal people. Justinian's plans were not entirely ruined and she just had to convince him of that.

"Justinian," she set a hand on his shoulder. "You have contact with the Lombard King and Antes Chieftain. They are willing to do everything you say. What is stopping you from acting?"

He grumbled and shoved his wife's arm. He stood on the balcony and hung his head, taking in deep breaths which did nothing to calm him. He hated being outsmarted. It worse than losing but he hadn't lost anything but an entire legion of soldiers. He wasn't going to let Huns take anything else from him.

"I want Alduin to go to the Banat Kingdom."

Theodora took her place beside the emperor on the balcony. "And what will you do?"

"Turn it into a pile of rubble," he formed his hand into a fist, glaring out at the Black Sea. "Banat will be nothing but ruins. After that, Alduin will march into lower Pannonia and claim it for himself and so then the Huns will have no choice but to fight for their land."

She smirked and placed her hand on top of his. "You are forgetting that the former princess of Pannonia is now Empress of the Avars. They combined their empires."

"Leave the Avars to Mezamir. I have complete faith that he will destroy the Avars but that will take time," he relaxed his tense hand. "I need to speak with General Coutzes. He will lead all of the attacks on Pannonia."

* * *

_Scythia_

A month passed since the war in the Caucasus Mountains and enemies all around mysteriously fell silent. From experience, Xena knew that silent enemies weren't something to celebrate. Arielle had grown from being an incredibly spoiled and entitled princess to a very forgiving and kind empress. Xena liked to think that was due to age but only a year ago, Arielle was just as stubborn and outspoken when she was five years old.

This was a different time. She no longer had to worry about Arielle spouting off in fits of rage but she did worry for her safety. She made a promise to Anastasia to stay away from the field from now on but she could at least work behind the scenes to help. She hated to admit it but she was far too tired to work on the field anymore.

As much as she loved being on the battlefield, her body nor her mind could serve the army justice. She sounded naïve when she told Gabrielle that she never realized how much she used to do. She used to be the only military leader in the entire empire. She had the weight of the empire on her shoulders for so long and now there were several hands to help. She didn't have help for a long time.

Xena used to complain about the size of the clan. There were so many bodies, adults and children, but many of the children weren't children anymore; Csaba, Cera and Arielle, to name a few. Each one of them was capable of contributing to the military in some way.

And then there was Eksama. That woman was hated by many and loved by few. With her recent injury she was held up in the palace for a month now. She did receive several visits from the medical staff but none from anyone else. Xena herself was starting to feel a twinge of pain for the way Eksama was ignored by everybody.

Today was a normal day and Xena sat at a table in the conference room listening to Arielle spell out every detail she wanted for the next few weeks. Anastasia was allowed to present this time and so was Xerxes. Gabrielle took notes during the meeting as per usual. Xena sat, half listening and half daydreaming.

Arielle cleared her throat. "Grandma."

Xena fluttered her eyes and looked around the table at the many eyes staring at her. She was absentmindedly playing with the beads on her headdress which sat simply on the table. She rubbed her lips together and sat back in the chair, drumming her fingers on the table.

"Yes?" she answered politely.

"You're in charge of everything my army does. You will send a squad to districts of Scythia that I think need to be looked at more closely. You'll also be in charge of the Pannonia division. You'll be corresponding with General Zolten in Balaam."

Anastasia intervened, "but she won't go into the field," she pressed.

"No, mother. No field work," Arielle reassured her. "Grandma, do you understand your duties?"

Xena raised an eyebrow. "Yes, I understand but if I'm not a commander then how will the army listen to me? I can't make them call me 'khanum'," she mocked the very title she was bestowed.

"I'm so glad you asked!" Arielle pulled out a stack of documents and slammed them on the table. The weight of it caused Gabrielle to smear ink across the page to which she cursed quietly. "I'm giving you a new title because you're very special to me and everyone here. Csaba should've never given you the title of lieutenant. It was well below your former rank."

An embarrassment is what that was. Xena never wanted to take orders from Arielle in China at the time but she put up with Csaba's decision. She was almost afraid of what title she was supposed to be given next. She couldn't very well take Eksama's title anymore.

The suspense flourished and Arielle grinned and finally said, "I'm assigning you the title of Lieutenant…" she paused, "General," she said. "Had you all going for a minute there, didn't I?"

Gabrielle's jaw dropped. "Wow Lieutenant General," she nudged her wife's arm. "That's the highest rank we've had in our military."

"I've already signed everything and Kuba wrote down every detail. I have a copy of all your documents here," Arielle added, pointing to the stack of doom in front of her. "Aren't you going to thank me?"

Anastasia creased her eyebrows. "_Arielle_…" she leaned over to her mother who sat beside her. "This is really great, mother. You finally get the recognition you deserve."

Xena set her headdress on her head and stood up abruptly. "Yes, and it only took me forty years," she snapped and Arielle's face paled. "Thank you. If you all don't mind, I'm going to excuse myself from this meeting."

Gabrielle watched her wife exit the room and tapped the quill pen on her notes repeatedly. She thought Xena was very quiet during the meeting but with that little snide comeback, she could tell there was something wrong. She looked around the table and closed her journal. Quietly, she also excused herself as it was obvious this conference was over. She hurried out of the chamber to catch up with Xena and hopefully talk to her.

Arielle sat back and shared a confused look with Xerxes. "Did I say something to upset her? I thought she would be happy about this."

* * *

"Xena! Wait!" she cried.

With large strides, she was finally able to catch up to Xena but her lungs couldn't catch up. She heaved and grabbed Xena's hand and led them both to sit down in the atrium in the center of the palace. It was a quiet place and nobody was around. It was the perfect spot to talk, assuming that Xena was willing to.

Gabrielle situated her satchel on her lap and admired the greenery climbing around the stone pillars. Sunlight shone down from the ring of windows. It was a nice little touch of nature without ever having to leave the palace.

"What was that back there? I thought you would've been overjoyed by the opportunity."

Xena rubbed her knuckles together. "I am."

"Could've fooled me." She received a glare from Xena. "I know you well enough to see something's bothering you. If you want to talk about it I'll just sit here with you until you want to talk." She whistled, glancing around the room.

Xena, amused by Gabrielle's unsubtle way of approaching conversations, laughed lightly. Gabrielle's whistling ceased and she smiled, satisfied she was able to get a laugh out of her partner.

"I know this may be hard for you to believe but I am finally…realizing that I'm not the same person I was thirty, or even twenty years ago," Xena spoke the truth from within. She'd been holding that in for some time now.

Gabrielle nodded her head. "Neither am I. None of us are what we used to be."

Xena took her wife's hands in her own, giving a firm squeeze. "Gabrielle, I don't want to wither away like Kreka did. With each passing day I'm reminded that I won't be here forever. Kreka was so ill that she could barely stand. One day she was fine and then the next she was gone. I don't want to be like that."

Hearing those words made Gabrielle's stomach flip. She didn't ever stop to think that death was ever an issue between them. Internally, the thought crossed her mind but she never brought it up because she didn't see a reason to but now she saw that Xena was very fearful of death. What an unusual sight to see; Xena afraid of something.

"You…you won't be like that," she told her. "There's nothing wrong with you. You haven't gotten sick in years. Is that what you're worried about?"

"But Kreka was younger than me." Xena's eyes dipped to the floor. "I thought she would outlive me. I used to be the youngest in the clan until Kreka arrived and now they're all gone, except me."

Gabrielle realized her wife might've felt more alone now despite the amount of people around her. She scooted along the bench and lifted Xena's chin with a gentle finger.

"You have me. I didn't know you felt like this." She pecked her on the lips. "You're still the same person I first met," she said and Xena's eyebrow twitched. "Alright, not like that, but you know what I mean."

Xena looked down at her hair splayed across her vest. "Except for this nuisance." She picked up the silvery raven strands, glaring intensely.

"I like your hair!" Gabrielle marveled and ran her fingers through her spouse's locks. "It's just hair. You'll get no complaints from me." She released a heavy sigh. "Feel better now?"

"Thank you," Xena wore a weary smile.

"Don't hesitate to talk to me. I know how hard that is for you but I'm not just a good talker, I'm a good listener too!" she raised her finger and hopped off the bench, extending her hand. "You're going to be the Lieutenant General, right? Do I really need to convince you?"

Xena grabbed her wife's hand and was brought to her feet. "Oh, I'm _taking_ the position," she scoffed. "As if I'd miss a chance to have the highest rank in the army. Please…" she playfully rolled her eyes.

"Great! Now, let's get to work." She pulled Xena out of the atrium. "I was thinking we could send some scouts to western Scythia. We should also keep an eye on the churches too because Justinian oversees them." She went on and on, going down the list of topics in her journal.

* * *

_Pannonia_

Csaba had been in Pannonia for a little under two weeks since the war. He stayed behind by himself until Tegin Irkin arrived in the mountains to retrieve Jamasp and take him back to Persia. Since he arrived home he was very eager to see his sons and Farah. He didn't like that his family was split among three places but he was grateful to know everyone was where they needed to be and they were safe.

While all of his children were in the women's quarters he shared a meal with Ernak in a quiet room together. It was strange now that it was just the two of them. Two kings surrounded by several children and two women. Once this place was crawling with women, which sometimes could cause problems especially when Yeter was here.

Csaba took a sip of wine and eyed his uncle. "I received a letter from Arielle. She said that Shah Kavad is back on the throne. I believe he is going to execute his son."

Ernak scoffed. "He should execute all of his sons. They all betrayed him."

"Except Xerxes."

"Right," he nodded. "Except him. Is he really courting Arielle?" he asked and Csaba gave a curt nod. "I'm surprised you haven't threatened him yet," he snorted.

Csaba tapered his eyes. "Soran told me that Xerxes has been very nice to Arielle. If my mother and Navaz allowed his courtship then I shouldn't have to worry."

"Uh huh." Ernak wiped his mouth and winked at his nephew. "Xerxes may seem like a nice man and he probably is but I know that his father will not approve of the relationship. He will most likely banish Xerxes from Persia."

"Would he really do that? If my sister loves him then they should be together. You remember what Farah's father tried to do. He didn't want us to get married at all."

Ernak finished off his food and pushed the plate away. "I'm just warning you. Persians are more clannish than we are. They don't like to marry outside their culture."

The doors were swung open and Farah ran inside, tears streaming down her cheeks. Csaba immediately rose off the floor, nearly tripping over his own boots as he ran towards her. She collapsed into his arms and sobbed in his chest.

"Farah," he cradled her head. "What's wrong? Why are you crying? Did something happen to the children?"

She shook her head and lifted her chin, sniveling. "My sister…" she trailed off and then wailed loudly, burying her face in her hands. She needn't say more as Csaba understood. He wrapped his arms around her.

Ernak was stuck in between the awkward thick air. He walked by the two and mouthed to Csaba that he was to leave the room. He darted through the hallway and entered the foyer. There Rabia was laden in a soldier's arms. Her dress was scorched and face covered in black soot. It was evident by her limp arms that she was not alive.

He cautiously made his way over and checked her pulse just to make sure. He retracted his hand as if he was touching a flame itself and took in a large breath. The soldiers were not from Banat which only meant that Rabia was brought here.

"Does anyone know what happened?"

A Gepid soldier most loyal to Eksama spoke for everybody, "a tribe from the west attacked Banat, your highness. I believe they were allies with Prince Elemund."

"_Were_?" Ernak said questionably.

"Prince Elemund is dead, your majesty. He was killed by a tribe in Italia. His body was driven through on a stake along the borders of Italia."

The image was enough to make Ernak hurl. His stomach churned and the longer he looked at Rabia's limp body the more the bitter bile lingered in the back of his throat. With a quick wave of his hand the soldier carried the former Banat Governor away. Pannonia was going to be attacked again by another foreign tribe. Nobody was safe here and Rabia had sacrificed herself for everyone here.

Ernak thought quickly went back to his chambers where he found Csaba comforting Farah on the floor. He snapped his fingers to grab Csaba's attention and stood in the middle of the doorway. Csaba kissed Farah's forehead and then left her to sob on the floor by herself for a brief moment.

"What's going on? Is Rabia really…is she really dead?" he whispered so not to disturb his wife.

Ernak lowered his eyes, affirming his nephew's question. "Csaba," he took his hand, "Pannonia will most likely be ravaged. I don't want any of the children here. Banat has been destroyed and I don't want a repeat like last time."

"Shall we send them to Scythia? Arielle's palace can house everyone. Farah was supposed to go there for Cera's senlik anyway."

"Yes, that's a good idea." Ernak rubbed his chin, thinking of Nisa and their newborn daughter born only a few weeks ago. "I'm not sure if it will be wise for Nisa to travel so soon but I guess…she will have to."

Csaba smiled, gripping his uncle's shoulder. "Farah will take very good care of her. She'll need the distraction."

"We'll have a funeral pyre set tonight. All the women and children must leave within the next few days. It will be a very long journey to Scythia. I am counting on you to stay with me, Csaba."

The young king swallowed the lump in his throat and trapped it in his chest.

"I'll do whatever is necessary to defend my home."

* * *

_Scythia_

Operating behind a desk wasn't exactly the most favorite thing about war. Xena always was on the field, giving orders to men and now she was at a desk, reading until her eyes began to tire the longer she stared at the words. Every single detail that she wanted was written down and then reported to the military. She had ultimate control over the military now. Everything she said was set in stone and the best part was that she didn't have to listen to Arielle's advisement.

Gabrielle shared a large office with her and did all the writing for her. Over the last few weeks, several units of the military were divided into sections to spread across Scythia. There was an advantage to having such a large army. Xena could spread the army out into several parts of the empire and still have enough men left over to guard the center of the territory.

Xena read through the various documents that Kuba gave her and the more she saw Queen Tomiri's name the angrier she became. She wished that woman never existed. There were so many broken treaties and debts that the previous Khagana tried to relinquish from allies.

She tossed a couple of documents on the floor and Gabrielle paused her writing and peered over at her wife, throwing papers off the desk. The governor sat back and watched Xena shovel the documents around with a smile.

Xena looked over and saw the smugness all over Gabrielle's face. "Why are you staring at me like that?"

"Oh, no reason," said the governor. "We're not going to get any work done if you keep throwing papers around."

"This is a disaster, Gabrielle." she slammed her palms down. "This is all Tomiri's work. I thought Arielle fixed everything already. Look at this: treaty with the Magyars –violated. Treaty with the Franks –violated. Treaty with Shah Peroz and Hormizd –violated. Tomiri didn't know what the hell she was doing. It's no wonder everyone hated her."

Gabrielle chuckled and closed her journal. "Why don't we go into the city to take a look around to see if the soldiers are doing their jobs? I know you aren't going to help with Cera's party and I don't want to be around you when you get like this."

"Like _what_?"

"Frustrated." Gabrielle flung the satchel's strap over her shoulder. "Come on, we can work on this later." she wiggled her fingers. "Get over here!"

Xena grumbled and snatched her headdress off the desk. "You've become very demanding. I don't know if I like that," she teased. Placing the kozak on her head, she rounded the desk and hooked arms with Gabrielle.

They exited and went out to one of the main hallways and a few servants nearly ran them over. Several maids carried baskets of linen over their heads. Guards carried in chairs and tables, blocking the entire hallway. Xena and Gabrielle watched intently as more maids came in with fabric, silver trays filled with over a dozen glasses.

Once the area was cleared, Gabrielle released a heavy sigh. "I guess Yana is having the time of her life planning this party. I'm glad Ana allowed her to help."

Xena smiled. "Anastasia isn't very good at planning parties anyway."

As long as the hall was clear they continued to walk towards the exit. Just as they were about to enter the foyer, Eksama emerged from a separate hallway. She was in a green silk dress instead of her armor. Over the last few weeks her injuries were a lot worse than she initially lead on. This past week she was finally able to leave the infirmary and walk around a bit, all while avoiding everyone here.

Xena let go of her wife's arm and walked to the frozen commander. "That's a nice dress."

Eksama peered down, forgetting her attire. "Arielle gave it to me." She ran her fingers along the emerald beads splayed across the bodice. "She told me to go help with the party."

Xena turned over her shoulder and saw Gabrielle smiling. She licked her lips and flashed narrow eyes at the redhead. "You do know that Cera cannot speak," she watched for a reaction. "She uses sign language to communicate with everybody."

Eksama felt she was being interrogated. "I can learn. I mean, I am willing to learn." She said adamantly. "I should go join everyone else."

Gabrielle gave a silent nod towards the commander and then joined Xena in the middle of the foyer. "That went well. You can tell that she's really trying. You have to give her points for that and points for Arielle too! Look at how mature she is! She actually invited Eksama to help decorate."

"Or she just wants to keep an eye on her."

"Now, why did you have to ruin a perfectly good moment?" Gabrielle huffed, rolling her eyes. "Shall we do some soldier spying? I'm kind of looking forward to this."

"Are you?"

* * *

She had been alone with him before, several times, but this was different and she didn't know why.

Arielle opened herself up to him but not without effort on his part. He tried so desperately to tap into her mind and she continually ignored him. He was so patient with her unlike any one else in her life. The ill thoughts she had of Bayan had almost completely vacated from her thought space.

She brought their lips to a close, melting her body into his. There was a hint of bitterness to his salty lips as she pulled away. His palm caressed her warm rosy cheek and shared a sensual gaze with her resting on top of him. Opening herself was the key to release all feelings within her.

Staring down into his dark eyes, she felt there wasn't words to describe the feeling within. The feeling of levitating in the air yet also trapped inside Pandora's Box, waiting to be unlocked and let go into a labyrinth. Each time he grazed her glistening skin or touched her lips, whether it is his fingertips or lips, fireworks glowed within her from the overstimulation.

She took hold of his wrist and gently kissed his palm. She intertwined her fingers with his and the dip of her pelvis fit perfectly against his like a puzzle. His free hand hugged her hip, allowing the weight of her body to press against him.

With closed eyes a cool breath escaped her lips and she could hear his rapid beat of his heart. She rested her cheek against his pectorals, smelling the sweet salt of his skin. His palm traveled to the center of her spine and with open eyes, tears welled from within. Her body trembled and tears split and flowed down her cheeks like a river with its dam wide open.

Xerxes felt the suppressed hiccups of her body and all muscles of his lower half relaxed. He toyed with her tangled hair and gently caressed her arm.

"Did I hurt you?" he whispered.

A lump formed in her chest, preventing her from answering for a moment.

"No."

She rolled off him and spread one leg over his torso. He lolled his head over to meet her teary blue eyes and smiled faintly. He wiped the tears from her cheek with a soft swipe of his thumb. Rolling over onto his side, he gripped her outer thigh.

"Tell me, Arielle." He laced his fingers with hers. "I want to understand."

She wasn't one to talk about her feelings and the fact that he asked made her feel awkward, more awkward than she was as a teenager. She could never express herself freely around Bayan as he only wanted one thing from her. She wasn't that sixteen year old girl anymore.

"I really like you," she admitted genuinely without pressure. "I've only been with one other man before. I don't want…you to think that I'm using you."

Xerxes stifled a laugh. "I don't think that." He spun a long curl of her hair around his finger. "I am still learning many things about you, _empress_," he winked.

"What have you learned so far?" her fingertip traced his strong jaw.

"Well," he pondered, "you don't let anyone stop you from getting what you want. It is an admirable trait but also a fatal flaw of yours."

Arielle plucked a hair from his beard at the remark.

In response, he pinched her thigh. "A bit of a violent streak but we'll work on that." He kissed the tip of her nose. "I love everything about you."

Arielle choked at _that_ word. She heard it spoken to her before but it had no meaning. She abruptly rose from the sheets and ran her fingers through her messy hair.

"I…should go check on how the party planning is going."

Xerxes crinkled his eyebrows and snatched her wrist. "I thought we could spend more time together? I'm sure the women have a handle on it."

She nodded, sweat rolling down her spine. "I just want to make sure Cera is happy with the decorations. She also has a…an appointment with the midwife this afternoon. You don't mind, do you?"

She grabbed her dress and slipped it over her head and smoothed out the fabric over her sweaty skin. With a quick comb through of her hair she saw the disappointment on Xerxes' face in the mirror's reflection.

"I don't mind," he said in a defeated voice. "Go be with your sister."

She kissed his lips, inhaling his hot breath and it swarmed in her mouth like the blistering summer heat outside. She eased off his lips and gave his bicep a squeeze.

"Thank you for being so understanding."

* * *

Together, Xena walked alongside Gabrielle through the streets, inspecting the soldiers who were supposed to be keeping an eye on the citizens. So far the men had done their jobs by slinking about the streets and standing by to watch interactions of the people surrounding them. All carried out their duties just as Xena wanted.

She didn't understand why Gabrielle was looking forward to this. There was very minimal action in Neapolis. She'd much rather spend the next few days riding around Scythia to investigate how well the army was doing regarding their positions. She eyed every single citizen and as she passed fruit vendors she was recognized by everyone.

She wasn't sure if she liked being recognized so easily. It had to be the clothes. It was the only reasonable explanation. The damned kozak that Gabrielle commissioned for her was too flashy. Gold and black jeweled beads across the hat portion made it too obvious that she was part of the royal family.

Her polished boots, tightly woven cotton pants and robe attached along her shoulders were no help either. Everything about her appearance _screamed_ wealth. Xena grabbed Gabrielle's shoulder and forced her into an alley away from the streets.

"We stick out like sore thumbs," she whispered.

Gabrielle blinked, widening her eyes. "I didn't know you wanted to be _sneaky_," she hinted in a devious tone. "Why Xena, that is so unlike you." her fingers finagled with Xena's tunic.

"Stop that." She smacked her wife's hand. "What else you got on the list of yours?"

Gabrielle flipped open her journal and scanned the page with her finger. "Arielle received a letter from a priest named Theotimos at the northern cathedral. He said he's too afraid to leave the church to meet with Arielle. He didn't specify why though."

A spark ignited inside Xena. "Let's go there then." She pulled her wife along, rushing through the crowd.

The area in northern Neapolis was desolate. Only the large cathedral took precedence here. There was a chapel located beside the enormous church. Outside in the square there were children writing with a nun leading the class. Gabrielle stepped forward to observe the class. It had been awhile since she was around this many children and she missed teaching so much she forgot how good it made her feel inside.

Without saying a word to Xena, she walked over to the huddle of students and the nun looked up at her. She rose from the bench and inclined her head. Instantly, Gabrielle was recognized as someone from Arielle's court by her jade cloak and posh clothing underneath. Xena was right; they did stick out like sore thumbs.

"I didn't mean to interrupt your class," she apologized and the children giggled. "What are you all learning?"

The nun smiled nervously. "They're learning how to write Scythian."

Xena came to join in the circle and the nun lowered her gaze. She could see the light illuminating from Gabrielle's eyes, staring at the eager children. She smile faintly and grasped Gabrielle's shoulder lightly. Teaching was one of Gabrielle's passions and that had been ignored due to the past events over the last year and a half.

"Do you know where we could find a Father Theotimos around here?" she addressed the nun.

"Yes, yes." The middle-aged nun pointed to the cathedral behind her. "He should be inside. You should be able to catch him before the afternoon Mass begins."

Xena thanked the woman with a head nod. She squeezed her wife's shoulder. "Do you want to stay here? I could talk to Theotimos alone."

"You don't mind?" Gabrielle looked up at her and Xena winked then walked across the courtyard.

Now that she completely intruded on the outside classroom of little boys and girls, Gabrielle nervously approached one of the boys and inspected his writing from above. Her lips twitched into a bright grin and she moved onto the next child who gladly showed her the journal.

"You all have wonderful handwriting," she marveled.

The nun adjusted the white veil on her head and sat down on the bench. "Are you from the Khagana's court?" she asked curiously.

Gabrielle, enthralled with the fact she was standing in a class of students, registered the woman's question moments later. She took her head out of the journal and eyed the curious nun. "Yes, I work with Ari –the empress daily. The khanum and I are just scoping out the city to make sure everything is in order."

She took another glance at all of the children. "Princess Aurora is around the same age as your students," she added.

A boy tugged on her pants. "Can the princess come to our class?"

"Kazem!" the teacher reprimanded.

Gabrielle chortled. "I'm sure Princess Aurora would love to. She doesn't have any children to play with. She gets lonely sometimes." Just then all the children frowned. An idea sparked and she brought her palms together. "There's a party in a few days for the khagana's sister. Why don't you bring all the children to the palace?"

The children whispered with each other and giggled while the nun expressed steady caution and apprehension to the kind offer. She clapped her hands to settle the talkative students and spoke to Gabrielle.

"Are you sure that we won't be intruding?"

"No, not at all! You _must_ come. It's rude to refuse," Gabrielle insisted.

"Well…alright," the nun relented and all of the children cheered.

Gabrielle shone a smile at the delight around her. "I'll send the Khagana's elite guard to come for you in three days."

* * *

Xena roamed around the cathedral and admired the large marble pillars that slowly curved upward to match the curvature of the dome above. She walked in circles around herself, gazing at the paintings on the ceiling decorated with glass chandeliers with an abundance of tall candles.

She entered several churches in her life but never saw one as beautiful as this cathedral. The architecture could rival the Hagia Sophia in Constantinople. Even though she had several bad experiences with churches in the past she was impressed by the beauty.

In front of the large altar, a man knelt on his knees, lighting candles in front of the towering crucifix. Xena held her breath and her boots loudly echoed in the dome chamber as she briskly walked down the aisle to greet the man she hoped would be Theotimos.

Before she could speak, the cloaked man stood up and turned to face her. He was considerably young which threw her off. She expected someone to be much older but it was clear by his robes and large crucifix around his neck that he was the priest she sought after.

"Father Theotimos?" she supposed.

"In the flesh. What can I do for you, ma'am?"

Her lip quivered. She hated being called that by anyone. "I'm part of Khagana Arielle's court. You wrote her a letter and said you were too scared to leave the church so I decided to come to you."

The priest looked around at the people slowly trickling in. He guided her to a separate room where a smaller chapel was located. He closed the heavy door and locked it with an iron board. Xena raised her eyebrow at the severity of caution the man was putting forth.

"Excuse the secrecy," he apologized while checking the neighboring doors. "I am deeply pleased that you've come here," he whispered. "I was worried that my concerns were not heard by the khagana."

"I can assure you that she cares about all her people," the hairs on the back of her neck stood up like needles. Being locked in a room alone with this priest only meant there were people lurking and possibly listening, if not here, then somewhere from afar.

"I am being forced into submission," he whispered, sweat dripping down his face. "I expressed my gratitude to the Hun people and several clergymen in my church have either disappeared or have been killed."

Xena widened her eyes. This was news to her and if Arielle hadn't said anything about this then surely she was oblivious about this as well.

"Do you know who is behind this?"

Theotimos firmly gripped her arm. "Followers of Emperor Justinian. The men of Chieftain Mezamir of the Antes lurk in Scythia."

A smile crept up on her lips. Antes: the very tribe that sent someone to assassinate Arielle and failed. She had the name of the person in charge of it all.

"Where is this tribe located?" she pressed for answers.

"Near the Baltic Sea. The tribe covers a large mass of land," he nervously looked at the doors. "I must begin the afternoon Mass now."

She nodded. "Thank you and I will send soldiers to guard the church for you. If you have any information you may pass it on to the soldiers and it will be reported directly to me."

After she concluded her meeting with the priest she hurried out of the cathedral just in time for the bells to chime outside. Dozens of people crowded around the courtyard waiting to enter for their daily service. Xena tried to maneuver her way through the eager citizens and regrouped with Gabrielle who was still mingling with the small children.

In the middle of a discussion Xena stood behind the nun who was teaching the alphabet and the children gawked up at her, distracted from their lesson. Gabrielle followed the curious eyes and jumped at the sight of Xena looming behind.

Gabrielle excused herself from the group and ushered her wife aside. "Did you find out what the problem was?"

"Yes and it is a _very_ big problem," Xena whispered. "We need to go back to the palace and inform Arielle. I can't discuss this out in the open," she indicated to the listening ears in the vicinity.

"Okay. Just let me say goodbye to the children," Gabrielle couldn't contain her excitement. "By the way I invited them to Cera's senlik!"

Xena pursed her mouth and folded her arms, waiting as Gabrielle trotted off to say her farewell to the students.

* * *

Maids bustled around preparing the palace for the senlik. There wasn't one person who sat idly waiting for a command. As soon as Arielle came into the formal living area many of the servants tried to give respect by stopping their duties but she insisted they continue and pay no mind to her with a wave of her hand.

She smiled at people passing by her and gave a curt nod to Yana and Inzhu who were in charge of all the decorations. Out of all the senliks in the family this had to be the largest and extravagant of them all. Not even Farah's party was s lavish. All of Mirac's brothers and wives were due to arrive by nightfall according to Kuba. Soon this place was going to be filled with several more bodies.

Anastasia sat, nursing a glass of tea while she watched the preparations from afar. Pamira was eager to help but because of Anastasia's persistence, Pamira was forced to share tea with the khatun. Arielle made her way across the large room and greeted her mother with a kiss to the hand.

"You're in a good mood," Ana observed.

"I am," she sat on the floor to join them both. "How are you, Pamira? Has my brother been helping you?"

The shy Persian smiled. "I'm fine, thank you for asking. Soran has been spending more time with me but I will say he is a bit…apprehensive."

Arielle sighed. "He's a little shy, but trust me he likes you a lot. Don't worry, in a couple of months you will have a party just as grand as this one." She reached over and pat Pamira's knee. "Where's Cera?"

Anastasia passed a glass of tea towards her daughter. "She's resting. She wasn't feeling well earlier so I sent her to her room."

"Is she sick? She's not in pain, is she? Did you send the midwife to check on her?"

"Arielle, please. There's nothing wrong with her. She's just tired, that's all." She eased her daughter's overactive mind. "She was overwhelmed. You know how she gets when she's over stimulated."

Arielle downed the tea like it was fresh spring water and let out a hiss of a breath from the tea burning the back of her throat. "I want Cera to have the perfect senlik. I think she'll really like my gift. I had a cradle made for her. It's made of mahogany and has pearls embedded in it."

"Wow, look at you," Ana smiled, taking a sip. "Have you heard any word on Farah? She was supposed to arrive a week ago."

"No but I'm sure she'll show up soon. She's going to outdo us in the gift department," Arielle scoffed.

Pamira set down the glass on a saucer. "I am looking forward to meeting your brother's wife and the rest of the family. I hope they will like me."

"They will love you!" Arielle said enthusiastically. "You've got nothing to worry about."

Kuba interrupted their tea time and bowed to the women. "Khagana, I want to inform you that Queen Yeter and Khan Oran have arrived. Should I assign their children's rooms close to the princess?"

Arielle snapped her head to her mother and slammed the glass on the table. She leaned back and could see Yeter standing with Ursula crowded in the foyer with the three princes. Her mood soured instantly upon seeing the Gokturk family.

"You invited _them_?" she growled.

"Of course I did," Ana nonchalantly replied. "Assign the princes' rooms close to Aurora," she told Kuba and turned to her fuming daughter. "They are _family_, Arielle."

"Mother," she puffed her chest, "Yeter is going to rain all over my good mood. She is anything but pleasant."

Anastasia shrugged. "She's not going to bother you. Ursula won't allow it. She keeps Yeter in line. Behave yourself, okay?"

Arielle sulked like a heated child. "Fine."

Pamira looked at the Gokturks who lingered in the foyer. She crinkled her eyebrows at the two boys playing a game of toss with each other while the third prince was merely a baby held in a woman's arms, the woman she supposed was the one Arielle loathed.

"Who is Yeter and why don't you like her?" she asked the livid empress.

"You'll find out soon enough."

* * *

That evening Xena informed Arielle of the information she obtained from Father Theotimos. It wasn't a stretch to say that the Antes people were in Scythia but they were very good at hiding. They were very bold to attempt an assassination and they failed so of course they would have resurgence in the largest community in Scythia: the churches.

"I don't think sending groups of soldiers to protect Theotimos is going to serve a good purpose," stated Arielle.

Xena kept herself occupied by twisting the veil of her kozak around her finger. "Why not? He made it clear to me that he will die if he goes against this 'Chieftain Mezamir'. He's being watched."

Gabrielle raised her hand to interrupt and Arielle gave her a nod to speak. "I think what Arielle means is that if we send guards to the cathedral that the Antes are going to know he blabbed. They will kill him instantly once they see Avars."

"Exactly."

"Then why don't we disguise the soldiers as monks or clergymen?" suggested Xena. "We need people there to protect everybody."

"And you don't think the Antes aren't going to notice the sudden overpopulation of clergy?" Arielle raised her eyebrow at her disgruntled grandmother. "I think we should send _one_ soldier to spy on the cathedral."

"The Antes aren't going to make themselves known. They're probably dressed as clergymen too," chided Xena.

Arielle's head throbbed. "Then we're just going to have to be careful, aren't we? I don't care if that soldier has to stay there for months to uncover the Chieftain's spies. I'm not going to go to war with someone until I know every little detail about them."

Gabrielle wrote down the conversation and eyed her slightly irritated partner. "We're already at war with them ever since they tried to assassinate you."

"Yes but I can't fight someone I can't see." She drummed her fingers on the table, staring at the silent women. "I want everyone in this palace interviewed to make sure I don't have a spy here. Grandma, can you do that for me?"

Her sour mood lightened and she smiled. "Of course I _can_."

Arielle wasn't sure if that was a good idea but she couldn't do it herself as it would look way too suspicious and distrustful to her own servants.

"I want this investigation to stay between us. Nobody will know, not even the servants. The conversations will be casual. That means no _interrogating_," she directed the comment at Xena.

"Now you've ruined the fun of it all," Xena teased. "Okay, no interrogating, just converse normally."

"Good." Arielle could breathe easier now. "Keep mother out of this. The less people that know about this, the better. Oh and, Eksama should know too. She is the commander after all."

Xena licked her lips. "If you want her to know then _why_ isn't she present at this meeting?"

"Because I deemed it appropriate that way," Arielle concluded. "I have a method behind my madness, grandma. Let me run this empire the way I see fit. You're both dismissed unless there is something else to discuss."

Gabrielle closed her journal and waved her arm in the air. "I invited some children to the senlik. We found them outside the cathedral. A nun was conducting a class outside."

More children in the palace. Just what Arielle didn't need or want. She tried to seem enthusiastic about the abundance of guests and forced a smile. First Yeter arrives with her entire family and now _this_.

"Oh…that's nice, _real_ nice, Gabrielle," she kept nodding her head. "How many children are there exactly?"

"I don't know. Ten to twelve."

Arielle let out a heavy sigh. "This place is going to be crawling with children. I guess Aurora will have plenty of children to play with." She rounded the table and slapped her hands on their shoulders. "Goodnight you two. Have fun plotting."

The room was clear and Xena leaned over, causing the chair to creak. She batted her eyelashes and Gabrielle caught a glimpse of the keen grin.

"What?" she slipped the journal in the bag.

To heighten the sensual tension between them, Xena played into it by tracing her finger along Gabrielle's sleeve. Remaining somewhat playful with her expressions she suddenly gripped Gabrielle's wrist, causing a jump from her other half.

She inched closer, drawing Gabrielle in, as if she were to say something to rouse her spouse. "We should," she held her breath, "…interview the servants during the party," she whispered in a sultry voice.

"Xena!" she growled, rolling her eyes.

"Wow, you should see the look on your face," Xena muffled a laugh.

Gabrielle threw the strap of the bag over her shoulder and stood up. "You're incorrigible."

* * *

It had been a long day even though it wasn't busy. Today was a day of planning ahead for the future. Arielle wanted to make sure that the next few days were reserved for Cera only. She didn't want any distractions taking away from her sister's party but the stress of enemies hunting her lingered in the back of her mind.

Still in her clothes from earlier she was itching to take a bath. She walked around in the same dress she had on the moment she left Xerxes in her room. Immediately upon entering her room she stripped the dress from her body and it fell to the floor. She walked over and grabbed fresh towels that were laid on her bed.

In the middle of the large bed there was a very long rectangular box. She raised an eyebrow and crawled onto the bed and held the box on her thighs. Slowly, the lid lifted and her eyes widened at the recurve bow inside. She felt like she was a child on her birthday who just received the best gift.

The bow was made of the finest wood and metal in the center. It hadn't been strung yet and she picked up the bowstring inside the cushioned box and kept admiring the craftsmanship of the bow. Any other woman probably would've loved a dress instead or a set of jewelry but she loved bows since she first saw one at the age of two.

"Do you like it?"

Arielle gasped at his sudden voice. She hopped off the bed and darted across the room, embracing Xerxes. She then looked at the bow in her hand once more and lifted her wide eyes.

"I promised to have a bow made for you. It's a little late I know."

"It's perfect!" she ran her fingers along the wood. "Are you trying to _seduce_ me with gifts, Shehzade?"

He flushed at the question. "Is it working?"

"A little bit." She set down the bow gently on a chair beside a mirror. "Thank you." she looked down at herself and realized she was completely naked and he was not. She smiled nervously. "I…want to apologize for running off like that earlier."

He focused in on her eyes and lifted her chin. "So, I'm guessing they didn't need help decorating?" he insinuated and she had a guilty look about her. "Did I say something to offend you?"

"No!" she spat and then recoiled. "You were wonderful –you _are_ wonderful."

"We can talk about it another time," he saw the relief in her eyes. "Do you always walk around your room like that?"

Arielle bit her bottom lip and smiled. "I was going to take a bath. You're more than welcome to join me."

He took her up on that offer and followed her into the bath chamber. He wasn't going ruin the moment and tell her that he bathed hours ago. In the heated pool, she sat on his lap with her legs wrapped around his waist. He reared his head back as water was poured over his hair.

Arielle set the silver pan aside and cleaned his shoulders and neck with a warm cloth. Their eyes crossed paths for a moment and Arielle's cheeks reddened.

"I have to go back to Estakhr. My father is giving my role back as General."

Her eyebrows rose and she tossed the cloth over his head. "You're going to come back…" she said with a hint of hopefulness.

"I will." He wrapped his arms around her. "Eventually. We can write to each other."

Xerxes didn't like the long pause between them and he panicked inside.

She spoke softly, "I was going to ask your father for some control over his empire. Since we're together I thought he would be more inclined to agree. Maybe I could come visit you in Estakhr?" she grinned.

He hesitated and pulled away. "That's not a good idea, Arielle."

"Why not? Doesn't your father know you're courting me? I thought you told him."

"No…I didn't."

She pushed herself off of his lap and swam backward, lowering herself deeper into the water. She furrowed her eyebrows, glaring at him and Xerxes desperately wanted this conversation to end before it even began.

"I don't like sneaking around, Xerxes. I tried that before and it did nothing but hurt me in the end. Why haven't you told him?"

"It's complicated."

"No, it's not!" she splashed water in his face. "My whole family knows about us! Why can't your family know too? Are you ashamed of me?"

"No, I would never be," he spat back, mildly insulted by her assumptions. "I don't want to talk about this anymore." He climbed out of the bath and snagged a towel off the bench.

She swam over to the ledge and rested her elbows on the floor. "You want to marry me without ever telling your family? Was that your plan all along?"

He remained silent and turned his back to her, wrapping the towel around his waist.

"Xerxes!"

He spun around, hands on hips, and glared at her from above.

"I'm not going to be your little secret."

"You're not."

"Then tell your father."

He let out a loaded sigh. "I can't."

She snorted and swam back to the center of the bath and dipped her hair into the water. She stood up in the water and turned her back to him.

"Arielle, you must understand –"

"I don't," she cut him off. "You may go."


	42. Chapter 42

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Xena and Eksama are obligated to work together as a team, investigating the entire palace to see if a spy is living with them. Gabrielle realizes she's made a mistake when she invites the children from the church to Cera's party. The Pannonian Clan arrives in Scythia, looking for refuge and military aid. Xena has a tough time sharing authority with the other queens in the empire, and Arielle reaches an agreement with Xerxes concerning his mother.

Chapter 42 –_Reunion_

The day of the senlik Xena woke earlier than everyone else. She wanted to begin questioning every servant since she knew they'd be the first to rise for the day. Every room in the palace was occupied once Mirac's brothers arrived with their wives and children. Over the last few days Xena began to miss the tranquility of the palace.

There were children running around the entire palace at all times of the day. She made a point to stay far away from everyone else and hide in her room. Gabrielle laughed at her for hiding from the children but she understood her fear last night. All of the children ganged up on Gabrielle and forced her to tell stories.

First stop was the kitchen. Xena walked through the corridors to the basement of the palace and stopped on the middle of the stairs. Eksama beat her to the questioning. She huffed and entered the kitchen. All of the servants and cooks bowed their heads.

Eksama turned, licking the pudding off her finger. "Khanum," she smiled.

She grabbed the commander and pulled her aside. "What are you doing here?"

"Questioning the servants just like Arielle wanted."

Xena folded her arms and looked around the large kitchen. "Did you know I was coming down here?"

"How would I possibly know that?" Eksama wiped her fingers on a rag. "Since I have the kitchen staff maybe you could go question the seamstresses?" she suggested.

She was positive that Eksama did this on purpose. The twinkle in those brown eyes said it all. Xena chose to act calm and smiled. "Seamstresses. Right. If you find out anything suspicious make sure to tell me."

"You're the boss," Eksama winked.

Xena pursed her mouth and then ascended up the stairs. Eksama titled her head upward to see that the khanum had finally gone. She smugly grinned and then made her way around the kitchen, inspecting all of the food preparations.

* * *

Per the khagana's orders, Gabrielle found a suitable soldier to be stationed at the cathedral. She interviewed several soldiers for the job and found a young man, no older then seventeen, who was perfect for the job. He looked harmless which was exactly what was needed.

Jasper, a previous altar boy for Bishop Salman, entered the army at the age of sixteen and left the church. He was an avid Christian who attended prayer services once, sometimes twice a week. Gabrielle handpicked him after a few soldiers pointed her to him.

She gave him specific instructions to stand by Father Theotimos and be on the lookout for suspicious behavior from the clergy around the area. This wasn't going to be an easy task given that Justinian was behind this scheme. Bishop Salman was very quiet and hadn't written Arielle asking for donations in a long time. Gabrielle made a note of that.

Bright and early, Gabrielle escorted Aurora to the foyer where the students she invited were. Aurora rubbed her tired eyes and held onto Gabrielle's hand as they walked together. It was a chore to get the princess out of bed this morning and Ku was too busy with Arielle so it was up to the other maids to get her up. It wasn't until Gabrielle intervened that Aurora finally dressed herself.

"Gabby, it's too early," she whined. "I want to go back to sleep."

"No sleeping. Today is your aunt's party and you have a few guests that are waiting to meet you," she squeezed the girl's hand.

Aurora griped, "the birds aren't even awake!"

"Maybe you wouldn't be so tired if you hadn't stayed up so late with Muqan and Bönan playing games," she hinted, speaking of one of Mirac's nephews.

They entered the foyer to greet the children and Gabrielle counted the heads. She remembered there were at least twelve students but only six arrived. She stared at a man with a long dark beard, standing behind one of the boys. She stared at the robed man who wore an elaborate beaded headpiece, matching the boy's.

"Hello," she said, hesitantly approaching the group of six boys. "Where's the rest of the students?" she asked.

The tall bearded man stepped forward and Gabrielle blinked quickly. "They were unable to attend. My name is Tzes Bey of the Hinukh tribe," he introduced himself with an inclined head.

Gabrielle's jaw dropped. "_Bey_?"

"This is my son, Kazem," he gestured for the boy to join him. "He has a gift for the princess."

Aurora raised her eyebrow, staring at the dark haired boy. Kazem stepped forward and presented her with a gold box. Aurora confusedly stared at the gift and graciously took it, letting go of Gabrielle's hand. She lifted the lid and pulled out a teardrop pendant made of glass embedded with an azure stone.

Gabrielle gawked at the gift and looked at the Bey who was waiting for a reaction from Aurora. She quickly snatched the gold box from Aurora and nervously smiled. She'd seen an exchange like this before when Mirac came to Pannonia to greet Cera. He gave her a gift and his father was intent on marrying the two.

"That was so _nice_ of you to bring a gift," she said, hiding the box behind her. "Please, come in. Just go through the long hallway and you'll find your way to the sitting area."

The Bey nodded and pushed his son along. The other boys shortly followed and together the six of them ran down the hallway. Tzes turned to Gabrielle and clasped her shoulder.

"I would like to speak with the Khagana. Is it possible that I could speak with her soon?"

Gabrielle's face turned chalk white. "Um, she's a little busy at the moment. You will see her later tonight. Excuse us," she grabbed Aurora's hand and hurried off.

Aurora grunted and eyed the box in the governor's hand. "What a strange gift!" she giggled. "What am I supposed to do with a rock?"

"Hopefully nothing," muttered Gabrielle.

* * *

All throughout the night he felt Cera toss and turn in the bed. She also got up several times during the night which disturbed his sleep too. He knew she had to be exhausted being awake most of the night.

Mirac didn't want to disturb his wife but he always said his early greetings to their child. He grew accustom to talking to the baby for months now and he knew Cera enjoyed it because he was the voice that their child reacted to. He tapped his fingers gently on his child.

"_Gülü_," he whispered.

He felt a couple of jarring kicks against his palm and then heard Cera moan softly. He looked to her and she yawned, waking up gradually. Smiling, he leaned over and kissed her tenderly on the cheek.

"Good morning."

Cera rubbed her eye and lifted her head off the pillow, peering down at the child within her that kept her awake for hours. It was as if she was challenging her unborn child in a staring contest and narrowed her eyes. Ultimately, she lost when she felt the baby turn over and writhe in his or her cramped space.

"_Gülü_ is already disobeying you," he teased.

Cera smiled faintly and winced at the abrupt shudder in her lower abdomen. Irritated and sleep deprived, she had no desire to get out of bed this morning. She rubbed her face and kicked the blankets off the lower half of her body.

She heard the door to the bedroom open and in walked her elder sister, bright and early, dressed in a black floor length gown. She was tired of everyone checking on her constantly, especially her mother. She hated to say but she thought Arielle was worse than their mother.

"Here she comes," Mirac snickered, knowing Cera was bound to get annoyed by her sister.

Arielle came to the side of the bed and gasped, staring at her little sister with a big grin.

"Look at you!" She squealed. "You're huge!" She bent over and rubbed her sister's stomach. "_Sevimli bebek_," she cooed.

Cera grimaced and smacked her sister's hand. She tried to sit up and Mirac held her arm to aid her and she sat against the mound of pillows, breathing out heavily and adjusted the long sleeves of her dress.

"Today is _your_ day, Cera. We have to get ready for your party. I asked the chef to make your favorites for breakfast. There's rice, quail eggs with yogurt because I know you love spiced yogurt. Oh and there's pickled figs too."

The princess ran her fingers through her hair and lazily signed with one hand, "_I'm tired…"_

"Aw, yes I know." Arielle cupped her sister's cheek. "Yana wants you to try on your dress before tonight just to see if it needs any alterations. Also, mother is going to take you to the bath chamber after breakfast."

"_I don't want to eat right now,"_ signed Cera with a scowl on her face.

Arielle raised an eyebrow skeptically. "_You_? Not hungry? I don't believe you," she teased. "There's also…that stuffed bread you like. You know, the kind filled with potatoes and cheese," she enticed her little sister.

Cera raised both eyebrows and tapped her fingers together, contemplating if she should go eat with everyone or not. She did like that bread a lot ever since she was a child. She smiled and swung her legs to the side of the bed and grabbed her sister's hands to stand.

Mirac smirked at his sister in law's enthusiasm. "I suppose men aren't invited to this breakfast?"

"Sorry Mirac, ladies only." She hooked arms with Cera and walked together.

* * *

With no luck in the sewing room Xena left in a hurry and met with Eksama in the middle of the corridor. The two stared at each other and inched closer to meet face to face barely a couple of feet apart. Xena studied the cold expression on Eksama's face and could tell that this was a game to her and that was it.

"Did you find out anything?" asked Xena.

Eksama shook her head. "Did _you_?"

"No," she painfully admitted. "The stable boys should be questioned next."

"Already done," Eksama replied with a grin. "Before you ask, I've already questioned the armory guards and the laundry maids as well."

Xena curled her upper lip and clenched a fist. "Do you ever sleep?"

"I just like to be concise and thorough, khanum," she hummed a laugh. "I'll tell you what, you can question Arielle's chambermaids next and I'll go for the elite guards."

"You don't get to make those –"

Gabrielle came charging down the hallway, waving her hand in the air. Her boots echoed throughout the stone halls and she came to an abrupt halt and held onto Xena's arm, waiting until her breath caught up to her. She eyed Eksama warily and then took in a deep breath with a minor cough.

"I need to talk to you," she whispered to Xena.

Xena was caught between one-upping Eksama and listening to Gabrielle. Given the sense of urgency of her wife's voice, she succumbed and waved her hand to Eksama to disperse. The commander sauntered off, whistling. Once she rounded the corner, Xena glared at her jaded spouse.

"This better be good, Gabrielle," her tone clearly stated annoyance.

"I did something terrible," Gabrielle said in between labored breaths. "There's a Bey here –from Hinukh –children…stone…" she heaved.

Xena's head began to suffer at the incoherence. "Slow down. What are you talking about?" she shook her wife's shoulders.

"Those children I invited. They're here." She began, putting a hand over her beating chest. "A boy's father is a Bey of the Hinukh tribe."

"And?"

"Kazem –that's the boy –gave a gift to Aurora!" she gripped Xena's arms firmly. "I think the Bey assumed I was proposing a marriage when I invited the class to the palace!"

Xena felt like she was going to faint. Her legs went numb and she stared off into the distance. Gabrielle's mindless chatter went in through one ear and out the other. A jolt to her arm brought her back to reality and she watched Gabrielle dig her fingers into her hair, pacing around like a restless bird.

"Maybe that isn't the Bey's intention?" Xena implied.

"Yeah right, Xena!" she barked. "He wants to speak with Arielle right away. What am I going to do? Arielle's going to kill me!"

Xena soothed Gabrielle with a gentle hand to the arm. "This isn't your fault. How were you supposed to know that one of the students had a Bey for a father? Besides, we don't even know if marriage is on the table. Aurora is _six_ years old." She laughed.

"This isn't funny," panic set in. "Where's Arielle? We need to keep her out of the sitting room. Maybe I could get rid of the Bey."

"Unlikely." Xena rubbed her chin. "We should go talk to the Bey. I've never heard of the Hinukh tribe."

She grabbed Gabrielle's hand and went through the corridor. Gabrielle felt she was to vomit. She didn't want to be in the same room as that Bey because her fear of him talking of marriage was going to be a reminder of the hugest mistake she had made yet.

"Aren't you supposed to be questioning the servants?" she asked, trying to get away.

"I put Eksama in charge of that."

"Say what?"

* * *

Cera stood for her final dress fitting with Mirac's sisters. As she stood patiently she felt a lot of tugging and pulling behind her all while Yana and Inzhu were cursing under their breaths. Cera sighed and wondered if her sister in laws thought she was deaf. She could hear everything they were saying.

She tried on the dress twice before but that was nearly a month ago. Yana commented on how the dress didn't fit in the back anymore. Cera occupied herself by picking at her nails, trying to ignore their conversation. Her abdomen grew rapidly over the last couple of months and while Cera was glad that her child was healthy, Yana was infuriated.

Yana came around with a mouthful of pins hanging over her bottom lip. She pulled the collar of the dress back. Cera stumbled a bit and then felt Inzhu pull on the back of the dress from behind to bring it to a close. Cera took a sharp inhale from the dress tightening underneath her breasts.

Yana groaned. "Take the dress off. I need to fix this."

Cera slipped the dress off and grabbed a robe. She sat down and watched the sisters interact, almost arguing with each other. She felt bad for causing them to argue. Yana worked so hard on the gown and now she had to make last minute adjustments before tonight.

Anastasia waltzed in, interrupting the bickering sisters. "How is it coming along?" she asked, smiling.

Yana and Inzhu shared a look of concern. "Really well, khatun. I will have the dress ready by tonight," said Yana.

"Excellent," she walked over to Cera. "I can take you to the baths now. Ku will style your hair for you afterwards."

Cera took her mother's hand and in walked in Arielle. She inwardly groaned at her sister's presence. She was being followed all morning and though she expected that all the women were going to fawn over her today, she was annoyed by Arielle's constant need to be around her.

Anastasia hooked arms with her daughter and bumped into Arielle who was eating from a bowl of fresh walnuts. She looked to Cera and saw a flash of anger in the doe eyes of hers. She hid a smile and tried not to laugh. Cera was hardly ever angry but when she was it was incredibly noticeable.

"I'm going to take Cera to the baths, Arielle. You've already done so much this morning," Ana tried to shoo Arielle away.

"I've cleared my whole schedule! There must be _something_ I can do."

Anastasia rubbed her lips together. "Where's Xerxes? I thought you'd be spending time with him before the party."

Arielle rolled her eyes. "He and I aren't speaking at the moment."

"Ah, well that's too bad. I hope you clear things up with him." Ana brushed her daughter's shoulder and hurried away with Cera.

"Mom!" Arielle followed. "I want to help."

Ku-Ilm walked into the messy room and stepped over piles of fabric. She nearly tripped over herself and bumped into Yana. She backed away at the wicked stare she received from the Nezak woman and apologetically smiled. She jumped over a basket of linen and stood in between Anastasia and Arielle, breaking their conversation.

"There's a Bey who wants to speak with you," she whispered.

Arielle's nose wrinkled. "A Bey? Tell him to come back another time."

"He accompanied the students Gabrielle invited. He says it is important."

While Arielle was occupied talking to Ku she realized her mother and Cera left. She grumbled and glared at her chambermaid who sheepishly smiled.

"Where is he?"

* * *

"Your tribe is from northern Scythia," Xena repeated and the Bey nodded. "And the other children in the class are from neighboring tribes?" she received another nod from Tzes Bey. "And the tribes didn't want their children to come to the palace because they don't like the khagana, is that right?"

Tzes, impatient with the incessant questioning, answered, "yes, that's correct."

"Hmm," she peered over her shoulder, "you getting all of this, Gabrielle?"

"Mhm." Gabrielle wrote down everything the Bey said. She knew this information was vital but at the same time, they were both stalling and the Bey came to realize it after Xena kept repeating everything he said.

"I asked to speak with the khagana. I don't want to be rude," he flashed a smile. "Perhaps I should go find someone to look for her."

He tried to evade Xena and she blocked the doorway with a stretched arm. "But we were just getting to know each other, Bey," she said and jabbed her finger in his chest. "So, _stay_ awhile."

Tzes backed away and frowned, glancing around the room filled with children. They paid no mind to the little interrogation he received in the corner. He kept a close eye on his son who apparently made friends with the Gokturk princes and played a game of chess on the floor.

"Tell me more about these tribes who despise the khagana. It is my duty to know all the tribes in Scythia." She flipped the veil over her shoulder.

Gabrielle scribbled quickly and her pen scraped along the notepad at the sound of heels clicking on the hard marble floor. She held her breath, looking over her shoulder and gasped audibly, startling the Bey and Xena. She took hold of her wife's arm and shoved her aside.

"She's _coming_!"

Xena peeked from behind the wall and locked eyes with Arielle who smiled at her, waving a hand. She disappeared and never felt the need to pray until now. She grabbed Gabrielle and used her as a human shield.

All smiles, Arielle walked into the sitting area and her eyes darted to a tall dark haired man wearing burgundy and black robes. By his headpiece she gathered he was the Bey who wanted to speak with her. She felt underdressed right now in a simple black gown and her hair a wild mess but it wasn't like she was given much notice.

Tzes Bey recognized her immediately and greeted her. "Khagana," he kissed her hand. "Thank you for speaking with me, your highness."

"It's not a problem." She laced her fingers together. "What can I do for you?"

"I wanted to discuss Princess Aurora with you."

Arielle brought her brows to a fine line. "My daughter?"

He was apprehensive of the subject and tugged at his collar. "I can see she will grow to become a beautiful young woman," he said cautiously.

Arielle narrowed her eyes and looked over to Gabrielle and her grandmother huddled in the corner together, cowering like frightened deer.

"What is this about?"

"I wanted to present my son to your daughter," he said, "I'm the Chief of the Hinukh tribe. It is the only tribe in the north that is loyal to your empire, your highness. "

Slowly, the boiling blood inside her was threatening to surface.

"Allow my tribe to unite with yours," he inclined his head, "when they reach of age, your daughter can marry my son. He was very eager to meet the princess."

Arielle inched forward and put on a smile. "I'm afraid we must discuss this matter another time," she said calmly. "This celebration is for my sister. I don't want to talk about politics today."

He didn't let his disappointment to show and graciously bowed. "Of course."

* * *

Several hours later the senlik commenced and the women and men were split into different rooms. Anastasia compromised with Yana to introduce some Nezak traditions but it was very strange to have a party in two different rooms. She knew the men weren't complaining since they didn't have to stick by their wives and watch their language around the children.

Cera's dress was finished at the last moment and she sat on the floor, surrounded by a large circle of women. So far she received more gifts than she could count and she had an urge to open them all but she had to restrain herself. She felt like a child on her birthday with the mountain of gifts. The best part about being surrounded by women was that she didn't have to engage in conversation as they did most of the talking while she listened.

The children found themselves in segregated circles. Aurora was among one of three girls compared to the dozen of boys. She chose to include herself in the circle of boys instead of talking to the other two girls which were from Mirac's side of the family.

Arielle sat on a sofa, watching the party continue on without her. She had her eye on the little Kazem who was wrestling on the floor with a classmate of his. Aurora watched but she didn't participate. Her fingers wrapped around the glass flute to the point of nearly breaking it.

Xena reclined on one of the sofas adjacent from Arielle. She ran her tongue along her top teeth and elbowed Gabrielle.

"She is livid."

Gabrielle caught the khagana's fiery eyes from afar. "I didn't know this was going to happen."

"She's not mad at _you_," Xena scoffed. "Get over yourself, Gabrielle. Not everything is about you," she teased. "I could really use some wine right now."

"I'm _not_ going into another filthy black market tavern with you again," Gabrielle demanded. "But I wouldn't mind having some myself," she coyly admitted.

Anastasia stood outside of the circle of women, holding a flute of sherbet. She smiled, listening to all the women talk all at once to Cera. She could tell her daughter was besieged with attention. The women in Mirac's family were far more animated than those in their family. They were very chatty except for Yana who did more listening than talking.

She felt body heat nearby and turned to see Eksama standing next to her. She frowned and swallowed a generous helping of the drink. Eksama was absent for half of the party and she suddenly appeared. Her presence irked Anastasia.

"I brought a gift for Cera," she whispered.

Ana ignored the comment.

"I've never been to a senlik before and I wasn't sure what to get Cera but I –" she paused at Ana's harsh stare.

"I don't like you, Eksama," she bluntly said. "It's bad enough that my daughter looks like _you_ and now we're forced to associate with one another." she turned her attention elsewhere. "My mother told me to be nice to you. It is obvious that you have bewitched her."

Eksama snorted. "Your mother does _not_ like me."

Anastasia's lips turned up into a subtle smile and her eyes scanned the room. Anything to get her mind off the tall redhead beside her.

"Give this to Cera for me," she handed the box over to Ana and then left the room.

Anastasia peered down at the neatly wrapped box and glanced back at Eksama walking down the hallway by herself. She set down the glass and moved over to the side, away from prying eyes. Curiously, she unraveled the ribbon and lifted the lid of the box to peek inside. She felt a bit silly for thinking that Eksama would give Cera something horrible but she was presently surprised of what lay inside.

She lifted a pair of opal earrings and silver necklace from within the box and admired the jewelry in her palm.

"I don't think that belongs to you."

Ana yelped and slammed the box shut. "Mother!" her heart raced. "Don't do that."

"What did you think she was going to give Cera? A box full of serpents?" Xena joked, snickering.

"I don't trust her. Sue me, alright?" Ana set the gift down into the pile of other presents. "Why is Arielle in such a foul mood? She was so happy earlier it was beginning to scare me."

Xena sighed deeply. "Empress duties." She nudged her daughter. "Anastasia, this is a party. You are supposed to enjoy yourself. Stop worrying over everyone."

"How very hypocritical of you, mother."

Xena placed a hand over her chest. "I am merely concerned for your health," she playfully added to which Ana gave a dramatic eye roll.

* * *

_Two Weeks Later_

The servants and guards in the palace continued to be questioned but it was clear that nobody was a spy for the Antes. The real enemies were outside the palace walls. Jasper stayed with Father Theotimos for the last couple of weeks and acted as a private assistant. His presence had gone undetected thus far but he had nothing to report yet.

In the middle of the day, Jasper was to help prepare the church for a special service. Women were allowed to come into the cathedral with their children today. Each family was to be given baskets of food donated by Arielle's treasury.

People trickled into the large church and formed a line in front of a table. Jasper was on bread duty and handed out packaged loaves to the families passing by. He gave brief smiles to the children and their mothers. While he was preoccupied with the other altar boys behind the elongated tables, he noticed Father Theotimos speaking with a robed man near the altar.

He frowned, keeping an eye on the conversation. He lost his place in the bread line and almost missed a couple of children. Father Theotimos was joined by two other men and then he was grabbed by the arm and not in a friendly manner.

Jasper watched the exchange and then the priest was ushered out of the main area and into one of the adjoining rooms. He slipped away from the tables and ran down the aisle. He made sure all the families were busy enough not to notice him before he slipped into the room where Father Theotimos was taken.

The room was empty but he heard from voices from behind a door. He crept up and put his ear to the door listening in on the hushed conversation.

"You continue to side with the pagan empress," one of the men loudly growled.

"Am I to turn away charity? This is for the people!" cried Theotimos.

Jasper heard a loud clap. He imagined the priest was slapped. There was a loud thud and a bang against the wall. He winced, sympathizing with the priest.

"If you chose to continue to ally yourself with the pagan you will have to answer to Chieftain Mezamir."

"I…cannot refuse charity. The khagana sends donations every month…" Theotimos was barely able to speak.

Jasper then heard a more gruff man speak, "we will need to act soon. Spread the word to the others."

_There were others in the city? _Jasper sensed this wasn't going to end well and he needed to get back to the palace as soon as possible. Xena needed to know.

He backed away from the door and bumped into a vase. He grabbed it before it fell to the floor but the sound echoed in the small chamber. He heard rustling around and cursing from the Antes men. Jasper quietly set the vase on its pedestal and hurried to the exiting door.

The door swung open and Jasper was grabbed from behind and thrown to the wall. He reached for the dagger hidden under his robe but his leg was stomped on by the man's heavy boot. He screeched in agony and then a hand came to his mouth.

Jasper was sprung to his feet and escorted down the hallway by two heavily armed men. He was tossed on the ground like a bag of grain and forced into submission with a foot pressing against his cheek.

Father Theotimos stammered and tried to scatter but a redheaded Antes soldier pinned him to the wall.

"Do you know this boy? Is he your protector?"

The priest's eyes swelled with tears. "I…I…"

"Talk or I'll kill the boy and then you next. You'd look very nice on a crucifix, Father Theotimos."

"He…" the priest eyed the poor Avar soldier. "He is from the khagana's army. He was sent to protect me."

"I see." He nodded to the other Antes men.

Father Theotimos watched as Jasper's throat was slit and blood dripped into the crevices of the stone floor. He leaned over and retched with a throaty heave.

"Continue on with your service, Father Theotimos," the Antes man smiled and paddled the priest on the shoulder. "Dispose of the boy's body," he ordered. "We will show the pagan empress that she poses no threat to Chieftain Mezamir."

* * *

Arielle thought she was going to have her home cleared after Cera's senlik but she was so wrong. Mirac's siblings all decided to stay until Cera delivered the child. She was thanking every god in the universe that the Gokturk family left after a week of visiting. She did not want to look at Yeter's face longer than needed.

But now she had a new problem. Not only did she have a palace full of twenty or so people, Tzes Bey's tribe kept sending gifts for Aurora over the last two weeks. She tried to ignore the continuous flow of gifts and put off writing Tzes Bey but that couldn't last forever.

Plagued with a four day long headache, Arielle drank a calming tea made by Ku to soothe her agonizing aching head. She sat with her mother, Pamira and Cera, drinking the bitter cold tea. The headache prevented her from thinking clearly and she could barely make out conversations.

Two maids carried a large chest and set it beside Arielle. She jumped and the maids opened the chest. She raised her eyes to take a look inside. It was filled with dresses, scarves and jewelry. She scowled and waved her hand for the chest to be taken away.

Anastasia snuffed a laugh. "More gifts from Tzes Bey?"

"I am not giving my daughter's hand to a boy!" Arielle chugged the tea and slammed the empty cup on the floor. "She's just a little girl!"

"I'm not for arranged marriages all the time but it could work in your favor."

Arielle gasped and pointed to her sister. "You had Cera locked in an arranged marriage!"

"And look how that turned out?" Anastasia smiled cheerfully at her fuming daughter. "You could always say no, Arielle, but you haven't given the Bey a reply and that's why he keeps sending gifts."

Arielle let a heavy sigh escape. "I should talk to Bayan about this. He is Aurora's father and I suppose he has the right to know. This would be an ideal time to send Aurora to the Pontic region for awhile."

"Do what you think is necessary, _tatli kiz_."

"I'm a little concerned that if I do decline the Bey's offer that he will retaliate and turn his tribe against me. He mentioned that several Scythian tribes don't like me!"

Kuba briskly walked over to the circle of women and acknowledged Anastasia with a gentle smile and inclined head. He smiled at Cera and then bent over to speak quietly to Arielle.

"Khagana, the Pannonia clan have arrived," he did his best to relay the message quietly but Anastasia overheard.

"Farah's here?" Ana chirped. "I was beginning to worry. I'll go see her."

Cera smiled, hearing the news. She struggled to rise from the floor but her mother gently pushed her back down.

"Don't get up. I will tell Farah to come see you," Ana advised and Cera mildly pouted. "Arielle, are you coming?" she extended her hand.

* * *

Kurt stuck close by to his stepmother and little brother, Utighur. He held his baby sister, Maria, in his arms while Nisa held the newest addition to their family in her arms. Kurt was ordered by his father to make sure that everyone was taken care of during the long journey to Scythia.

Everyone was at their wit's end throughout the journey. Aman and Aladar quickly got on each other's nerves and bickered almost the entire way. It was up to their oldest brother to keep them in line but Edemen constantly had to calm his sobbing mother.

They waited in the foyer until someone met up with them. Kurt anxiously wanted to get away from his siblings and cousins and when he heard the twin princes fighting behind him, he turned around and gave them a horrid glare.

"Stop fighting or I'll tie you both to a goddamn tree!" he yelled, causing his sister to whimper.

The boys shut their trap and stared up at their teenage cousin. Aman uttered, "sorry, Kurt. We won't fight anymore, promise…"

"Good. You two are getting on my last nerve," Kurt mumbled and tried to soothe his whiny sister with a wooden toy.

Anastasia and Arielle arrived a few moments later and they were shocked to see the entire family in the foyer. They were only expecting Farah and were concerned when she didn't arrive in time for the senlik and now they knew why. Aman and Aladar caught sight of Anastasia and ran across the foyer.

Ana smiled and knelt down with her arms stretched out to embrace the princes. She kissed their cheeks several times and then inspected each of their faces. They wore matching robes and had the same hairstyle which made it difficult to decipher who was whom. She hadn't seen her grandsons in so long that she was ashamed to admit she could no longer tell them apart but she took a guess.

"Aman?" she pointed to the twin on the left. "And…Aladar?" she pointed to the other, second guessing herself.

They both nodded.

"I'm so happy to see you both!" she grasped their hands. "I missed you."

Arielle instructed Kuba to tell the men outside to empty the caravans and bring in their belongings. She then waved her hand to the maids who were on standby to help Nisa and Kurt with the infants. Nisa was escorted down the hallway by two maids. Kurt handed over his baby sister to a helpful maid who soon followed Nisa and the others.

Edemen grabbed his mother's hand and led her over to greet his grandmother and aunt. Anastasia allowed the twin boys to be escorted away and she gawked at the horrible condition Farah was in. She was a lot thinner than usual and her skin lost its color. Her eyes were puffy and red from crying endlessly.

Ana cupped the queen's hollow cheeks, "Farah, _tatli_ _kiz_, you look terrible." She swiped her thumbs along Farah's face. "What's got you so upset?"

It didn't take along for the waterworks to surface. Farah's chin quivered and she burst into tears. She sought solace in Anastasia's warm embrace and sobbed in her chest. Ana widened her eyes and ran her palm over Farah's hair, looking to Edemen for an explanation.

Edemen, clearly tired of dealing with his mother, let out a loaded sigh. "She's been like this ever since we left Pannonia."

Arielle brought her nephew to the side while her mother continued to comfort Farah. "Did something happen to your father?" she kept her voice low. She couldn't bear it if something happened to Csaba.

"No," he lowered his gaze. "There was an attack in Banat from a tribe in Italia," he paused and looked into his aunt's stern eyes. "Teyze Rabia didn't make it."

Arielle faltered and she brought her nephew close and kissed his forehead. She didn't know whether to be sad or angry that she wasn't notified of this attack sooner. She pulled back and reassured Edemen with a gentle smile.

"I promise I will find out who is responsible for this." She gave his shoulder a firm squeeze. "I'm guessing your father and Ernak stayed behind?"

Edemen nodded. "Teyze Arielle, you're going to send your army to help, right?"

"You can count on it."

She averted her eyes to Austraia walking in, pointing to the chests of clothes to be carried up the stairs. Arielle knew that Eksama was watched constantly in Pannonia and wondered if the same rules applied to her teenage daughter.

Edemen followed her gaze and half smiled, waving at Austraia. "She's nice," he assured Arielle. "She always help mother with my brothers. She's a great storyteller. She reminds me of Teyze Cera except…she can talk," he smiled. "Where is Teyze Cera anyway?"

"She's in the sitting room. You should probably rest. You've had a long journey," she cupped the prince's face. "I have to call a meeting. We'll talk more later."

* * *

Xena rolled out the large map that Cera painted out on the long table. Gabrielle held the other end of the map and put weights on each of the corners on her side. They smoothed the wrinkles out of the parchment and then came to stand beside each other, titling their heads from side to side.

Xena grabbed a longer pointer and whacked the Pannonia state. "The tribe that attacked Banat is from Italia," she moved the pointer to Italia. "They're most likely the Lombards who side with Justinian."

"We know that he is orchestrating all of this," Gabrielle said. She placed a wooden totem to mark Italia. "The Lombards are going to attack Pannonia."

"Yet we have the Antes near _us_," Xena moved the pointer across the map to the Baltic Sea.

Another totem was placed in the Baltic region and everyone sat quietly with the same confused and cold expressions on their faces. Arielle drummed her fingers on her cheek and saw how far apart the Lombards were from the Antes.

Gabrielle slammed another marker on Constantinople. "And here we have Justinian."

"And then there's us." Xena circled Scythia with the end of the pointer. "Justinian knows that we have several areas of the empire under our control. He's attacking Pannonia because it's closer to him but he also has his little buddies, the Antes, on our tail in Scythia. We're being attacked from all sides."

Eksama leaned her elbows on the table. "I'm willing to go back to Pannonia to help Ernak and Csaba."

"Fine…" Xena said and turned to Arielle. "What do you want to do about the Antes?"

Arielle scratched her cheek and sighed. "I will lead a campaign against Chieftain Mezamir. Just tell me what needs to be done and I'll do it."

Xerxes interjected much to Arielle's disapproval. "My father wants me to return to Persia to act as General again. He said there are Byzantines on the borders of Persia. I can provide aid if needed."

"I don't want your men. I have plenty," Arielle snapped back.

Gabrielle shared a look of concern with Xena and wrote down some key points of the meeting. "Alright then so Eksama is going to Pannonia, Xerxes leaves for Persia and Arielle is in charge of the Antes. We're still waiting on Jasper's report from Father Theotimos' church."

Anastasia rushed into the conference chamber more than an hour late. She took a seat in between Eksama and Xerxes. All eyes were on her and she smiled nervously at all the hostile faces.

"Where have you been?" Xena asked.

"I had to give Farah a serum to sedate her. She wouldn't stop crying and I couldn't leave," Ana apologized to everybody.

Xena nodded, offering a solemn frown. "It's unfortunate that Rabia is no longer with us. I'm sure she tried her best to keep the Lombards out of Banat."

No longer wanting to dwell on the loss of Farah's sister, Arielle snapped her fingers at her mother. "I need you to contact father. He needs to keep Armenia's borders guarded at all times."

"What am I? A glorified messenger? I want to help. I am the superior queen of this empire."

"That you are," remarked Eksama with a sly grin.

Anastasia whipped her head around to the commander and twiddled her thumbs anxiously in her lap.

Xena could tell that there was a fight inside her daughter ready to come out and attack Eksama. She set down the pointer loudly and that grabbed her daughter's attention to distract her from Eksama.

"Anastasia, you can help Gabrielle plot a battle plan for the Antes campaign," she offered and still, her daughter didn't seem satisfied. "You once held the White Hun Campaign against the Persians. I think we could use some of your skills."

Ana smiled and sat back in the chair. She was pleased with the task she was assigned and was more than willing to help. Being stuck inside the palace was boring her to death.

Arielle stood. "Everyone's been given their duties so this meeting is finished for today. We'll meet up in a week so I can oversee everyone's progress, except for Eksama."

She was about to leave until Xerxes took her wrist. "Can we talk?"

"There's nothing I want to say to you."

"Please, Arielle? You've been ignoring me for two weeks. I need to explain myself."

Her eyes danced around and frowned at the Persian. "Come to my room then. No, on second thought, we'll talk in the gardens outside after dinner." Having Xerxes anywhere near her bed was always a bad idea.

* * *

An overcrowded home was exactly what Xena tried to avoid. She knew there was going to be a lot of people for Cera's party but she didn't think that all of Mirac's siblings were going to stay, and bring their wives and children too! And now the entire clan unexpectedly arrived. There were probably no vacant rooms left in the palace.

After today's unfortunate news and family that was sprung unto everyone, Xena didn't think she could sit and eat with so many people. She could only take so many chatty women and rowdy children. She opted to have dinner in the bedroom and was grateful that Gabrielle didn't oppose the idea.

She sat on the floor with her back against the end of bed, dressed in a long black silk floor-length robe. She took a bottle from underneath the bed and quickly filled her glass while she was alone. With a bent leg, she balanced her arm on her knee and brushed her long mane behind her shoulders.

Gabrielle opened the door with her elbow and walked in with a silver tray of food she snagged from the dining hall. She closed the door with a flick of her foot and then set the tray down on the floor. She uncovered all of the saucers and set the lids aside.

"We have goat, fig rice, yogurt, quail, picked peppers –I grabbed the last bowl because I know they're your favorite –spinach soup, and I'm not sure what _that_ is." She pointed to a bowl of cloudy gelatinous mixture. "But apparently it's Cera's favorite. She said to eat it with yogurt and bread."

Xena leaned forward and scooped the gelatinous substance onto a spoon and gave it a whiff. She turned her nose up at it and dropped the spoon back into the saucer.

"Is this goat _fat_?" her face contorted. She took the saucer and set it off to the side. "Do not take food recommendations from pregnant women, Gabrielle."

Gabrielle chuckled and filled her plate with an adequate amount of food. She poured a large helping of yogurt on her rice and looked to Xena who was moving a lot slower than usual. She mixed her food together and tapped the end of the spoon on the edge of the plate with an arched eyebrow.

"Are you alright?"

Xena lifted her eyes. "What? Oh, yes, I'm fine." She smiled and spooned some rice into her mouth.

"Uh huh." Gabrielle reached for the peppers. "I saw Ernak's daughter. Her name is Rakel. If Kreka were here she'd be so excited. _Two_ princesses! She's so adorable."

"You think _all_ babies are adorable," Xena said with a full mouth. She took a drink to make the food easier to swallow. She caught her spouse's gaze upon her. "What?"

Gabrielle noticed the glossiness of her wife's eyes and set her spoon down. She crawled across the rug and Xena pulled away, raising the glass. She sniffed Xena's hair and followed the familiar scent.

"Gabrielle! What are you doing?" she chewed rapidly and put a hand over her glass to prevent spillage.

The moment she spoke, Gabrielle could smell the bitterness of alcohol on Xena's breath. She leapt forward and fell into Xena's lap and grabbed her wrist, lowering the glass to her nose. She took a huge whiff of the liquid and gasped.

"_Wine_!" she accused. "Where did you get that?"

Xena sheepishly smiled and pulled out the wine bottle hidden beneath the bed. Gabrielle's mouth parted in shock. With her head resting in Xena's lap, she sent a glare upward.

"Don't tell Arielle but…" Xena looked down at the irritated wife of hers. "The seamstresses hide wine in their cupboards," she whispered. "I took it upon myself as Lieutenant General to confiscate the contraband."

Another gasp escaped Gabrielle's lips. "And then you decided to _drink_ it."

"Well…I couldn't let it go to waste." She leaned downward to kiss Gabrielle and a finger pressed to her lips.

"Are you going to share some of that?" Gabrielle asked with a cheeky grin.

Xena fluttered her eyelashes. "Am…I going to _share_," she mocked and pinched her wife's arm which caused a yelp. "I'll share if you ask me nicely," she teased.

"Xena, come on." She attempted to grab the glass and it was lifted higher in the air by Xena.

"What was that, Gabrielle? Did you _say_ something?"

* * *

Underneath the night sky, Arielle sat with Xerxes on one of the benches in the gardens. It was perhaps the only quiet place to escape from the family. Several moments of silence plagued them and Arielle ran her hands down her thighs and cupped her knees.

"Thank you for talking to me," Xerxes said warmly.

"What did you want to discuss?" her voice was cold and gaze distant.

The temptation to grab her hand entered his mind but he recoiled. "I know you want me to tell my father about us." He said and Arielle hid her frown. "I shouldn't have dismissed the topic so easily but I didn't think you were going to ignore me for _two_ whole weeks."

"Well, I guess my stubbornness is another thing you've learned about me," she snidely retorted.

"I want us to work," he took her hand. "But if I tell my father that I have intentions of…_marrying_ you," he took in a deep breath, "he will take my privileges away from obtaining the throne."

Arielle raised her eyebrows. "What if he doesn't? What if he approves?"

He snorted. "I admire your optimism but he won't. My mother already knows how I feel about you but she wouldn't dare tell my father. She wants me to marry a Persian."

"But you _won't_," she firmly squeezed his hand.

"No," he denied immediately seeing the fire in her eyes. So, she _does_ care, he thought. "I didn't want you to think that I was keeping you a secret on _purpose_. I care about you enough to protect you from my family."

Arielle smirked, shaking her head. "Why is your family so intense?"

"I could ask the same about your family."

She pointed a finger in his face. "Hey my family is _very_ easygoing compared to yours! My family has married Persians, Sabirs, Thracians, Romans, Gokturks and Szekelys."

He put up surrendering hands. "Fair enough."

They shared a smile together and Arielle intertwined their fingers. "Do you really have to leave?"

"I do. My father is expecting me by the end of the month." he ran his free hand through her bouncy curls. "But I'll come see you."

She nodded, a bit disappointed they were going to be separated again. "There's absolutely no way you could tell your father?"

"I would, if..." he took a long pause, "if my mother would advocate for us but we both know how she feels."

"She hates me."

"Hate is a strong word."

She smiled incredulously and pat his hand. "Xerxes, your mother would rather see me on a burning cross."

He frowned. "She's still my mother, Arielle," he defended Nousha. "I know she can be very difficult. Looks can be deceiving. She fools people because she looks so kind and alluring. When I return to Estakhr I will talk to her."

She cackled and slapped her knee. "Oh, so you think you can convince your mother? I'd love to see that!"

* * *

Aleksander played a game of cards underneath one of the canopies of a tavern. He flipped a card over and the men on the opposing side whined and tossed their losing cards on the ground. Aleksander laughed proudly and held out his palm to be paid his winnings.

The streets of Neapolis were just waking for the day but sleep did not come easily for Aleksander. He had a lot of free time while he lived in Scythia for the time being. As he collected his winning coins he tipped the tavern owner for the sherbet provided and walked down the street.

At the corner of an apartment he saw a man with a hood waiting for him. He loosened the collar about his neck and discreetly met up with his confidant and waited until a few Scythians passed by before conversing.

"What news do you bring from the cathedral?" whispered Aleksander.

"The Empress sent a spy. I've seen him lurking around for a couple of weeks, following Father Theotimos."

Aleksander grunted and flipped his long golden braid over his shoulder. "What will happen now?"

"I took care of the spy," the emissary reported. "Chieftain Mezamir wants an uprising soon. I think this is the right time to act. Don't wait too long. She's going to be expecting her altar boy to come make his report and when he doesn't return she'll know we're onto her."

Aleksander nodded. "Understood. I'll tell the others." He brushed by and they parted ways.

**Cera, that poor child. I feel like she's been pregnant forever. I will end her suffering soon lol.**


	43. Chapter 43

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chaos ensues when several attacks erupt throughout the city, and Xena and Arielle protect the people, family, and palace. Sequestered in the palace during the invasion, Gabrielle acts as the overseer and protector of the family. Fear that something could awry for the birth of Cera's child, Anastasia works alongside Yana to make sure Cera and her child are cared for during a time of uncertainty.

**Incoming, war heavy chapter! I had a great time writing this chapter for some reason :D**

Chapter 43 –_Rebellion: Part I_

Xena drummed her fingers on the tabletop, overlooking the print that her daughter and Gabrielle drew over the last two weeks. She hummed while placing markers on several spots on the parchment. Anastasia stood by her, watching over her shoulder. She placed a pin on north Scythia and then wrote down various areas that she wanted to explore over the next week.

"I'm going to northern Scythia to scope out the tribes," she said.

Anastasia crossed her arms. "Can I come along with you?"

Xena frowned and turned to face her daughter. "You will stay here."

"But mom," she complained and saw that familiar glare she received as a little girl. "It'll only be a few days. Let me come, please?"

Xena focused back on the map. "No."

"Why not?"

"Because I said so."

Ana rolled her eyes. She heard that _several_ times throughout her life. "Mother, I won't be a burden to you. I can see a lot better now! I want to come."

Xena snarled and slammed down her pen and spun around. "I said _no_!"

Her eyes averted to Arielle and Aurora making their way across the room. She was thankful for the interruption and gave one final glare towards Anastasia and went back to writing down specific coordinates. She could hear her daughter cursing in their mother tongue in a very mocking tone. She closed her eyes for a moment to calm her temper and then kept writing.

Arielle held onto her daughter's hand and peered at the map. "How's it going?"

"It's _going_," Ana chided. "Hello, _tatli_ _kiz_," she bent over and pinched Aurora's cheek.

"Mother, I wanted to talk to you about Cera," Arielle whispered and took Ana aside. "I'm a little worried about her. Her baby was supposed to arrive nearly two weeks ago."

Anastasia smiled. "I just saw her this morning. She seemed fine to me. Don't worry, the baby will come when it's ready," she reassured her concerned daughter.

"Yes but given what happened _last_ time, I just want to make sure everything goes smoothly," Arielle said in a hushed voice. "She hasn't been eating a lot in the last week."

Ana gripped her daughter's hand. "You're very sweet to be so concerned about your sister. You know the last few weeks are always the toughest."

"How can you be so _calm_ about this? Mother, you know what happened to her last time!" she hissed. "All I'm saying is that if she doesn't have the baby soon then we'll have to do something."

Xena couldn't block out the voices any longer and released a throaty groan. "Could you two talk _elsewhere_? I'm trying to work."

* * *

In the armory Gabrielle checked off everything on her list for Xena's upcoming excursion across the Steppe region of Scythia. She had the shadow of Kuba following her as she inspected all of the weapons and saddles for the horses.

She held up one of the swords and didn't think it would up to Xena's standards. She'd seen her spouse use several swords from different parts of the world and Scythian swords weren't considered the best since bows were their go-to weapons.

"Do we have any other swords?" she asked.

"Is there something wrong with this one?"

Gabrielle smirked. "It's just…a little outdated. This sword looks like it was made over a decade ago."

"I can have more swords made within a week," he said.

"It's alright. Xena has plenty of swords." She moved on to look at the saddles.

She checked off the number of saddles, bows and swords in her journal. She walked around the armory and then a flash of black caught her eye. Gabrielle walked to the window and opened the latch of the glass and put a hand over her eyes to block the blinding sun. Black smoke rose into the sunny sky on the north side of Neapolis.

An explosion set off on the west area of the city and Gabrielle quickly closed the window and shoved her journal into her bag and brushed by Kuba.

"Governor, is there something wrong? Is it the swords?" he called.

"The city is on fire!" she shouted and ran out of the room. "Inform Arielle immediately!"

* * *

Cera never thought she could sleep so much. She found herself dosing off in the middle of conversations and yesterday she fell into a light sleep sitting in a chair while her mother was talking to her. She was told to stay in bed and all she ever did was sleep all day and most of the night.

Today was the only day that her exhaustion didn't overcome her. She willed herself to stay awake and that wasn't difficult due to her child constantly moving around. Sitting in bed, leaned up against the headboard of the bed, she felt a jab in her ribs and gasped.

She slid against the pillows and felt the jarring kicks to continue to hit against her ribcage. She saw Mirac come in the room and he climbed onto the bed and kissed her forehead. She pushed down on the top of her belly to urge the child to move elsewhere so she could breathe properly.

Mirac grinned in spite of his wife's distress. He watched in awe at their child toss and turn inside her.

Over the last two weeks the physician kept telling them that the baby would arrive any day but that remained to be untrue as they continued to wait. Mirac didn't like to see Cera in so much discomfort and he felt helpless.

"Did your mother check on you today?" he asked.

She nodded and stared down in mild horror at the violent movements of her child. She huffed and looked up to Mirac who was very amused. She lightly pat his cheek to knock him out of his daze.

He shook his head and then stroked her belly gently. "_Gülü_ is a little too comfortable in there, wouldn't you say so?"

She settled into the pillows and attempted to maneuver around until she found a comfortable position. After several attempts she gave up. She bent her legs and continued to stare at the child inside who gave her womb quite a beating. The door creaked open and she lifted her head up to see who was the lucky one to bother her today. Aurora ran inside and hovered over the edge of the bed.

Aurora smiled and hopped onto the bed. "Your tummy is huge!" she exclaimed and Cera tiredly smiled in response. "Is the baby coming soon?"

Mirac glanced at the little princess. "We hope so."

"My mother said to grandma khatun that she is worried about it," Aurora said nonchalantly.

That struck fear in Cera and she began breathing heavily. Mirac's eyes widened at her sudden disturbance and rubbed her arm to soothe her. He wished that Aurora hadn't come in here and said that. He was going to be stuck with a worried woman all day now.

"She said she's gonna do something about it soon if the baby doesn't come," Aurora said with a big happy grin not knowing her words would possibly upset her aunt.

Cera hyperventilated and held her face in her hands, sobbing profusely. Mirac comforted her with an arm around her shoulder and she buried her face into his chest. Aurora's smile disappeared in an instant and she nervously fidgeted with her hair.

"Don't cry, Tezye Cera," she attempted to calm her wailing aunt. "Oh…ahm…I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make her cry."

Mirac released an irritated sigh. "It's alright, Aurora. Could you get your mother?"

Aurora nodded and slipped off the bed. "I'm…really sorry."

* * *

Peace at last. Xena forced both Ana and Arielle out of the room when she could no longer take the chatter. She continued to mark the map and write down the spots she wanted to scout in the next few days. Mumbling under her breath, she ran her finger on the map.

Someone entered the vicinity and the end of the charcoal pencil broke when she pressed too hard on the parchment. She took a moment and closed her eyes, hoping that it was a maid or someone who wasn't of any importance.

"For the love of god," she mumbled and turned to face none other than her spouse. "Can't you see I'm busy? I told you not to disturb me."

"The northern part of the city is up in flames," Gabrielle spoke plainly.

Xena raced to the windows and leaned out off the ledge and her mouth parted at the large clouds of smoke hovering over the city. A clap of light flickered in the west and then another in the north. The palace was far from these areas but she could hear screaming even at this distance.

"Did you tell Arielle?"

"Kuba is on his way to tell her," Gabrielle placed a hand on Xena's shoulder. "The Antes are the only people who could've caused this."

Xena's head drooped. "We need to stop the fires before it spreads across the entire city. First; we barricade the palace just in case we're attacked. Second; we need to relocate all of the children to a safe place."

"There's a lounge on the second floor."

"You can be in charge of that," she slapped the back of Gabrielle's shoulder. "I'll round up the soldiers to guard the palace walls."

* * *

Arielle stood with her arms out as the maids dressed her body with armor. Bronze gauntlets were tied around her arms and then a chest plate was put on. She held the front of the chest plate while the women behind her buckled it quickly. Pauldrons were then placed on her shoulders and she lifted her arms for the straps to hook underneath.

She lifted her long hair to a pile atop of her head while the maids finished dressing her. With a final look in the mirror, she adjusted her armor and her sword was handed to her along with her bow.

Aurora opened the door and her jaw dropped when she saw her mother clad in bronze and black armor. Arielle saw her daughter's reflection in the mirror and panic settled in her core. She sheathed her sword and made her way over to her puzzle-faced daughter.

"Wh…where are you going?"

Arielle smiled, cupping her daughter's face. "I have to go help the people. They're in trouble and they need me."

The princess touched the pointed metal pauldrons on her mother's shoulders. "You're coming back, right?"

"Don't worry _tatli_ _kiz_." She kissed Aurora's forehead. "I'll be back." she saw the fear in her eyes. "My brave princess isn't _scared_, is she?"

Aurora half smiled and wagged her head.

"That's my girl. Come on, you should be with the others." She grabbed Aurora's hand and ushered her out of the room and escorted her down the hallway.

"But, mom! Teyze Cera wants you!"

Arielle halted. "Cera? What's wrong with her?" she couldn't afford any more distractions. "Go tell your grandmother. She'll take care of Cera." She knelt down and clasped Aurora's arms. "Make sure you take care of your cousins and don't argue with anyone!" she pricked Aurora on the nose.

"I promise I'll keep them safe."

Arielle grinned and kissed the princess' forehead. She then brought her into an embrace and dug her fingers into Aurora's hair, inhaling the sweet scent of rose water.

"Khagana, we should go," said Kuba.

She nodded and pressed her lips to Aurora's forehead for the final time, holding back tears. She smiled and whispered, "I love you very much."

"I love you too." Aurora caressed her mother's cheek. "Don't get hurt."

* * *

Xena climbed the stairs to the second floor and walked outside to the wall where archers were lined in a row with their bows and arrows ready. She scoped out the city and just as she predicted: the fire spread. The west and north were completely engulfed in flames and the fire was now spreading in the east.

The citizens began packing their carts and fled to their homes. Most of them stood watching the fires and were too dumbfounded to move. Xena walked along the wall and then heard the loud stampede of horses galloping away from the perimeter of the palace. She looked over the ledge and saw Arielle leading a legion of soldiers into the city.

She averted her eyes and said a silent prayer, hoping that Arielle would be safe. She put her worries aside and cleared her throat audibly, stalking around the wall.

"We are going to protect the palace at all costs!" her voice boomed along the wall. "If we are attacked do your best not to harm any civilians!"

Kuba joined her on the wall and was a bit winded from charging up the stairs. "Lieutenant," he flagged her down. "The Khagana has left the palace and has set a legion to guard the walls below. She informed me to notify Khagan Bayan. I sent a message by falcon."

She nodded. "What about the children?"

"Governor Gabrielle is taking them to the lounge. Food and other supplies will be brought to the room as well."

Xena furrowed her brows and tapped the hilt of her sword. "Are you sure that is the safest place for them to be?"

He inclined his head slightly, "it is the most well guarded room in the palace. I will have several guards posted outside the doors," he saw doubt in her eyes. "The room is hidden behind a wall. Nobody will know it's there unless they've been in the palace before. There are no windows or exits," he informed her.

Good, she thought. Some of the angst she felt exited her mind. At least the children and women would be safe if the palace was invaded from within.

"Lieutenant!" a soldier ran from the opposite end of the west wall. "Riots in the inner city have started. They're moving towards us."

Xena followed the soldier and looked in the direction he was pointing to. She could see torches and citizens scattering from their homes and the large market square. It was too far for her to see who was starting the riots but it was clear that outsiders were the cause of the uproar. This was planned for weeks. It had to be.

She had flashbacks of the riots that started in Pannonia. She and Gabrielle were nearly stoned to death by the tribe. Eksama ignited fear and malice towards Anastasia and now the same was being done to Arielle. But by the looks of it, the Scythians weren't conforming to the riots. They weren't joining in and instead opposed the invaders.

"We will wait for them to attack us first!" she yelled at the archers. "Do not fire until I give the command!"

* * *

Mirac stayed with Cera for a long time hoping that Arielle would enter the room. He managed to calm his wife down but he was getting antsy the longer they had to wait. His pacing around the bed was no help to Cera as that made her worry more.

He stared at his teary-eyed wife and sat on the edge of the bed. He took her hand and told her, "I'm going to find your mother. Someone should've come in here by now." He kissed her knuckles and gave a reassuring smile.

Cera wiped her eyes and sat up and folded her legs. Loud screeches of women and children echoed in the streets below and Cera's mouth gaped. She put a protective hand over her child and gawked up at Mirac.

He ran to the windows and saw civilians running down the street in front of the palace. Men on horseback trailed behind, wielding swords and held lit torches. The horsemen all had blond or red hair and were of fair skin. They threw the lit torches to the homes surrounding the palace and trampled over the fleeing citizens.

Mirac backed away frantically. "I'll be right back."

Tears streamed down Cera's cheeks and she begged him not to leave her alone. He felt conflicted on how to go about this situation. He needed to alert someone and he was sure everybody knew what was happening outside.

Above them, on the outer wall, Xena gave commands to the soldiers. Cera breathed heavily and buried her face in her hands. Mirac rushed to the doors and they swung open before he could grab the handles. He thanked god when Anastasia arrived.

Anastasia ran across the room and kissed Cera's cheeks. "Are you alright?" she asked and Cera nodded her head, continuing to weep. "Do you feel any pain or discomfort?" she placed her hands on Cera's belly.

"What's happening out there?" Mirac asked.

"Riots erupted across the city." She wrapped an arm around Cera and helped her off the bed. "We have to go to the lounge. Everyone is ordered to wait there until it's safe to leave."

Mirac lend a helping hand and grabbed onto his wife's arm. "Will the physicians be there?"

"Yes. The guards will show you the way," Ana gently pushed them towards the doors.

She ran to the windows and squinted her eyes to get a clearer look at the chaos. She didn't have to see in order to know what was happening out there. She heard her mother screaming at the soldiers and then saw a rain of arrows shoot into the crowd.

Gabrielle passed by Mirac and Cera then entered the room. "Anastasia." she touched the khatun's arm. "We need to go stay with everybody else."

Ana slowly nodded and left with Gabrielle, hand in hand. "Are you going to aid my mother?"

"No, she put me in charge of keeping you all safe," the moment she said that, Anastasia froze. "Ana…she will be fine by herself."

She could see that Anastasia was wavering on the orders. That look in her eyes was something that Gabrielle didn't want to see. She wanted to go outside and help, Gabrielle could see that but she couldn't allow that to happen. Xena could be heard again from the outer wall, ordering the archers to keep firing.

"Anastasia," she grabbed the khatun's hand. "I'm going to need you to keep it together. All of the children are very scared. I need you to put on your brave face for them. They won't be scared if _you_ show them that you aren't. You're the _khatun_ of the empire."

Ana took in a deep shaky breath and laced her fingers with Gabrielle's. "Alright," she relented.

Gabrielle smiled and then they hurried out of the room together.

* * *

The horse skid to a halt and Arielle jumped off, drawing her sword. Citizens ran by and bumped her shoulders. She whistled to her soldiers and pointed at the burning cathedral.

"Put out this fire!" she ordered. "Make sure all the citizens are out of harm's way!"

The men began distributed water from the huge well in the center of the courtyard. Meanwhile, Arielle pushed her way through the frazzled Scythians and scouted the area to look for any people that could be trapped in certain areas of the cathedral. She ran through the yard and coughed from the black smoke.

She put a hand over her mouth and continued running. She entered a burning chapel and pieces of the beams above her fell, nearly crushing her. Coughing violently, she exited and ran to the next few attached buildings. There was no one in sight which was a good thing for now.

She came to the stables and cut the horses loose and slapped their hind legs. The animals fled the stables and she turned around only to be surrounded by pale skinned men armed with swords and maces.

Arielle gripped the hilt of her sword and looked over her shoulder at her soldiers who were putting out the cathedral fire. She was alone and she was outnumbered. Citizens running by saw the ambush of men surrounding her.

Two men came at her and she clashed swords with one and kicked a man in the gut. He stumbled but came at her again. These ten men were twice her size in weight and height. She gritted her teeth, holding the weight of the man's sword above her head.

A few Scythian citizens grabbed pitchforks lying on the ground and loudly cried out. A pitchfork was driven through one of the attacker's spine and exited through his chest. Blood poured from his mouth and he staggered before he fell to the ground with a loud thud.

Arielle smiled and swiped her leg around to knock her enemy off his feet. She twirled the blade and plunged it into his chest as he lay on his back. She reached behind her and rammed her other attacker into a wall and slit his throat with a clean swipe of the sword.

Two men down and another eight to go.

Feral-eyed, she spun around and then took a slice to her back. She let out an agonizing scream and arched her back. Her cloth armor was cut through by the blade and the hot summer breeze stung the gash splayed across her back.

She growled and elbowed the man in the jaw and with a hard shove her palm to his forehead, he lost his footing. Her boot met his chest and then she stabbed him in the thigh. She couldn't focus just on one man and circled around to meet the other attackers.

The two common citizens were continuing to attack her enemies. Arielle raised her eyebrow and then more citizens came to aid in the fight.

Five men fell to the ground. Three were left standing.

Arielle found herself in the middle of the circle with the Scythians holding the pitchforks. They pressed their backs together, facing the remaining attackers.

"Your help is much appreciated!" she praised the men.

"We are here to serve you, Khagana!"

* * *

Arrows soared over the soldiers' heads on the grounds. Xena ducked down when an arrow came straight for her. She looked up at the arrow that was stuck in between the mortar on the stone wall behind her. She ripped the arrow down and broke the shaft in half with her knee.

"Son of a bitch," she muttered.

She kept her head down and grabbed Kuba's arm and yanked him down forcefully. He squatted beside her and covered the top of his blond head from the raining arrows.

"Why aren't the soldiers doing anything on the ground?" she growled.

"You said not to harm any civilians, khanum," he reminded her. "They are trying their best to hold back the Antes."

Xena popped her head over the ledge and grabbed one arrow midair. She caught the archer who shot at her and he didn't even have the mind to conceal his identity. He had the audacity to show his face out in the open without a care in the world. She tossed the arrow over the wall and marched behind the archers.

One archer stood behind his fellow mate and she grabbed the bow strapped to his back. The young soldier looked around and followed her.

"Lieutenant!" he cried. "Lieutenant, I can shoot it for you!"

"No need, boy. I'll be borrowing this for a moment." She stole a few arrows from another soldier's holster and loaded the heavy bow while she climbed the stairs of the west tower.

When she reached the top of the tower she looked out at the area. There were way too many civilians around so she couldn't shoot aimlessly nor did she want to. She loaded the bow and felt the weight of the sturdy weapon in her hand and plucked the bowstring. She wished Arielle were here. This bow was probably far beyond her normal pull strength.

She settled her body against the open window and drew the string back close to her cheek. She aimed at one of the canopies where the man who tried to shoot her was. Her arm shook at the amount of weight she pulled and she released the arrow.

At least she did something right. Xena smiled as she watched the canopy fall on top of a group of Antes men and then it caught fire from the lit torches. The archer who shot her as tangled in the canopy and tried to escape from the flames.

She gave a self-satisfied snicker. Her celebration was cut short when more horsemen appeared from deep within the city limits. Her smile was wiped off her face and she ran down the spiraling staircase and tossed the bow to a soldier who stood by the tower.

"Excellent shot, khanum!" Kuba commended with a big smile.

Xena knew she was going to feel a sore shoulder tomorrow. Bows were never her weapon of choice but she appreciated the compliment. She grabbed Kuba by his shoulder and pointed at the mass of Antes horsemen lined along the apartment buildings.

"Where are they coming from?" she angrily slammed her fist on the wall.

There was one positive and that was north Neapolis was finally snuffed of its fire which meant Arielle was able to stop the fire from spreading further. The bad news was that the fires in the west spread out into the countryside where all the greenery was.

She took Kuba aside away from the range line. "Do we have any other weapons besides bows? We can't keep firing arrows. It's not doing any good. I'm not going to do this all night and it's obvious the Antes aren't going to stop coming. I can't let them siege the palace walls."

Kuba took a mental inventory of the armory and rubbed his chin. "We do have javelins. When they're airborne they splinter into knives."

Xena's eyes widened. "Where are _those_?" she was a bit too eager to see how those worked.

"In the armory," he said and she tried to push him away to retrieve said weapons. "Khanum, those are dangerous range weapons. They will harm the citizens."

She looked out at the burning city and frowned. "Most of the civilians are far from the palace walls. I just need to deter the Antes."

* * *

The Nezak family was huddled on one side of the room, gathered as the large family that they were. Mirac and Cera were seated on a sofa together not far from the Nezak circle. Anastasia glanced around the large suite and found the children altogether being entertained by Austraia. She faintly smiled at the redheaded princess. Austraia was nothing like Eksama but Ana had a difficult time finding a soft heart for Eksama's daughter despite her kind nature.

Gabrielle stood by the false wall, listening for the soldiers outside. She wanted to make sure that all news from outside was immediately reported to her. Hours passed by and there hadn't been word yet.

She assumed that no news was good news but she was getting a little concerned that there was no word on Arielle's whereabouts yet. Perhaps it was a good thing that everyone was stuck in a room together and nobody could hear a thing. It certainly kept the children at ease.

Yana spoke to her brothers and briefly tried to speak Cera but she couldn't get the girl to utter a word to her. She made her way across the room and stood in front of Anastasia. She waved her hand in front of the khatun's eyes.

Ana blinked and stopped picking at her nails. "Yana," she wearily grinned.

"I think the midwife should examine Cera."

Ana looked around the crowded room. "In _here_? Where people can watch?"

Yana smiled weakly. "We will put a screen up. Hopefully we'll be able to keep my sister in laws away. As you know, they are very fond of Cera."

Ana looked at the Nezak women and nodded. "I will get the midwife then." She grabbed Yana's hand. "Try not to cause alarm. I don't want to upset Cera and cause distress for everyone else," she whispered.

The twin princes approached Gabrielle and tapped their fingers on her leg. Gabrielle smiled at the boys and knelt down to their eye level and then ruffled their finely combed hair.

"Gabby, will we be here for a long time?" asked Aman.

"Yeah, will it be like last time in Pannonia?" Aladar questioned.

She chortled at their identical facial expressions; both curious and skeptical of their situation. "We'll be safe here. I don't know how long we'll be stuck in here but Austraia has lots of fun games you can play." She saw Farah sulking in a lonely corner of the elongated sofa. "Maybe your mother can play chess with you two. She loves that game."

Aman sighed. "She's still sad about Teyze Rabia."

"I bet playing a game with her would cheer her up," she advised but the boys were doubtful. "Give it a try, okay?" she said and they ran off to go see Farah.

Smiling, she heard a knock on the wall. While everyone was occupied with their own conversations and activities, she opened the door slightly and met face to face with an Avar guard.

"The Lieutenant General is still on the wall, pushing back the Antes," he told her.

That was somewhat of a relief. "Is there a chance they could break into the palace?" she kept her voice low.

"That is unlikely, governor. Khagana Arielle is still in the city. She was able to put out the fires in the north."

"Let me know if something else happens."

* * *

In the west, Arielle cleared out several homes filled with mothers and children. She ran inside one of the houses to make sure nobody was caught in the crossfire outside. She checked every house and made sure her men were able to fend off the Antes who threatened to attack her.

She ran across the street and found corpses of young men, or should she say boys, lying in the middle of the road covered in their own blood. Gripping her wounded arm, she proceeded to ensure her people's safety. She put her safety on hold during this entire escapade.

Arielle leaned against one of the buildings and took a good look at the huge gash across her upper arm. She lost one of her gauntlets earlier in a brawl with three Antes soldiers. The area was void of any activity minus her men who tried to put out the massive fires.

Her vision began to falter and she noticed a man with golden braids standing over by a tavern across the road. She forced herself to stand upright and unsheathed her sword. Her heart raced and she rolled her sore shoulders back, approaching the man.

Aleksander smiled and came at her, unarmed and unwilling to put up a fight.

Several of her men rushed to her aid and Arielle noticed his weapon was not drawn. She put up a halting hand to her men and they backed down, lowering their weapons but kept a close distance. She tried not to show weakness despite the writhing pain in her every limb of her body.

"Empress. The night is near," he said, charmingly smiling at her. "You've got quite a lot of wounds," he pointed to her ripped pants and sleeves.

Bruises, gashes and bleeding wounds were painfully obvious. She held her tongue and clenched her jaw.

"You must think you've won," she scoffed.

"Destroying your capitol is only the first step, empress." Aleksander took a step closer. "Your entire state will be ripped apart and soon so will your empire."

Arielle arched an eyebrow. "So, Chieftain Mezamir sends _you_ but doesn't show his face." She waved the sword around with a malicious grin then laughed aloud. "Your ruler is a coward."

He trailed away. "We will see more of each other in the future, empress. Good luck with the fires." He bowed and rounded the corner of the building.

She was able to release a moan and wrapped an arm around her sore midsection. Blood seeped from her stomach and drenched her bare arm. Her eyes drifted to the fires that never seemed to stop spreading no matter how much water was poured onto the buildings. Screams filled the air as did the thick heavy black smoke.

Arielle walked back to her soldiers and stumbled along the way. She put a hand to a building than began to wane. Another step forward and she felt her legs were about to give out. She'd been running around all day and tried her best to keep her city in line. She forced herself to keep her mind alert and went to grab a soldier by his collar.

His eyes enlarged, impressed by her strength given her lean frame. He was shoved into a wall of a building, one of the few that weren't disintegrated.

"What is happening at the palace? Did I not send someone to report back to me _hours_ ago?"

"The…Lieutenant General is manning the perimeter of the palace, your highness," he nervously told her. "The walls haven't been breached but they are running out of ammunition," he said and Arielle nodded.

She took the canister of water off his belt and drank it quickly. The water ran down her chin and neck. She wiped her mouth and shoved the metal container into the soldier's chest. She looked at the burning buildings that were slowly snuffed out. The soil was charred and covered in soot. It rained ash over the city and her raven curls were blanketed by the fire's remnants.

"Are they using ballistic weapons at the palace?" she called over her shoulder.

"No, your highness. Not that I'm aware of."

She brought her eyebrows together and marched to the soldier and grabbed him by the collar and slammed him against the wall again and again until his helmet fell to the ground.

"Do _not_ give me reports of uncertainty!" she spat in his face. "What do you mean _'not that you're aware of'_?" she held his jaw with her palm and squeezed his cheeks together. "You are to be aware of every little detail! Don't ever say something like that _again_. Do you understand?"

"Yes, khagana!" he plead.

"Unacceptable," she hissed. Arielle took a step back, allowing the soldier to recover. "I want you to go tell the Lt. General to send scouts to every district of Scythia and see if there are more riots and fires. I can't have my entire state in ruins."

The ground rumbled and shook beneath her feet and she frowned at her miffed soldiers. Off in the distance there was a loud boom and Arielle covered her ears. She ran towards the sounds of screams up ahead and another explosion went off in the east.

"What the fuck," she snarled.

She climbed the stairs of a building that had its roof caved in. She stepped on the debris of what was left of the roof and saw the countryside in the east in flames. She roared, releasing the frustration pent up inside her and jumped off the roof and took initiative to speak to her people gathered in a large circle of the western square.

She hopped onto a statue of a winged angel and stood on the shoulders and wings of the statue. She raised her hand to grab her citizens' attention.

"People of Scythia!" she shouted and the crowd fell silent. "I will make sure to compensate your losses financially!" another explosion was set off and she began to lose the people's interest. "I will rebuild the city!" she regained their attention. "Unfortunately I cannot bring back the lives you've all lost!"

"What about our homes? Where are we going to stay?" a woman shouted in the crowd.

The people collaborated with a herd of whispers. Arielle panicked and didn't want to lose their focus or she was going to have a riot among her own people just like what happened to her mother in Pannonia. She clapped her hands loudly and the whispering ceased.

"I will make arrangements for you all to live in a safe place until your homes are rebuilt." She saw by the looks she received that her words were simply not enough. "I will contact King Khushnavaz, my father, in Armenia; my motherland. He will provide homes for everyone," she said with a smile.

The people whispered to the ones next to each other and Arielle jumped off the statue. She waved her hand at the soldiers to head to the explosions in the east.

* * *

The ground forces were down by a third and the archers along the walls were running out of arrows to shoot. Xena stood behind a tower so not to be caught in the crossfire. The Antes were probably the most relentless group of people that Xena ever encountered. They now were beginning to climb the wall with their bare hands.

Kuba rounded the tower wall and wiped the sweat from his brow. "Khanum, our archers are no longer serving a good purpose by shooting at the enemy."

She twirled the veil of her headdress around a finger and listened to the sound of men crying out for aid. She'd seen several archers fell to their deaths off the wall when they were struck by arrows. She had minimal weapons to work with and the space was too small to use catapults. If she were to use those they would miss the enemy entirely and harm hundreds of innocent bystanders.

"There were more explosions in the east," he regretfully reported.

"We're going to stop firing," she said.

Kuba paused with concern. "Pardon?"

"I said we're going to stop firing. We're going to have to put more men on the ground. Arrows aren't going to stop the Antes and we're running out ammunition anyway."

It wasn't something she liked to do but it was pointless to keep this up. The only way to put an end to this was to use brute ground force –the old fashioned way. This wasn't the best area to have a battle occur but there wasn't much of a choice.

Loud horns were heard from a distance and Xena whipped her head around. She ran from her hiding spot to the wall. A group of over fifty horsemen wearing wings attached to their backs galloped into the city coming from the east. They definitely weren't part of Arielle's army. They looked far more tribal and wore fur coats. Their wings were made of real feathers and gave an appearance of vultures.

"Who are they?" she asked the advisor.

Kuba smiled. "That is the Hinukh tribe."

"The tribe Tzes Bey is from?" she questioned and he nodded. "Why are they wearing those wings?"

The Hinukh men rode into the thick of the chaos and immediately jumped from their horses and attacked the Antes men, wielding more than swords. Tzes Bey stuck out in the horde due to the size of his wings. He carried two axes with him and various weapons tied to his fox pelt around his neck.

"They wear wings as a scare tactic," said Kuba. "I've heard that it increases their speed on horseback but I can't prove if that is true."

Xena raised an eyebrow at the battle on the ground and so far the Hinukh tribe had done far more damage than the Avars. Their strategy reminded her of the old days when Attila reigned. The tribes had a unique fighting style and wore different pelts and headdresses to tell one tribe apart from the other. Now everything had changed so drastically.

All of the old tribes were exterminated due to many entities and most tribes now lived under Avar rule. They completely lost their identities in the empire except for _this_ tribe that didn't even belong to the Huns at all.

Impressed with the Hinukh tactics, Xena smiled. "I'd like to speak with Tzes Bey again. I may have misjudged him."

"Yes, khanum."

She turned away from the wall. "Any word on Arielle?"

"As far as I know she is still putting the fires out."

Xena nodded and wore a worried frown. "Do you know if she's hurt?"

Kuba reassured her, "I will find out."

* * *

A portion of the lounge was sectioned off for the midwife to examine Cera. It was a challenge to keep all of the children away as they were very curious and stricken with boredom. Behind the screen that was set up, Cera laid down on a sofa sprawled with a sheet. Anastasia sat down beside her daughter, holding her hand. Yana stood at the end of the sofa, inspecting the midwife's examination thoroughly.

Cera stiffened at the woman's fingers slip inside her and she squirmed at the mild discomfort. Even though she had examinations once a month the process never came easy to her. She kept her gaze to the ceiling so she wouldn't have to look down to see what tools the physician used.

She felt cold metal scrape her skin and she pinched her mother's hand, biting her lip.

Anastasia ran her hand over Cera's forehead. "Relax, _tatli_ _kiz_. You'll only make it harder if you don't," she whispered.

Yana leaned downward and peeked underneath the sheet that draped over Cera's legs. The midwife pulled out the tool and set the rod on the tray of other tools. She let the sheet down and then stood up to come around to stand beside Cera who stared at her fearfully.

"Well? Is there a problem?" asked Yana.

The midwife looked at the intrusive Chieftess. "I'm not finished yet," she said bluntly. She smiled softly at Cera. "May I have a look?" she asked.

Cera looked over at her mother and Anastasia gave a curt head nod to the midwife. Cera's dress was pulled back, exposing her bare stomach and the pair of cold hands touched her skin and she flinched. The midwife pressed her palms firmly on the sides of Cera's abdomen

She pushed her fingers on the lower abdomen close to Cera's pelvis and heard the princess make a soft moan in response. She pulled away and kept inspecting, her hands roving over Cera's belly, pressing down on several spots.

Cera could tell that her child didn't like being pushed and jostled round and she didn't find it too comfortable either. She winced as she felt her unborn child react to the intrusive shoving and nudging by pressing up against her ribs.

"Have you experienced any cramping?" she asked, keeping her eyes focused on her patients.

Cera shook her head and Anastasia spoke for her daughter, "no, she hasn't."

The midwife nodded, humming quietly. "Any bleeding?"

Cera furrowed her brows and Ana answered, "No."

"Any signs of distress from your baby?" she cradled a hand on Cera's lower abdomen and frowned at the movements she felt.

Ana replied, "no."

The midwife paused. "I want the _princess_ to answer, khatun."

Cera eyed her mother worriedly and then shook her head at the midwife who waited for her answer.

"I see." The midwife pulled Cera's dress back down and smiled briefly. "Thank you, princess." She washed her hands in a basin of water and wiped them dry. "Khatun, may I speak with you?"

A lump formed in Anastasia's throat and she let go of her daughter's hand. "There's nothing to be worried about," she smiled and kissed Cera's forehead. She left the bedside and joined the midwife to talk alone.

Yana came to Cera's aid and helped her to sit up. "I'm sure everything is fine." She reassured her.

Cera gawked at her mother whispering with the midwife and an uneasy feeling settled in the pit of her stomach as she waited for them both to return. Yana traced her fingernails on Cera's back trying her best to soothe her worries.

Anastasia dismissed the midwife and then circled back around to speak to her daughter. She smiled and sat on the edge of the sofa and rubbed Cera's arm.

"She's going to prepare a medicine for you," Ana said cautiously and Cera fluttered her eyes. She chose her words carefully. "It will induce labor and hopefully in the next few days you'll deliver your baby," she said with an uncertain smile.

Cera breathed heavily and put a hand to cover her eyes.

Yana asked, "what do you mean _hopefully_?"

"Well…" Ana hesitated, "it could take several days but she said we shouldn't wait any longer." She titled Cera's chin to meet eyes with her. "Your body has shown no signs of going into labor, Cera. This has to be done, I'm sorry."

Cera took in a deep breath and she fought back tears. She looked into her mother's warm eyes and nodded.

Ana left to go inform Gabrielle of what was going to happen in the next few minutes and Yana grabbed her arm, pulling her aside from prying eyes and ears.

"She _cannot_ give birth in here. There are too many people," Yana whispered.

"_Where_ should she give birth then? We can't leave this room until my mother says so, Yana. I didn't ask for this to happen and neither did Cera." She rubbed her shoulder and gazed at the children sitting together, playing a game of backgammon.

Yana leaned in close, noticing the nerves that plagued Anastasia. "There is something else you aren't telling me," she observed. "You can't tell Cera obviously but you can tell me. What else did that woman tell you?"

"Nothing. I'm just anxious," Ana faintly smiled.

* * *

Gabrielle leaned against the false wall and heard voices from the other side. She looked around the room and thankfully everyone was preoccupied by conversation and games. She pulled out her sword and waited for the voices to dissipate. She was ready to attack until she heard Xena's voice and relaxed.

With a sigh of relief, she opened the door and smiled warmly. She embraced Xena briefly and her clothes smelled like burnt wood.

"I haven't heard anything for hours! What's going on out there?"

Xena sighed. "The Antes have fled the perimeter but the city is still burning." She took off her coat and aired out her tunic. "How's everything going in here?" she gestured to the mass of people.

"The children don't seem too worried," whispered Gabrielle. "Anastasia eased their concerns."

Xena nodded with a bright smile. She saw a cloth screen on the far side of the room and there were several maids hovering in that area. She also saw Mirac's sisters carrying a basket of linen above their heads and hurrying to unravel the sheets.

"What's happening over there?" she nudged her head.

Gabrielle made a face. "The midwife examined Cera earlier. I'm not sure what's going on over there now."

Without responding, Xena made her way to disclosed area and all of the maids paused at her presence. Cera sat up on the sofa and by the shimmer of her eyes she was overjoyed to see her. Xena grinned and maneuvered her way around the area and the maids made a path for her.

She took off her leather gloves and cupped Cera's cheek. "I would hug you but I'm filthy," she joked.

Cera clasped her hands together, smiling from ear to ear.

"Mother?" Anastasia called from behind.

Xena turned and left Cera's side. She felt like she was interrupting and as soon as she cleared the area, the maids began laying out sheets and poured water into two basins. She contorted her face in confusion and grabbed Ana's arm and led her away from the crowded space.

Anastasia answered her mother's questions before asked to. "The midwife is giving Cera medicine to induce her," she whispered.

Xena looked back at her granddaughter. "I trust that there isn't anything to _worry_ about…"

"No, not _yet_ anyway," she muttered. "Did Arielle return?"

"I asked Kuba to send more soldiers out to help her," Xena said, lowering her eyes for a moment. "She hasn't come back yet."

"But you know _where_ she is." Ana hoped. "_Mother_!"

Xena gripped her daughter's shoulders. "Not at the moment," she saw panic settling in Anastasia's face. "Hey, we're going to find her. Focus on Cera. She needs you more right now. I have to go talk to Tzes Bey and I need Gabrielle to come with me."

She stared into her daughter's distant eyes.

"Anastasia, are you listening to me?" she snapped her fingers and caught her attention again. "I said I'm taking Gabrielle with me."

Ana slowly bobbed her head.

"Since you're going to be occupied with Cera I need you to assign someone else to be in charge of everyone here," she said calmly. "Where's Farah?"

Anastasia frowned. "She's…sitting with Soran and Pamira."

"Starting now, Farah's in charge. Don't worry," she pecked her daughter's forehead. "We'll find Arielle."

Xena joined Gabrielle who was waiting patiently by the door. Several guards were posted outside and waited for them to leave so they could go speak with the Hinukh Bey. Tzes was escorted into the palace and lingered in the foyer with a couple of men who were searched and stripped of their weapons until further notice.

"I don't think I should've told her the truth about Arielle," she muttered.

Gabrielle sighed. "She would've been angry if you lied to her."

Aurora came running up to them and Xena forced herself to smile. "Grandma khanum!" she grabbed hold of Xena's hand. "Is my mom back? Can we go to our rooms now?"

"I'm afraid you'll have to stay here a little while longer," she said.

Aurora let out a huge sigh. "Can I see mother? Is she here?"

Gabrielle took over and knelt down. "She's very busy helping the people and you want her to help them, don't you?"

Aurora nodded.

"Gabrielle," Xena motioned for them to take their leave.

She gripped Aurora's hands. "Farah's in charge so make sure you help her keep everyone in line."

"I can be in charge too?" the princess thumbed her chest.

"That's right and I know Farah will appreciate the help." She smiled and rose from the floor.

Xena stifled a laugh and walked out of the room with her wife trailing behind.

"You've always had a way with children. You say one thing and they listen to you, no questions asked."

"That's because I have a _gift_," Gabrielle said proudly.

Kuba ran towards them breathlessly and almost tripped over his own boots before coming to an abrupt stop in the middle of the hallway. He thumped his chest with his fist to clear the lump of air and coughed.

"The Khagana has been located."

They couldn't celebrate yet. Gabrielle said, "but there's more…"

"Unfortunately yes," he took in a deep breath and added, "she's in the countryside in the east. She followed the rioters who fled the city by herself. A soldier said that the leader of the rioters is lead by Bishop Salman. There's an entire cavalry of Antes."

Xena snarled, "_Arielle_…" she said with a guttural rumble. "She's going to get herself killed!"

**What has Arielle gotten herself into now?**

**And little Cera can't catch a break. We'll see what happens in part two ;)**


	44. Chapter 44

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Arielle challenges her grandmother's authority in the middle of a battle only to eat her own words. Surrounded by several members of her family, Cera welcomes her child into the world. The city is in ruins, and Arielle must rely on her ex-husband's aid to restore the city, but her life comes to a staggering halt when her father comes to Scythia to deliver a very precious letter.

**Big changes ahead…thanks for reading and enjoy :)**

Chapter 44 –_Rebellion: Part II_

Even though Kuba reported that Arielle followed the Antes rioters by herself that proved to be untrue as soon as Xena rode into the field. There were more than fifty Avars by Arielle's side, firing directly at the enemy on the other side of the grassy plains. Xena did not like standing on the sidelines waiting for instruction and she didn't have to but Arielle was in charge.

She was itching to give advice throughout the entire battle but she chose to bite her tongue. The archer squads continued to aim at the Antes well into the morning and now it was nearing afternoon. Bishop Salman could be seen standing by a man with long gold braided hair. They were watching the battle unfold and unfortunately for them they were losing.

Arielle commanded her archers like someone who had been ruling for years. She was young and inexperienced but she was an excellent archer and knew how to command an army of hundreds. Adrenaline was all she had left to keep her going for more than a day. The tiresome battle weighed on her body and she felt herself beginning to fade.

Gabrielle thought it would be best if Tzes Bey took his tribesmen into the city to snuff out the remainder of the fires. While they barely had a chance to speak, Tzes was more than willing to help. Gabrielle stood by Xena, watching the Antes continue to fire at them. These blonds were relentless and seemed to be high on energy. She didn't understand how they could keep going for hours upon hours without losing hardly any men in the process.

She caught Xena biting her fingernails and put a stop to it by snatching her wrist. "You're going to have no nails by the time we're done here."

Xena spat the cuticles she chewed through onto the ground. "If we're _ever_ going to be done here," she mused. "We should call this off now. They've already destroyed most of the city. This is a lost cause."

"Arielle's not going to let you do that."

Xena watched her granddaughter continue to bark orders at her tired archers and they bent to her every command. She was treating them like slaves but they obeyed her without question. At this point, Arielle was so close to winning but she lost a lot more soldiers than the enemy. Xena saw much of herself in the girl and that wasn't always the best. She remembered driving her men into the ground until they were so badly beaten that they could barely walk. Some men didn't make it till the next morning.

She took her chances and marched over to Arielle standing behind a fleet of archers. She took Arielle aside with a forceful hand.

"Call off your men, Arielle. You've already lost too many soldiers."

"But I'm almost there! I am winning, can't you see?" she held an open palm to the battlefield.

Xena's eyes flickered. "You've lost more men in the last day than a battle that would've spanned over four days. This ends now." She could see the fire in Arielle's eyes. The girl had no intention of stopping the attacks.

"Arielle!" she barked. "You put me in charge of your entire army and I am giving you an order. Don't make me use force."

There was about to be a rebuttal until Arielle collapsed into her grandmother's arms. Xena held her up and tried to support her weight but dropped to a knee. She whistled over at Gabrielle and waved her down. Moments later Gabrielle came to her side and gaped at the unconscious empress in her spouse's arms.

"Raise the flag and call a retreat!" she said over her shoulder.

Gabrielle quickly ran to Kuba and told all of the archers to slowly back away from the fields. While the firing stopped, Xena inspected Arielle's bruised body. She removed the chest plate and felt warm blood on her palm and ripped open Arielle's blouse. Three large gashes were splayed across the skin. One wound dangerously close to her breast.

Xena wanted to say that she was surprised. There were probably dozens of other wounds on Arielle's body that weren't visible beneath the armor. She had an urge to slap Arielle when conscious again. Hiding her ravaged body wasn't going to be easy once they returned to the palace. As soon as they were to return Xena knew that her daughter was going to panic over Arielle.

"Stupid girl," she muttered. "Why do you do this to yourself?" she stripped Arielle of her armor and threw it off to the side. "Why do I do this to _myself_?" she chastised.

* * *

It took a few hours for the medicine to do its work but when it did, the pain was gradual. Cera proceeded to act normal and hardly felt any pain at all. That lasted all but four hours and the waves of cramps intensified as the morning passed. She was expecting this to happen and she thought the pain would worsen but it was dull and caused slight discomfort.

This changed in the late afternoon when she could feel the full effects of labor finally settling in. She could hear all of the children talking about her and she tried to block out their voices. The dozen women in the room were no help either _especially_ Farah. She did like Farah very much but her frantic attitude really put a damper on her already sour mood.

On the floor, Cera was hunched over with her elbows and knees on the rug. She moaned as loudly as her voice permitted her to. She extended her arms forward in front of her and dug her nails into the rug. She took in deep breaths to push through her muscles contracting.

Anastasia sat on the sofa and rubbed her daughter's slender back with a gentle hand. She hated to sit by and watch her daughter in such agonizing pain. Birthing three children of her own she understood the process very well and sympathized for her daughter.

Cera let out another moan, gritting her teeth. She cradled her abdomen and felt her child kicking up a storm. She felt horrible that her child was completely oblivious to what was happening. She raised herself up and sat on her heels, reared her head back and stared up at the ceiling, exhaling deeply.

Her eyes averted to her mother sitting next to her and felt instant relief.

Anastasia smiled warmly and got down on the floor. She pressed her palms on her daughter's belly and then caressed Cera's rosy cheek.

"You're doing great, _tatli_ _kiz_," she put a hand on Cera's back for support. "We should have the midwife check you now. I think enough time has passed."

Cera nodded and grabbed hold of her mother's hand and slid onto the sofa. She winced at the intensifying cramps that withered to a dull ache. She relaxed against the pillows and gripped her mother's hand firmly, hoping never to let go. The moment Anastasia started to leave her side her eyes brimmed with tears.

"_Tatli_ _kiz_, I need to get the midwife," she kissed Cera's hand. "I'm not going anywhere, I promise."

Regretfully, Anastasia left the area and hurried off to find the midwife. Cera lolled her head back on the pillows and focused on taking deep breaths. She heard footsteps nearing and frowned. She thought it was her mother who had come back but it was Mirac. She beamed at his presence and stretched her arm out.

Mirac grinned and took her hand and sat on the edge of the sofa. He wasn't allowed to come behind the screen but he slipped by when nobody was looking. He set his eyes on her abdomen.

"Is _gülü_ going to grace us with his presence soon?" he asked.

Cera bit her lip, benefiting from his calming attitude. Despite all the pain she endured for the last few hours she was happy to see him and almost forgot about the throbbing pain in her lower back and pelvis.

He ran his thumb along the top of her hand and leaned down and kissed her stomach. He rested a hand on their child and smiled up at Cera. The touch seemed to soothe the active baby and Cera let out a shaky exhale, closing her eyes tightly.

Anastasia returned with the midwife and gasped. "Mirac! You can't be here. The midwife needs to examine Cera again."

He nodded, understanding, and rose up to leave. Cera pulled on his arm and whined, staring at her mother. Her eyes pleaded for him to stay. Anastasia sighed and rested a hand on her hip and her eyes darted from Mirac and then back to Cera.

"You want him to stay?" she asked and Cera nodded. "Okay, he can stay," she relented and Cera grinned brightly. "But he can't get in the way."

"I just want to be here for Cera, khatun," said Mirac.

* * *

Hours after the Antes dispersed from the countryside, Arielle was brought to her chambers for further inspection. Maids tended to her wounds and when she was to wake they would bathe her. For now she laid in bed, void of clothes, drenched in ointments and bandages.

Kuba thought to inform the others of her condition but Xena prevented it. Anastasia had no business knowing that her daughter was severely harmed. That was just another thing to add onto the pile of worry and Xena couldn't let her daughter be privy to that.

As much as she wanted to relax in her own bed, Gabrielle had to speak to Tzes Bey once more and hopefully have a lengthier conversation this time. She found him waiting in the foyer just as the sun was setting. She escorted him to the library where they could find a quieter setting.

Since the Antes were no longer in the city all of the children were taken out of hiding and told to go back to their bedrooms. Gabrielle sat opposite of the Hinukh Bey and spread out her journal and loose parchment. She was exhausted but tried not to let it show.

"Your men did a very good job putting out the fires. Arielle, I mean, Khagana Arielle, will graciously reward you for your efforts," she cast a tired grin.

Tzes gave a curt nod. "It is my duty to be loyal to the Khagana. I am pleased to be a part of the Hun Empire even though I am not a Hun myself."

"Can we count on your tribe to support us in the upcoming campaign against the Antes?" she wrote down some notes and briefly eyed the Bey.

He was apprehensive to answer and drummed his fingers on the table. "I will do anything I am told to, governor," he promised. "I cannot say the same for my neighboring tribes."

She thought that was going to be brought up sooner or later. Arielle was going to have a pay a visit to the tribes in northern Scythia and convince them to be a united front. If they showed weakness or lack of unity to Emperor Justinian then this would cripple the empire. Tribes were tricky and they had to be coaxed into joining the empire either by force or willful submission. There was no in between, Gabrielle quickly found out.

"Khagana Arielle will make a special visit to the tribes," Gabrielle politely tried to steer the conversation elsewhere. "About the marriage between Aurora and your son…"

"I would prefer if the Lieutenant General come to the tribes," he interrupted, shocking the governor. "I have reason to believe the other Beys would listen to her over the Khagana."

That caused her breath to catch in her throat. "How so?" she furiously scribbled in the journal.

"She is older and wiser than the young Khagana. She has also worked under Attila. The Beys admire the late Hun king."

Gabrielle's pen halted and she brought her lips to a thin line. "You don't believe the Khagana can hold her own, Bey?"

He faltered. "Not what I was saying, governor. I am merely concerned that she won't be able to convince the tribes to unite with her."

"Arielle is very intelligent, Bey. She has been groomed to be a queen since she was a child. She is young but she took on the role of empress without hesitating. I am sure Xena would accompany the Khagana to the tribes but she will _not_ speak for the empire. That is Arielle's duty."

Tzes knew he struck a nerve and decided to bite his tongue. This wasn't up for debate but in the back of his mind he knew the other tribesmen weren't going to listen to Arielle. She was old enough to be their daughters and the Beys were set in their ways. He was the only Bey who sided with the Huns and he received backlash for it ever since he made his declaration of alliance.

"Onto the marriage," she dipped the quill in the ink well.

"Yes, I think my son should marry the princess when they come of age. My son is a very kind boy. He is learning how to read and write in Scythian and Latin. He could possibly learn the princess' mother tongue."

Gabrielle's cheeks tinged pink. She didn't feel comfortable discussing a marriage that may or may not happen between two children. They were very young and talk of marriage wasn't very normal at their age. Cera was just shy of thirteen when she was formally introduced to Mirac and waited a few years before marrying each other. Aurora was six years old and Kazem was probably only a year older than her.

"Khagan Bayan, he's the princess' father, will be arriving in a few days. It would be best if he and Arielle discuss this together."

Tzes titled his head puzzled at the sudden mention of Aurora's father. "Are they no longer married?" he inquired.

Gabrielle smiled faintly. "I'm not really in a position to discuss the Khagana's personal life."

* * *

A bath was what she needed and she was grateful she had the time to take one. She would've liked it to be longer but she couldn't sit in the water and prune away. Xena hoped for sleep but knew that it was not yet time to relax. She dreamt of her head hitting the pillows and falling into a deep slumber with hope never to awaken for days.

Scurrying through the palace, barefooted and in a silk robe, she checked on all the children upstairs. They were all asleep after a long day. She figured the children were kept busy with games and stories told by Austraia. She passed by several maids and they bowed their heads. Once she reached the lounge she could hear Anastasia and Yana talking rather loudly. It sounded more like arguing.

Cera must still be inside. She entered the room and she was correct when she didn't want to be. Ana and Yana, both the same age, had hard heads and liked to do things their own way. They were bickering and then there was Cera crying profusely in the background.

"What is wrong with you two?" Xena broke the fight between the women. "Why aren't you helping Cera?"

She stepped in between them and came around the screen to see Cera flushed and tears flowing freely down her rosy cheeks. Mirac barely took notice of her presence and was more focused on his wife. Xena smiled and rushed by to sit beside Cera and took her hand.

Cera, distracted for but a moment, turned to her grandmother's blue calming eyes and faintly smiled in between hitched breaths. She was ready to admit that she never thought labor would be this painful. She was so tired, so very tired, that she didn't know how much longer she could endure this pain. She desperately wanted this to end.

She squeezed the hands she held and whimpered in pain and reared her head on the pillow. For over a day she was confined to this room and stuck in this spot for the last six hours at least which her mother kept reminding her of. She didn't even count of all the previous hours of non-intensive labor.

Mirac shifted nervously, holding her hand. "I'm very proud of you," he whispered and kissed her hand tenderly.

Xena reached behind her and grabbed the damp cloth in the water basin. She pressed the cool cloth gently on Cera's forehead and wiped away strands of auburn hair glued to her cheek. She listened to Mirac giving words of encouragement and smiled, touched by his kind words.

Cera tried to listen to the women speaking all at once. Each of the women, concerned and impatient, all sent smiles her way. The bickering between her mother and Yana stopped once Xena walked in. None of the words were registered as the scorching pain coursed through her body. Her mother and grandmother both spoke to her at once, and Yana was standing by the midwife and Mirac held her hand.

She lost count of how many hours she'd been in pain but she _needed_ it to end. She couldn't do it anymore. She'd rather take five hundred lashes to her backside than do this. There were five pairs of eyes on her. She saw her mother and the midwife both speaking to her but all she heard was white noise.

Slowly, she was hoisted up on the pillows. Both her mother and the midwife shared a large frown. She was too exhausted to panic. Her lips pulled into a vicious snarl as her body was hit with more agonizing waves of pain. If she could scream, she would and she wanted to.

Cera closed her eyes tightly and squeezed both hands she held. She wanted her baby that she waited so long for –that she worked so hard for. With the last ounce of strength she had she pushed through the hot searing pain that tore through her body.

Moments later she felt relief wash over her. She expected to hear the first cry of her baby and when she heard nothing but silence, she panicked.

Her eyes fluttered open and she looked at everyone who fell silent. There wasn't supposed to be silence. Her mother seemed the most worried out of everybody in the room. Cera lifted her head and inched her way forward. She saw the midwife carry the small bundle away in a sheet.

Frantic, she tried to get off the sofa and was pulled back by Xena's hand. The assured words of neither Mirac nor her grandmother were going to stop her from rising. She willed herself to push them both out of the way and they forcibly held her down.

Moments later, a loud wail echoed in the room. Relief sounded audibly in the room and Cera smiled, settling back down against the pillows. All the pain she went through didn't matter now and she was still in a considerable amount. She waited for the baby to be brought to her and she extended her arms forward with a luminescent smile.

The midwife gently placed the bundled baby in her arms. Cera held several babies throughout her life but holding her crying baby sent a surge of energy and love she never felt before. She looked up at everyone gathered around and saw they were all at ease.

"A girl," the midwife announced.

Anastasia's smile widened. "Another princess!"

Xena kissed Cera's forehead and said her congratulatory words then slipped off the sofa. She felt her knuckles realign and rubbed her sore hand. She didn't think such a thin girl like Cera could possibly break bones but she _almost_ did.

"Arielle is here recovering in her room," she whispered to Ana. "She's taken quite a beating."

Anastasia's stomach churned. "Why didn't you tell me earlier?"

"I didn't want you to worry," Xena eyed Cera briefly and smiled. "You had your hands full. I'm going to bed. If you need me…_don't_ come get me," she firmly squeezed her daughter's shoulder and winked.

* * *

Gabrielle towel dried her hair and let out an exasperated sigh stepping out of the bath chamber. Her meeting with Tzes Bey lasted longer than anticipated. She returned to the bedroom after she had a quick run-in with Kuba who informed her that the burning city was no more. The citizens were unrest and had no place to stay so tents were set up outside until permanent arrangements were made.

That reminded her to send a letter to Navaz. She could see his face now. He was going to be livid when he was to find out that he was going to have to house thousands of Scythians in Armenia. Anything for daddy's little girl. Arielle shouldn't have promised her people that they'd have temporary homes without her father's consent.

One step at a time, Gabrielle told herself. She returned to the room to find it empty though she counted on Xena to be here. She didn't have time to wonder where her energetic wife had disappeared to. The towel wrapped around her body fell to the floor and the door opened.

Gabrielle froze in place and was thanking every god in the world that it was Xena who entered the room. She casually went about her way to grab her dark gown and Xena paused.

If she wasn't so exhausted she would've had her hands all over the governor's flesh. Instead, Xena raised an eyebrow and smirked playfully. "You're lucky it was _me_ that walked in. You never know who is going to walk through those doors."

Gabrielle slipped the gown over her head and felt a pinch to her thigh. She turned and pulled her arms through the gown's long sleeves. A devious smirk was cast on her lips as she locked eyes with Xena.

"Where were you?"

Xena flung the sheets aside and climbed into bed. She hoped Gabrielle didn't want to talk. All she wanted to do was go to sleep and she knew the next morning was going to be extremely busy. The city was quiet now but that didn't mean the palace would be. Things had to be done, documents had to be signed and sent off and meetings were to be held.

"I was with Cera," she answered with a lengthy yawn.

Gabrielle completely forgot about Cera. She was so wrapped up with her own duties, the battle outside, Arielle, the army and the citizens, that she didn't even stop to think about Cera. She didn't think to ask about her either when they returned from the field.

"Oh! Cera! How is she?"

Xena closed her eyes, snuggling against the pillow with her long silvery raven hair sprawled across the bedspread. "She had the baby," she murmured, slowly drifting off.

"She _did_?" Gabrielle said louder than she expected. "Did everything go smoothly? That poor girl has been in labor this entire time? My god," her breath hitched, "was it a boy or a girl?"

She waited for a reply and combed her fingers through her damp hair. "Xena?"

Gabrielle looked over to see her wife fast asleep with her legs curled close to her chest. She smiled softly and blew out the candles beside the bed. She leaned over and pressed her lips to Xena's temple and picked up the mound of hair and gently laid it on the pillow. Xena didn't even stir and was still as a board, breathing deeply.

* * *

A couple of days later Arielle groaned, groggily waking from her slumber. She tried to rise and winced at the pinching and twinges in her back. She rose high enough off the pillows to support her weight on her elbows and the sheets slipped off her torso.

She looked underneath the sheets and eyed her usually toned abdomen wrapped in thick bandages. A hand smoothed over her slightly swollen stomach and then inched her way up, grunting and hissing under her breath. Arielle knew that she was going to get yelled at by somebody she just didn't know who yet.

She managed to swing her legs off the side of the bed. That was quite an effort on her part. She reached for the robe on a chair and then noticed a pair of small shoes on the floor behind an adjoining change room. She leaned to the side and there was Aurora asleep on a sofa with Anastasia's arm draped over her.

Arielle smiled softly at the two sleeping soundly. Leaning too far off the bed, she fell onto her knees and cried out with an aggressive snarl.

"Motherfucker," she griped.

Anastasia, awakened by the loud fall, saw her daughter crawling on the floor. She gently maneuvered her way off the sofa and put a pillow behind Aurora so she too wouldn't fall off. While Arielle was trying to make her way back to the bed, Ana grabbed her arm and hoisted her off the rug.

"What are you doing out of bed?" Ana pinched her daughter's cheeks together, inspecting the glossiness of Arielle's eyes. "Do you need medicine? Are you in pain?"

Arielle smacked the hand away and plopped down onto the bed. "Of course I am in pain," she rubbed her sore neck. "How long have I been out? A few hours?"

"Two days…"

"What!" Arielle snapped her head around and then moaned at the swift movement of her muscles contracting all at once. "God dammit. Please tell me you didn't sleep on that couch for two days."

Anastasia smirked. "No, I did _not_. I was with Cera, but Aurora," she looked back at the slumbering princess, "has been here this entire time."

That poor child. She was the one who told Arielle not to get hurt and here she was, waiting for her mother to wake up. Arielle looked down at her mangled body and sighed. She didn't plan for this to happen and she also didn't plan on getting injured so badly that she fell into a deep sleep for two days. That was considerably short compared to Csaba but nonetheless, she was disappointed in herself.

"How is Cera?" she asked her mother.

"A lot better now," Ana casually said, waiting to shock her daughter further. "She delivered her baby two days ago."

Arielle gasped and flopped back onto the pillows to gawk at the ceiling. "I _missed_ it," her tone clearly expressed her frustration. "I can't believe I missed that! Dammit." She lifted her body up and winced. "I wanted to be there for her."

"You can go see her later," Ana said with a smile and brushed a dark curl away from Arielle's forehead. "She was waiting for you to wake up to help decide a name for her…daughter."

Arielle's eyes brightened. "Wow another princess. Man, Farah is going to be livid," she joked. She was sure that if she wasn't hurt so badly that her mother would've slapped her already. "That's three princesses in less than two years! Oh wait, if Soran and Pamira have a daughter then it's possible that Farah might faint."

"Arielle…"

She leaned down to change the soiled bandages around Arielle's waist and then snickered under her breath. Arielle wasn't wrong about Farah. The lithe Banat queen was infuriated that both Nisa and Cera had girls over the last year. She didn't let either mother see her jealousy but it was painfully obvious to everyone. Even her eldest son, Edemen, caught on especially after Nisa's second daughter was born only a couple months ago.

"I guess it's just not in the cards for her to have a girl," Arielle wore a vicious smirk then received a pinch to the arm.

While her bandages were being changed, Aurora sleepily walked over to her. Arielle smiled and held out her hand for her daughter to grab hold of. She hadn't seen herself lately and knew she looked horrible. The look in her daughter's eyes was enough to tear her insides apart. That look off horror unsettled Arielle.

"You _promised_ you weren't going to get hurt," said Aurora.

Arielle sighed. "I know." She took her daughter's hand. "I'm not very good at keeping promises, am I?"

* * *

Bayan and his army arrived promptly in Scythia just in time to clean the entire city. He worked with the rest of the Avar army to organize crews to salvage what was left of the city. Mongol tribes that he incorporated with the Assyrians weren't welcome in Scythia he came to find out. The Avar soldiers were also hesitant to work with the Mongols and Assyrians.

Once he assigned everyone their duties for the next few weeks he made the dreadful walk to the palace. He gave his greetings to Kuba and Ku-Ilm who were both in the foyer there to welcome him inside. He briskly stormed down the hallway and there was Xena and Gabrielle waiting for him. He braced himself to meet with Xena after several months.

He stopped in front of the women and Xena gave him the coldest shoulder he'd ever seen in his life. He smiled briefly at Gabrielle and she returned the gesture with a short head nod. He always knew Gabrielle tried to keep a neutral front but inside, he knew she disliked him just as much as everyone else.

"Xena," he said.

"Bayan," she forced a tight lipped smile. "Thank you…for coming here so quickly. Your help is _appreciated_."

"It is my duty to help Arielle. Has she been notified of my arrival?" he inquired, looking around the room. "I was told that she was badly injured."

Gabrielle spoke for the both of them. "She's recovering rapidly. I will send someone to tell her that you arrived. In the meantime, I need to discuss something with you that concerns Aurora."

He feared the worst. "Is she injured too?"

"No, it's nothing like that," Gabrielle heard Xena snickering and elbowed her ribs. "We can talk in the library. Just follow me, please."

Bayan hesitantly followed the governor and he bypassed Xena, noting the smug smirk on her face. That was very unsettling and now he knew that whatever Gabrielle was going to tell him wasn't good.

Xena clasped her hands together and thought to go speak with Kuba to see how the soldiers were faring outside. She walked only a few paces ahead and ran into the generational trio. Smiling, Aurora held both her mother's and grandmother's hands walking together, wedged in between the towering women.

Arielle tried her best to not reveal any sign of weakness or pain but it hurt to move every single muscle in her body. Her wet hair hung and dripped onto the floor.

"I see you're up," Xena observed. "Bayan is here talking with Gabrielle."

Aurora gasped. "Daddy's here? Can I see him? Mom, please?" she tugged on Arielle's arm.

Her mildly good mood was ruined but she chose to hide the distaste she had for her daughter's father. It was evident to both her mother and grandmother that she didn't want Bayan anywhere near her. Their relationship recently was less strained but still, she didn't like him so close.

"After Gabrielle is finished talking with him then yes you can see your father," she told Aurora. "But we're off to see Teyze Cera's baby, isn't that right?"

Aurora nodded excitedly, swinging the hands she held.

"Mother, would you like to come with us?" Anastasia offered.

"I was going to check on the status of the cleanup outside." Xena peered down at the pouty princess and rolled her eyes. "I'll come with you I guess," she grumbled.

* * *

Bayan slammed a fist on the table. "My daughter is not going to marry _anybody_!"

Gabrielle flinched at his tone but continued writing. This was going to be a very _colorful_ parchment by the time this meeting was finished.

"Tzes Bey," he scoffed, "the man with the wings? His son is but a child himself! How could he even think to propose such an idea?" he paced aimlessly around the room. "Does Arielle know about this? What did she say? You cannot _honestly_ tell me that she agrees to this fuckery."

She tapped the quill on her cheek. "She knows about it. She hasn't decided yet and wants your opinion."

He stopped and turned, bemused. "She does?"

Gabrielle nodded silently.

His temper had calmed and he sat back down, a bit more composed this time around. He smoothed his palms across the desk, smiling softly. He didn't expect Arielle to value his opinion even though they parented their daughter together _somewhat_. He hardly had any say when it came to Aurora since the divorce.

"I don't know anything about the Hinukh tribe," he stated. "I think it would be wise to find out what kind of man Tzes Bey is. If he wants his son to marry my daughter in the future then we should spend as much time as possible getting to know his tribe."

Gabrielle's eyebrows lifted, writing swiftly. She was surprised by his sudden change of tune but she wasn't opposed to it. Arielle wasn't the only person who matured but Bayan was still widely disliked by the family nonetheless.

"I think that's a good idea. I will run it by Arielle later." she closed her journal. "We'll have a meeting to discuss future actions against Chieftain Mezamir. I think you should sit in on the meetings."

Bayan rubbed his clean shaven chin. "Arielle won't mind if I'm there?"

"You are the ruler of half the empire. It would be strange if you weren't present."

* * *

It took some convincing for Mirac to relinquish his daughter. Cera was held up in the lounge for the last two days. Yana was insistent that she shouldn't be moved so quickly after the birth. She shifted on the sofa uncomfortably and smiled at Arielle sitting beside her.

Arielle held her niece in her arms, grinning. "She's perfect, Cera." She ran her palm over the baby's smooth head. "I'm sorry I couldn't be there for you."

"She had plenty of help," Mirac said, peering over Arielle's shoulder, very protective of his new daughter.

"Did you decide on a name?" Arielle looked at the couple.

Mirac shared a smile with Cera. "We think Emese is a good name for her."

"Princess Emese," she repeated and touched the baby's cheek. "That's a great name. What do you think _tatli_ _kiz_?" she asked Aurora who clung to her side, peering at her newborn cousin.

Aurora twisted her mouth and caressed her cousin's cheek. "I like it. Finally I am not the only princess here!" she cheered and everyone laughed lightly. "I hope Pamira has a girl too then there will be five princesses!"

"Oh boy," Xena commented. "If only Kreka was here to see this."

Anastasia grasped her mother's shoulder. "She's here."

"Don't say that," Xena shuddered at the thought. "That woman lives to haunt my dreams."

"Maybe she's laughing at you right now. After all, you did make fun of her hair turning gray and now look at you!" Ana held a handful of her mother's silvery raven locks.

Everybody found the joke hilarious while Xena was less than enthused. She brought her lips to a firm line and sighed with a throaty growl added.

"I'm going to check on the army," she brushed by her daughter, hurrying out of the room.

Arielle snickered. "Look what you've done, mother. You've upset her now." Her attention was drawn back to the baby in her arms and smiled. The baby's eyes opened, staring up at Arielle's grinning face. "Hello there."

The pair of dark eyes wandered, looking at the many faces. She yawned and squirmed in the tightly bound linen and managed to wiggle her arm out from underneath the blanket. She curled her fist against her cheek and enlarged her eyes, familiarizing herself with her new surroundings.

Arielle passed the baby back to Mirac and grabbed her mother's hand to stand up. She winced and pressed a hand to her sore abdomen. Who knew there were so many muscles used when trying to get up from a sitting position?

"Can I hold her?" asked Aurora.

"Another time," Anastasia grabbed the girl's hand. "The baby isn't going anywhere. You will have plenty of chances to hold her."

Aurora sighed. Before she was escorted out of the lounge, her cousins ran into the room. The twin princes tried to pass by Anastasia and she blocked their paths.

"Out," she ordered.

Aman and Aladar pursed their lips. "But grandma khatun we wanna see the baby!" Aman whined.

"You will see the baby later. Get out, boys." She grabbed their shoulders and pushed them towards the exit. They protested and complained all while resisting her. She swatted their thighs and they both yelped. "Go!"

Aurora rolled her eyes. "_Boys_."

* * *

_One Month Later_

The Avar army trained in a field that bordered old Magyar territory. In order to reach this field one had to ride nearly half a day by horse or an entire day by foot. Xena was in charge of training the military just as she had done for almost her entire life. She enjoyed training soldiers more than actually being on the battlefield.

She knew she was enjoying it too much when one day she pushed the young men too hard and they all collapsed onto the ground after running their tenth lap around the circumference of the massive field. Today she decided to go easy on the soldiers and instructed them to wield practice swords and participate in mock fights. She never trained an army of this size and as she always said, quantity does not equal quality.

The soldiers were terrible when it came to close combat. An army of almost five hundred thousand and this is what she had to work with. Xena stood underneath a large canopy to hide from the blistering summer sun. She was close enough to the soldiers to yell at them but far enough so she wasn't to be harmed.

She shielded her eyes from the mockery in front of her. The need the scream was boiling inside her. This had to be worse than when she was forced to train Farah. Hesitantly, she peeked through her fingers and winced as a couple of soldiers drove the practice swords into their chests and fell to the ground.

"Dear god," she massaged her temples, "strike me down."

"I'd like to have you on this earth for a little while longer thank you," Gabrielle spoke from behind, startling the lieutenant.

Xena acknowledged her with a terse smile and then went back to focus on the disaster unleashed on the field. As much as she loved training military recruits it took every ounce of willpower to restrain herself from driving a sword through the incompetent soldiers.

"It's a miracle that they've made it this far," she slapped a palm to her cheek, watching the horror unfold. "I'm going to need help. I can't train an army of this size by myself." She looked to her wife.

Gabrielle paled. "Don't look at _me_." She opened her journal and rummaged through it. "I received a letter from Eksama."

Xena chewed on her nail. "_Perfect_…"

"King Alduin is the ruler of the Lombard tribe. He also has a wife, Rodelinda. They've been in Banat this entire time. They haven't attacked Pannonia at all."

"They're probably waiting for Justinian to give the order," Xena said through gritted teeth. "Are you kidding me?" two soldiers collapsed onto the field from heat exhaustion. She was ready to throw her headdress and call it a day.

Gabrielle chose to ignore her spouse's outburst. "Ernak requires more funds for weapon supply. I spoke to Farah since she's still the treasurer. She said that we should distribute a fourth of Arielle's treasury to Pannonia."

Xena narrowed in on the soldiers and chewed her nail to the nub. Her spouse loudly cleared her throat which grabbed her attention enough to distract her from the soldiers. She spun around, wide-eyed and stopped biting her nail.

"The _funds_, Xena."

"What about them?"

"You weren't listening to anything I said," Gabrielle shook her head and slammed the journal shut. "You're the leader of the Avar army. I need your consent on the disbursement of funds."

Xena flicked her wrist. "Can't _you_ handle that? You know I don't care about that stuff."

"I would _love_ to but I need your approval." She held the journal close to her chest. "Will you be able to train the army with three quarters of the treasury funds?"

Xena nodded, waving her hand dismissively. She ripped off her headdress and sat down, rubbing her chin, gawking at the soldiers who grew too tired to continue for the afternoon. She snapped her fingers at the Avar who stood by the canopy and called a dismissal. The horns were sounded and the army dropped their weapons.

Her eyes averted to Gabrielle who lingered. She wore a sheepish smile and forgot that her very irritated spouse was standing there waiting for a reply. Tapping her fingers on the armrest and tried to recall what was said to her. She really ought to pay attention more.

"You have my _approval_," she graciously waved her hand. "Is there something I need to sign?"

"There's a meeting tonight with Farah. You'll sign the document then." Gabrielle rushed away, marching to her horse.

Xena grunted. "Are you mad at me?" she called. "Gabrielle! I'm sorry I didn't listen to you!" she heard a horse galloping off and spun around. "Great."

* * *

Navaz arrived at his daughter's home without warning. Upon entering Scythia he saw several Mongol and Assyrian soldiers hovering around the city. Bayan was here and that meant he needed to keep his distance. He didn't want to engage with Bayan during this short visit.

He waited in the foyer impatiently tapping his boot. Kuba was gone for a long time or maybe he wasn't gone as long as Navaz thought. He had no need to stay here as he could walk anywhere he wanted but he was sure that his unexpected visit was going to warrant some tears from his daughter. That wasn't a sight he was ready to see.

Anastasia entered the foyer with Kuba and smiled warmly. They spent months apart but every time they reunited time ceased to exist between them. She embraced Navaz and was left alone with Kuba slyly slipping out of the room.

He brushed his thumbs along her cheeks. "_Benim güzel eşim_," he kissed her forehead.

"What are you doing here? You didn't send word that you were coming," she grinned and pressed her lips against the palms of his hands.

His gaze fell and he evaded the question. "How is everyone? I'm sure you have your hands full."

Anastasia tilted his chin to meet his eyes but he avoided her gaze. She knew him well enough to see that he was disturbed by something. She was in no mood for small talk.

"What's wrong, Navaz?"

He thought he could put this off for a little bit longer. He rode very quickly and was tired from the journey despite the short distance. The perturbed expression on his wife's face pressured him to reveal the real reason for his stay.

He pulled out a letter from within his robe. "Tegin Irkin delivered this a few days ago. I hurried over here to relay the message."

"News from Persia?" she reached for the letter and he retracted his hand.

"I need to speak with Arielle." He tucked the parchment into his robe.

Anastasia rubbed his arm. "I'll come with you."

He weakly smiled and gently pinched her chin. "I want to speak to her _alone_."

* * *

There were some upsides to having Bayan here. They didn't have to exchange letters to decide on political affairs and they reached several agreements concerning their daughter and the entirety of the empire. At first Arielle couldn't wait to kick Bayan out of the palace but since his arrival he was very, dare she say, _helpful_.

He hardly got in her way and they only spoke when necessary. He kept his distance from her and when they weren't held up in conferences he spent his free time with Aurora. She unfortunately got stuck with the mountain of paperwork while Bayan spent his evenings free of headaches.

At her desk she spent all morning and afternoon, signing various documents. She rubbed her aching head and the menacing stack of documents sent over from Gabrielle was taunting her. She was going to be stuck in here until the end of time.

The large double doors creaked open and Arielle kept her head in her work. Navaz slipped inside and rested his hand over his chest where the letter was beneath his clothing. He smiled seeing his daughter working diligently. He hated to interrupt her especially with the news he brought with him.

"If this isn't an emergency then I suggest you come back another time," said Arielle without lifting her head to see the guest.

Navaz smirked. "You aren't going to say hello to me?"

She gasped and snapped her head up from her desk. She grinned and ran towards her father. She crashed into him, wrapping her arms around him and pressed her cheek against his chest. She breathed in the familiar scent that she missed.

"What are you doing here?" she touched his beard. "Dad, you are becoming like grandma. Look at this gray hair!" she teased.

"It must be from all the demanding _women_ in my life," he winked and she lightly punched his chest. "How are you?" he toyed with her curls.

Arielle sighed. "Very busy. Did you see Cera's daughter? She's very adorable. She looks like Cera except no red hair," she told him, running her words together. "Mother's been taking care of Pamira. She should have the baby in a few weeks. I know Soran is very nervous but I assured him that he will be a great father."

He nodded, knowing his son very well. Soran was considerably shier than any other male in the family. A moment of silent fell between them and he kept a solemn smile on his lips. A hand came to cup her cheek and Arielle crinkled her eyebrows, confused by his silence.

Before he got too sidetracked, he presented the letter and took in a deep breath.

"This is from Tegin Irkin," he saw her face light up which broke him.

"Is it about Xerxes?" she hoped, nearly hopping.

Navaz took his daughter by the arm and led her to sit down on one of the many couches in her room. He sat down beside her, clutching the letter. He could barely look at her because he knew what was written in this letter. She was desperate to grab it from him and he finally relinquished the letter.

She ripped open the letter and tossed the ribbon over her shoulder. The smile plastered on her face soon withered the further she read into the letter. Her heart thumped rapidly and found it hard to catch her breath. Her hands fell into her lap.

Her teeth dug into her bottom lip. She desperately fought back tears and crumpled the letter. She swallowed the lump in her throat and her chin quivered.

Navaz smoothed his palm over her hair. "Arielle…"

Unexpectedly, she leapt into his lap and squeezed him tightly with her face buried in the crook of his neck. Navaz adjusted her on his lap and held his trembling daughter, comforting her like he used to when she was a child. His shoulder soaked from her tears. He pressed his lips on the side of her head.

In between muffled sobs, Arielle whispered, "he's _dead_." She had to say it out loud otherwise she refused to believe it. She dug her nails into her father's back and let out a screeching wail.

Navaz closed his eyes, listening to her wailing. He stood up, cradling Arielle in his arms and walked over to the bed. He sat down against the pillows and settled into a more comfortable position. Arielle curled up against him and hot tears flowed down her cheeks like rushing rivers.

He combed his fingers through her hair. He knew he was going to be stuck here for a long time.

**Emese = "Amesi"**


	45. Chapter 45

**The rest of the story will focus solely on Xena, Gabrielle and Arielle's journey through the conquests and invasions. Hope you'll all enjoy ;)**

One Year Later

Chapter 45 –_A United Front_

Princess Aurora thought she used to have a close relationship with her mother but that shattered in less than a year. She was left alone at the palace while her mother was so focused on the wars. These last couple of months just after her seventh birthday passed, both her parents were away fighting off the Byzantines on the Persian and Armenian borders.

She took the opportunity to do whatever she pleased and disobeyed Ku-Ilm and Kuba who were obligated to watch over her while Arielle was away. Once a well mannered princess now turned into a rebellious child who thought she was invincible.

The news of her future marriage to the Hinukh Bey's son, Kazem, was revealed two days before her birthday. She was forced to spend time with Kazem and ever since then the two got into a lot of mischief together.

Today was no different. Aurora took it upon herself to take her horse gifted to her by her grandfather and rode it through the busy streets of Neapolis with Kazem accompanying her. They galloped through the city for more than hour before returning to the palace.

Aurora laughed and hopped off the horse and helped her accomplice. She took her hair down from its coiled state and ran her fingers through the knotted strands.

Kazem passed the horse off to a stable boy and brushed the dirt off his sleeves. "I can't believe we got rid of the guards!"

"They are probably still looking for us in the city!" she rejoiced and fist-bumped Kazem.

"_Aurora_!" Ku-Ilm yelled from afar and marched into the gardens.

Kazem eyed the furious Arab woman storming over and exhaled. "She's looks pretty mad," he whispered. "I better get back to my room and study. Good luck."

Ku was ready to scold both children but when Kazem took off running to the palace she was forced to unleash her anger onto Aurora. She would have to deal with him later. Standing in front of the defiant princess she folded her arms in front of her heaving chest.

"Morning, Ku-Ilm," she cast an arrogant smile.

"Just what do you think you're doing? You aren't supposed to leave the palace without my permission!"

"I was just having some fun," Aurora attempted to pass by her caretaker and Ku grabbed her arm. "Let go!"

Ku snarled with a wicked frown. "You've been nothing but trouble ever since your mother left. I ought to lock you in your room until she returns."

Aurora gasped, desperately trying to pry Ku's fingers off her arm. "No, Ku please!" tears brimmed and she whined.

"Your crocodile tears won't save you, Aurora."

Ku dragged the princess across the gardens. Locking her up was the easiest way to tame Aurora but she didn't know how to explain that to Arielle. Through exchanged letters, Ku held back information about Aurora's destructive behavior. She didn't want Arielle to stress over a war _and_ her daughter. Ku cared too much for the empress to cause such unwarranted distress.

* * *

Justinian had men everywhere and Xena wanted to make sure she knew all of the minions who allied with him. So far Chieftain Mezamir was the most formidable of them all. Ever since he set Neapolis on fire and nearly destroyed the capital, he was quiet and lurked in the Baltic region. Xena knew that enemies who lie in wait are the most dangerous.

For precaution Xena ordered soldiers to be posted on the borders of Scythia. As expected, Justinian stuck his nose in everybody's business and acquired more people under his belt. The last of the Bulgur Huns now relocated around the Black Sea and have succumbed to Justinian.

Xena and Gabrielle rode all the way to the Dulo tribe to meet the Khan who now worked under Byzantium. Not much information was provided about this Khan but they knew that he converted to the church and had left his pagan life behind in order to please the emperor.

Slowly trotting through the grassy plains, Gabrielle set eyes on the many yurts up ahead. There were hundreds of them scattered on the land. The sea was visible from the encampment. This place reminded her of Pannonia when she shared a yurt with Xena many moons ago.

"What do you hope to accomplish during this meeting?"

Xena twisted her mouth. "I'm not going to behead the man, that's for sure," she cast a knowing look towards her wife. "Arielle worries me. She's been on a power trip ever since she started this campaign."

Gabrielle steered the horse closer. "She decapitated a man last month because he refused to give her information on Mezamir." She set a warm hand on top of Xena's. "I know this hurts you to see her change so drastically."

"It hurts me more to see how this is affecting Anastasia," she squeezed Gabrielle's hand. "I hope she didn't give in to the _flower_ to suppress her feelings."

"I received a letter from Navaz. He is making sure that she stays occupied. Both Cera's and Pamira's daughters are keeping her very busy," Gabrielle cast a smile, hoping to lighten her warrior's gloom mood.

Xena set aside the emotions swimming inside her and focused on the mission at hand. She took in a deep breath and slipped her hand away from Gabrielle. In the middle of the tribe's camp there was a very large yurt, three times the size of the average yurt. That could only mean that was the Khan's dwelling.

They rode into the camp and a man emerged from the expansive yurt. He crossed his arms over his broad chest and with a raised chin, he frowned at the guests. The men curiously circled around his yurt but they didn't draw weapons as they recognized the tassels on the horses' manes and tails to be of a Hunnic tribe.

He studied the black and gold headdress that Xena wore and knew that she was a woman of status. He skeptically eyed the blonde woman who accompanied her. The women dismounted and approached him guardedly eyeing all of the men surrounding the yurt.

"Are you a Hun?" he called in a loud voice.

Xena kept a hand on the hilt of her sword. "Yes. We've come from Scythia on Khagana Arielle's orders."

His lips curled into a smile. "The Khagana!" he brought his arms to his sides. "Welcome to the Dulo tribe. I'm Khan Kubrat. You have traveled a long distance. I hope you haven't come to behead me," he mildly joked.

Xena puckered her lips and turned to Gabrielle. "We want to speak with you about a possible alliance."

Kubrat scratched his trimmed dark beard. He made a path and motioned for them to follow him into his abode. Xena and Gabrielle cautiously walked through the encampment and advised the accompanying Avar soldiers to remain outside.

This place definitely brought back memories from time spent under Attila's reign. Xena remembered many meetings held in large yurts just like this one. It was like she traveled back in time and it was very odd. To sit in a yurt instead of a large castle which she grew accustom to now. She didn't know if she missed this lifestyle or not given the circumstance of their visit.

A woman of fair skin and honey colored hair served them tea. Gabrielle took the cup and met eyes with the dark-eyed woman. She noticed the uneasiness on Xena's face. They had to be thinking the exact same thing. This was a time warp for them both and it made them feel more than uncomfortable.

Kubrat grabbed one of the cups and gave a nod of gratitude. "My wife, Drusilla," he informally introduced.

Gabrielle half smiled. "That's a nice Greek name."

He flicked his wrist and Drusilla smiled at the women and with a bow of her head she swiftly vacated the yurt to allow the meeting to commence. Kubrat sipped the hot tea and smoothed a hand over his clean shaven head. He smiled at the stony expression Xena possessed. He knew he was being examined the moment she and Gabrielle arrived.

Xena did a quick scan of the Khan and couldn't quite read him. He appeared to be polite and even invited them in without asking who they were. For all he knew she and Gabrielle could be assassins. He was very confident in his position.

He had a strong jaw, perfectly straight long nose that reminded Xena of Navaz. His dark trimmed raven beard framed the strong features of his face. His eyes were a dark hazel lined with kohl and bore thick eyebrows to accentuate the shaven tattooed head. He also had several piercings on his ear and one on either side of his nostrils.

"You wanted to discuss an alliance," he started the conversation.

Gabrielle lowered the cup. "Yes. I'm the governor of the Hun Empire. My name is Gabrielle and this is Xena," she raised an open palm, "she's the empire's Khanum and the Lieutenant General."

Kubrat arched his eyebrow with a grand smile. "Xena Khanum, what a pleasure it is to meet you. I've heard _many_ things about you."

"Only good things I hope," she cast a short smile.

"Depends on what you define as _good_," he chuckled. "Let's skip all the details and get straight to the meat," he set the cup down on the rug and folded his legs. "You both must know that I side with Justinian."

Xena nodded. "Which is a very unwise decision. You could be labeled as a traitor. You are a Hun yourself. Why do you side with him?"

"He paid me," he simply said. "He also gave me over one hundred thousand soldiers to get rid of the Avars. I like money, khanum."

"At least you're honest."

"What could your khagana offer me that I don't already have?" he inquired.

Gabrielle shared a glance with Xena and both had their tongues tied.

"I thought so," he snickered. "I can tell that you both aren't going to leave until I submit. I assume those soldiers you brought will raid my camp if I don't agree."

Xena's mouth gaped. He was one hundred percent correct which wasn't surprising. If he was a Hun, and he is, he knew the culture and customs very well. But he sold out his people to Justinian. Xena gathered that Kubrat was a man of reason but he was also ambitious which she admired. She didn't know what else to offer him other than to fulfill Arielle's wish: behead him.

"Is there something that we can offer you?" asked Gabrielle. "We don't want to raid your camp."

Kubrat scratched his beard. "I do have something in mind." He gave pause and cast an impious smirk. "I will join the Avars willingly but only if I marry the Khagana. I hear that she is unmarried."

Xena clenched the cup and was tempted to throw the hot beverage on his face. "Very bold of you to be so upfront."

"I am not a complete barbarian, khanum. I would like to meet with the Khagana first. Is she as beautiful as everyone says she is?" his curiosity got the better of him.

"One wife isn't _enough_ for you?" Xena asked with a playful grin.

He found her comment humorous and laughed lightly. "I will have a yurt set up for your stay. I think we can better discuss this when you've both rested for a few days."

* * *

Drusilla set up a yurt not far from the main camp and brought in several freshly beaten rugs and wool blankets. The yurt was decorated with several candles and there was a fire pit in the center of the round abode. Being the hospitable woman she was, she asked her servants to bring in copious amounts of food, wine and tea for the guests.

Evening rolled around and Gabrielle stripped of her clothes and wore a gown that she packed. She set her boots next to the mattress on the floor and eyed Xena who sat by herself around the fire pit, sipping wine gingerly.

She took a seat opposite her wife and tried to read her expressionless face. "Hey," she gripped Xena's knee. "What are you thinking right now?"

Xena sighed. "I'm thinking about what I'm going to tell Arielle when we return to Scythia." She took a large gulp of the wine. "She's not going to want to marry anybody especially after Xerxes."

"Kubrat made it seem like if he doesn't marry Arielle that he will attack us."

"I don't know what to do," Xena rested her hand over her eyes. "Arielle is using pain and anger as fuel."

Gabrielle crawled closer."Like you used to." she rubbed her spouse's back affectionately. "I remember when you were like that. You thought you were unstoppable and at times…you were," she chuckled.

"It's a very difficult cycle to break," said Xena in a tired voice. "I let it consume me for many years. I don't want Arielle to go down that path." tears brimmed in her eyes and she saw red. "I made sure to train Arielle in a way that showed compassion to those around her. I did everything possible to make sure that she didn't end up like me. What did I do wrong?" she peered at Gabrielle with watery eyes.

Gabrielle offered a faint smile and wrapped an arm around her wife. "She has a good heart and so do you. She feels lost right now." She wiped the single stream of tear from her wife's cheek. "Arielle thinks the world is against her and she likes to control every situation around her. She believes that the only way to control her life is to use a sword."

"I know…that to conquer people you sometimes have to use force," mumbled Xena. "But you should only use force when needed. She's letting her emotions control her. That was one of the first things I told her: don't let emotions influence your decisions."

Gabrielle lifted an eyebrow. "You've made some pretty horrible decisions in the past, Xena. You let your emotions control your actions too."

"I know!" she spat angrily. "And I don't want Arielle to do the same!" she chastised herself inwardly. "I told Anastasia the same thing. She only took my advice when it suited her."

"Anastasia is a wonderful woman. She's grown and learned from her mistakes just like you have. Arielle will have to learn the hard way."

She planted a firm kiss to Xena's temple. Tenderly, her fingers laced along the collar bone and traveled down to her arm causing a soft shiver from her spouse. Gabrielle smiled and continued to roam her fingers down Xena's arm and then laced their fingers together.

"You're the best mother, grandmother, _spouse_, and friend that anyone could ask for," she said lovingly and Xena hid her smile. "And you're a great warrior and very…passionate about your family and your work. You always put others before yourself which is your downfall sometimes."

Xena murmured, "you're embarrassing me."

"Then I should compliment you more often!" Gabrielle snorted and kissed the hand on top of hers. "I couldn't imagine a life without you."

Xena touched her flushed cheek and glanced at her endearing wife and chuckled softly. "You're just trying to distract me from the bigger picture."

Gabrielle leaned her head on the shoulder next to her. "It worked for awhile, didn't it?" she rubbed her thumb along the back of Xena's hand. "Do you think Arielle will agree to the marriage?"

"I don't know what that girl is thinking anymore. I don't really like the idea of her being in a loveless marriage."

Gabrielle looked up and said, "but Ana married Navaz without loving him at first."

"And she was very unhappy for awhile." She crossed her ankle over Gabrielle's. "I don't want Arielle to be unhappy."

"She already is."

Xena nodded. "I don't know what she will do."

"I didn't love you at first _either_," Gabrielle mentioned. "Maybe Arielle…will grow to love Kubrat?"

"You're already assuming she will agree," she muffled a laugh. "That girl is a hard woman to love. She is complicated."

"Oh and like you _aren't_?" Gabrielle laughed and received a pinch to her hand. "Ow!"

"You don't get to shower me with compliments then insult me," Xena teased. "But you are right. Kubrat is a man who jumps at an opportunity when he sees one."

"Marrying the empress of the empire is definitely a huge opportunity," Gabrielle agreed. "If Arielle agrees then Justinian will lose an ally and gain another enemy."

Xena ran a hand over her face and released an exasperated lengthy sigh.

"When you explain it that way, Arielle will see this as a way to stab Justinian in the back. There's no way she would refuse." She clenched her teeth and grumbled. "She will treat the marriage alliance as a business transaction."

"What about Bayan? Can there be _three_ rulers of the Avars?"

Xena pecked her wife's nose. "Baby steps, Gabrielle. Baby steps."

* * *

Along the Armenian borders shared with Persia, Arielle caused a ceasefire against the invading Byzantines. She stood underneath a canopy to watch the war unfold. She'd been acting behind the scenes and called all of the shots for over two months. She wondered when the Byzantines were going to give up and finally run back to their emperor.

Helping the Persians left a bitter taste in her mouth. She no longer thought the Sassanians allies anymore despite all of the funds and weapons Shah Kavad supplied. If it was up to her she would've set fire to the Sassan palace already but her father was the only person who was able to talk her out of it.

Bayan rode into camp with a Byzantine officer whom he tied and gagged. He tossed the enemy onto the ground in front of Arielle's boots. The Byzantine officer raised his head, barely able to see out of his swollen eye socket obstructing his view.

"He says he doesn't have any information but I doubt that," said Bayan.

Arielle smiled and walked forward. She took the cloth out from the officer's mouth and stomped her boot on his thigh. He winced and spat at her feet to which she grabbed his short hair and reared his head back, stretching his neck to its fullest.

"What is Justinian's next move?" she questioned. "Will he send Mezamir to attack Scythia? Or will he send King Alduin to ransack Pannonia?"

Met with silence she pushed him to the ground and reached over to the Avar standing next to her. She whipped his sword out from its holster and pointed to the blade at the officer's throat.

"I'm _not_ going to ask again."

He pressed his neck to the tip of the blade and flashed a smile. Arielle snarled and drove the sword straight through his throat and it exited through the other side. Blood spattered on Bayan standing nearby and Arielle wiped her face of the blood spatter.

She pressed the sole of her boot on the officer's chest and kicked him backward. His throat glided on the blade which made a sickening sound of the tendons and muscles against the sharp edge of the metal. Arielle handed the sword back to her soldier and heaved heavily.

"Bayan, I need to speak with you in my tent," she ordered and stomped off.

He swiftly jaunted into her tent. A bit horrified at the display he just witnessed he was very cautious to stay quiet while standing behind Arielle. He'd been with her throughout this entire war for the last couple of months and saw her do heinous things to Byzantine soldiers.

"How long will it take to push these Byzantines out?" she asked over her shoulder. "I don't want to prolong this war as much as I want them to blow the Persians to smithereens I can't allow it to happen."

Bayan loudly cleared his throat. "We could always pull out. We are winning the war anyway."

"It doesn't look that way to me."

He grabbed her shoulder and turned her around. "I know you don't like the Sassanians, Arielle but we have a duty to protect them. What happened to Xerxes has nothing to do with our alliance with Shah Kavad."

She shoved his chest. "Why does Kawus get to live and not Xerxes? He _murdered_ Xerxes!"

"And Shah Kavad had no knowledge of your relationship with him!" he spat and shook her shoulders. "It was only a matter of time before Xerxes was gotten rid of. He allied with us and his brother hated that. This war has nothing to do with that. You're taking this too personally!"

She gazed into his dark eyes and then lowered her gaze to the floor.

"You're right."

Bayan felt relief that he was able to talk some sense into her. He didn't know how much more of her erratic behavior he could take. Two months of Arielle on the field was enough for him.

"Should we pull our army out now? We can go back to Scythia. This has gone on long enough."

Arielle scoffed. "_Our_ army? It's ours now?" she folded her arms. "Why am I cursed with picking men?" she chided and obviously struck a nerve in Bayan given his peeved expression. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that. I was thinking out loud."

He raised a hand. "It's fine. I deserved that." He took a step closer. "Can I pull back the army now?"

She gave a curt nod and he walked to exit. She called out his name, "oh, Bayan. Thank you for your help."

He gave a short smile. "Can I take Aurora back with me?" he asked and Arielle's eyes flickered. "For the winter season."

"You had her all spring."

He grinned, "and _you_ had her all summer _and_ fall," he retorted. By the look in her eyes he slowly backed away. "We will discuss this later."

* * *

Three days passed since their arrival to the Dulo tribe and Xena wanted to return to Scythia as soon as possible. Just like every morning, Drusilla came into the yurt and brought a large tray of assorted food and wine for the morning.

Gabrielle folded the blankets and sleepily looked at the doting woman who quietly set out the wooden bowls on the rug. She yawned and stood up then went over to Xena who was lacing up her boots.

"I'm going to tell Kubrat that we will leave tomorrow. He's going to want to talk about the marriage alliance further. Are you coming with me?"

Xena stared at Drusilla and lifted her eyes. "I'll catch up with you."

The Khan's wife kept setting the spread of food and after Gabrielle left the yurt, Xena stared at the woman. She finished lacing up her boot and sat back, supporting her weight on her palms. Drusilla hadn't even said her early morning greetings. Xena thought the woman was waiting until she finished her conversation with Gabrielle.

"Drusilla, right?" she startled the woman.

"Oh…yes," she bowed with a shy grin. "Good morning. I hope that you will enjoy the food I prepared for you both."

Xena was very familiar with the food here. Frankly, she missed the food here in this area. It paled in comparison to what was eaten in Scythia but she didn't want to discuss food with Drusilla. She had other questions on her mind that needed answers.

"Your husband wants to marry the Khagana."

Drusilla brushed her light brown locks behind her ears. "Yes. I gave him permission."

Xena widened her eyes. _Permission_. A woman giving her husband permission to marry another woman? Well, at least Kubrat didn't marry someone outright without his wife's consent like Attila did to Kreka. He followed the laws of their people it seemed and Xena smiled at that.

"I was the one who suggested it," Drusilla added, further shocking Xena. "I don't like that my husband allied with the Emperor. I feared that the Khagana would exile us so I hinted the marriage to him."

"_Oh_…" Xena furrowed her brows. "Does…your husband treat you well?"

Drusilla, taken aback by the question, giggled. "He has not done anything to me, khanum. He treats me and our children very well."

"You have children…"

"Two sons; ages thirteen and eleven. I would have you meet them but they are hunting." She folded her hands in her lap, staring at the bemused khanum. "I know the khagana has a daughter. My sons are looking forward to meeting her."

It appeared to Xena that the person in charge was not Kubrat but in fact his wife. Drusilla had a very shy demeanor about her which was very deceiving. She looked very innocent and soft but knowing that _she_ was the one who insinuated the marriage in the first place was shocking to say the least. Xena was speechless and unsure of what to think.

Gabrielle poked her head in the yurt. "Xena, are you coming? He's waiting for us."

"Yes…yes, I'm right behind you." Xena stood up and gazed at the brunette."It was nice talking to you, Drusilla."

"Likewise, khanum. I hope we will have plenty of opportunities to talk again," she flashed a charming smile.

* * *

Ku stood by Aurora and Kazem as they all waited for everyone's return. Over the last few weeks Aurora was confined to the palace and forced to focus on her studies. While the three waited in the foyer, Aurora was playing a small hand game with Kazem to pass time.

Ku frowned and nudged the princess' arm. "Stop that," she hissed.

"I am so bored, Ku-Ilm. Why do we have to wait here to greet everyone?"

"Because I said so."

Xena walked into the foyer with Gabrielle and they both smiled at the two children dressed in matching black robes and pants. Gabrielle came by and brushed her hand over Aurora's hair and greeted Kazem with a slow head nod.

Xena took off her leather gloves and slapped them against her palm. "Is Arielle still in Armenia?"

"She and Bayan will be returning in a few days," Ku informed her.

"Did these two _behave_?" Xena glared at the children who dared not look at her.

Ku peered down specifically at Aurora and pursed her lips. Aurora side-eyed Ku and hoped that her behavior wasn't going to be revealed. She thought she had been punished enough over the last month being locked away in her room. Nervously, she twiddled her fingers behind her back and gnawed at her lips.

"They left the palace several times without permission," Ku spat venomously and Aurora gasped at her being ousted. "I have kept them inside for the last month."

Xena raised her eyebrow and titled the children's chins and they both gawked at her fearfully. "Your parents are going to be very disappointed when they hear about this."

"But grandma khanum!" Aurora pleaded. "We didn't do anything else, I swear."

Kazem bobbed his head in agreement. "Honest, we studied really hard."

"Uh huh," Xena stepped away and walked off. "I'm not going to punish you. I'll leave that to Arielle."

Aurora slapped a hand on her cheek. "Oh no…" she uttered in dismay.

Gabrielle couldn't help herself from smiling. She knew those two were going to get in some sort of trouble while everyone was away. She did sympathize for them for when Arielle and Bayan returned from war. Arielle was unreasonable lately and her temper often got the best of her so Gabrielle expected there to be a harsh punishment for the children.

She took Ku-Ilm aside and spoke softly, "we need to talk to Arielle as soon as she returns. We were able to talk to Khan Kubrat. Tell her that…he has an offer to join the empire."

Ku frowned. "What kind of offer?"

"Just tell her to come see us immediately," Gabrielle briefly smiled and sauntered away.

* * *

Earlier than expected, Arielle and Bayan arrived two days before they initially thought. After a quick bath, Arielle was met with a problem she had no desire to deal with. The only thing that she liked about having Bayan close to her was that she didn't have to parent their daughter alone. While she left her daughter and Kazem to be scolded by Bayan, she joined her two mentors in the conference chamber.

She sat down with her legs folded on the sofa and coiled her damp hair into a loose braid and stared at the women who sat opposite her on another low sofa. She flicked her wrist at the guards standing by the doors to disperse.

Once it was just the three of them in the room plus Kuba who stood by her side, she allowed the discussion to begin but she wanted to be the first to relay the news she brought from Armenia and Persia.

"The Byzantines were pushed out by Bayan and that's the _only_ reason I left," she began and watched her two mentors nod their heads. "I sent a letter to my parents. I would've gone to see them but I wanted to return to Scythia because I wanted to discuss something with you two."

"So do we," Gabrielle interrupted.

"Can I go first?"

"No."

Arielle scraped her nails together and grimaced. "This better be more important than my news, Gabrielle."

"I _promise_ you it is," she took in a breath. "We met with Khan Kubrat. He is in fact allies with Justinian and he has over one hundred thousand soldiers."

Xena crossed her arms and sat back. She could see Arielle was unimpressed so far. This was either going to go one of two ways. Either Arielle was going to throw a massive tantrum or she was going to agree to Kubrat's proposal. Lately, Xena couldn't judge her granddaughter's actions just from the way she looked. Arielle was a swinging pendulum.

"He wants to merge tribes by marrying you," Gabrielle finished off.

Arielle answered with a muffled laugh and then she slapped her palms on her knees, laughing loudly. She wrapped an arm over her aching stomach and slowly the laughter dissipated and faded away. Her smile was still present on her face, chuckling at the absurdity of the conversation.

"Marry me? He wants to marry someone he has never seen?" she said in between snorts and short laughs.

Miffed by the reaction, Gabrielle continued, "he was given orders to attack us but he will forgo the deal with Justinian if he marries you."

Chuckling, the Empress smiled and said casually, "I have a line of men waiting to get in my bed apparently."

Xena leaned forward with elbows on her thighs. "This is serious, Arielle."

"_Obviously_, grandma."

"He is willing to come meet you first if you can agree to that," Xena narrowed her eyes, mildly irritated that Arielle wasn't taking this very seriously. "He already has a wife so this would be a political marriage."

Arielle drummed her fingers on her knees. "I would still have to sleep with him," she stated. "God, do I look like some kind of sacrifice to you?" she rose from the sofa.

Xena met her in the middle of the room. "I'm just telling you what he told us. He wants a marriage alliance or he _will_ attack us. He is older than you, Arielle. He is more experienced than you. His tribe is larger than ours in Pannonia and he has Justinian supplying him with endless supplies and men. Take your pick."

"I have to decide right this second?"

Xena clenched her fist, "did I _say_ that?"

"_Kafayı üşüttü," _she cursed. Her grandmother's hand came to pinch her cheeks together and tilt her face upward.

"I have been very patient with you, Arielle but you cannot speak to me like that. I don't think you would speak to your father like that, would you?"

Arielle brought her eyebrows together and her cheeks were released of their hold. She rubbed her face and glared over at Gabrielle who was sitting in silence, allowing this to ensue.

With a dubious smile she said, "I suppose you want an _apology_."

Xena swiped her tongue across her teeth and sighed. "It would be nice but I'm not going to pry it out of you. I need an answer soon so we can inform Khan Kubrat. I advise that you weigh the pros and cons of this arrangement for _everybody_. You have thousands upon thousands of people under your belt."

Arielle replied through clenched teeth, "fine. Can I tell you both _my_ news now?"

Xena sat back down and crossed a leg over her knee. She motioned for Gabrielle to continue the conversation with the incensed empress. She had nothing else to say and if it were up to her, she would've left this chamber already.

Steaming from the brief conflict, Arielle took her seat and sat on her crossed ankles, breathing steadily after her temper simmered. She cleared her throat and smiled at the two, a bit calmer than she was minutes earlier. Gabrielle waited patiently with her journal on her lap, ready to write. Luckily, she didn't record the argument between Xena and Arielle.

"I talked it over with Bayan and we've come to a decision," she said, holding her breath, "I received a letter from Farah. The new Adames are nearly finished being built in western Pannonia. I would like to move back to Pannonia."

Gabrielle's quill halted on the parchment. "Move back?"

The Empress nodded. "Each Adame will hold each family. There will be room for everyone. Bayan has offered to stay in Scythia. I would like the capital of the empire to remain where it started."

"Are you sure you want to do that?"

"I have been in Scythia for two years but I don't think it should be the capital of our empire. Pannonia has been and _always_ will be the heartland. We need to be united as one to show that our empire isn't fractured."

Gabrielle kept writing. "What about your parents?"

"My father can keep his kingdom. My mother is married to him so she will stay in Balaam."

"And Bayan…will stay here?"

"Yes? What's with all the questions?" Arielle grumpily asked. "This is what I want. I thought you two would be overjoyed. We get to live altogether as a family again."

"It's very sudden," Gabrielle said, surprised. "You didn't tell us that you wanted to move back to Pannonia."

"Well, I am telling you now." Arielle got off the sofa and smoothed down the wrinkles of her sleeves. "I'm not going to allow Justinian or anyone else, to take Pannonia from us again."

* * *

She skipped dinner that evening and went straight to her quarters. Her body was ready to give in to the exhaustion but her mind was alert and wide awake. Her eyes stung from being awake for so long. She couldn't remember the last time she had adequate sleep. The sleep deprivation began to cloud her thinking.

Arielle rubbed her tired eyes and stood at the end of her bed. She desperately wanted to climb in and stay locked away for days but she couldn't. She was mentally and physically drained. Above her headboard she kept the bow Xerxes gave her as a sweet reminder that he'd always be with her.

The day her father gave her the letter she couldn't breathe. She thought it was a cruel joke but it wasn't. The Sassanians were always snakes and they loved to keep to themselves. Xerxes was a ticking time bomb. Bayan was right. It was only a matter of time before Xerxes was disposed of.

She hated that Shehzade Kawus was alive. She often thought of Nousha and wondered how she was faring after her son's death. Arielle did not like that woman but Nousha was Xerxes' mother and it was obvious that she loved him very much.

Her eyes focused on the bow and a deep frown formed on her lips. The anger of his passing had long left but now that she found out that someone else wanted her hand, she didn't know how to feel. She was essentially sacrificing herself for her people. She had so many questions. Is this what it's like to be a ruler over an empire: to sacrifice yourself?

Arielle climbed onto the bed and ripped the bow off the wall. She padded over to the fireplace and gripped the wooden metal bow tightly with her eyes fixated on the roaring flames.

Xena opened the door with a sly maneuver of her elbow and carried a tray of food. She looked around the room in search of Arielle. She set the tray down when she noticed Arielle hovering by the fireplace holding Xerxes' gifted bow.

"Arielle?" she came to her side and grabbed the bow. "What are you doing?" she asked, her eyes darted to the fire and then set a hand on Arielle's shoulder. "Come sit down."

Arielle slowly turned from the fireplace and sat down on a large pillow and relinquished the bow. The tray of food was set on the rug and Xena gently put the bow on the bed before joining her on the floor. Arielle sniveled and wiped the tears beneath her eyes.

"I brought you some food. You didn't eat with us," Xena pushed the tray across the rug.

"I'm not hungry."

Xena half smiled and made a plate anyway. She set the plate of food in front of Arielle's crossed legs and handed over a spoon.

"You are exhausted, Arielle. You need to eat something."

With a heavy sigh she snatched the spoon and pushed the food around. She took a few bites of the food only to appease her grandmother. She couldn't handle the piercing stare and knew she was going to be pestered if she didn't at least _try_ to eat.

"I know you loved Xerxes very much," Xena spoke quietly. "He was the only Persian I ever liked."

Arielle smirked and kept eating the rice. She said she wasn't hungry earlier but her body said otherwise. She was halfway through eating the entire plate and drank almond sherbet to quench her thirst. After she downed the tall glass and exhaled, she decided she needed more of it.

She smiled at her grandmother's warm expression across the way. She reached for the pitcher of sherbet and Xena poured some of the sweet drink into the glass. Arielle brushed her long hair behind her shoulders and drank half the glass in a matter of seconds.

"Your mother married your father to save our people," Xena said and Arielle took a long pause. "I know you've heard this many times but they didn't love each other at all. I wish I was there to help your mother."

Arielle bit into a pepper and lifted her gaze. "I have horrible luck with men."

"Me too," Xena stifled a laugh which brought a smile to Arielle's lips.

"First Bayan cheats on me and then Xerxes gets killed. Now I am going to blindly marry this _Khan_…" she mocked the idea of it all. "Why can't I have a marriage like Cera's or Csaba's? Mirac is like a saint and Farah loves Csaba to death. Even Soran and Pamira have a good relationship and I was the one who married them!"

Xena snorted. "No marriage is perfect, Arielle."

"And mother had two great husbands!" she spat bitterly. "Ellac treated me like his own daughter and my father…well," she fluttered her eyelashes, "he would do _anything_ for me and my mother."

"Oh I _know_…" Xena murmured.

"Hell, even Yeter is happy with Oran!" She tapped the spoon on the edge of the plate. "Am I cursed or something?"

The question caused the khanum to laugh. She covered her mouth and rubbed her lips together to halt her laughter. Arielle didn't find the question to be very amusing and so she sent a glare towards her giggling grandmother.

"That's taking it a bit too far, don't you think?" Xena kept the smirk despite her granddaughter's soured expression. "You aren't cursed, Arielle."

"Sure feels like I am," she said just above a whisper. "What does…Kubrat look like? You said he is _older_ than me. Please tell me he isn't my father's age."

Xena chuckled again. "He's about Csaba's age but I didn't ask. I'm just guessing," she could tell Arielle was curious. "He has tattoos."

"Really?" that piqued her interest as her body was almost entirely inked.

"And this disgusting piercing in his nose," she stuck her tongue out. "He's very tall, well built," she wriggled her eyebrows and Arielle blushed. "From what I saw, he treats his _wife_ very well. His wife is a very…_interesting_ woman."

Arielle frowned at the mention of the Khan's wife.

"Do you have a _problem_ with him having another wife?" asked Xena, knowing that was a very sensitive subject.

"I…I don't know. I don't know Kubrat nor do I love him so I guess it doesn't matter."

"It _matters_ to you. It's alright to feel uncomfortable, Arielle. As you know, Ebnedzar had two wives and Attila had _several_," she grumbled with an added eye roll.

"But Ursula and Handan were good friends. They got along just fine."

Xena reached over and caressed her granddaughter's cheek. "You can judge for yourself when you meet with Kubrat. Nothing is set in stone. I want you to know that I love you very much and I think you're a great ruler."

Tears brimmed in her eyes and Arielle cast a soft smile. "That means a lot to me," she kissed the hand on her cheek. "I apologize for what I said earlier. I'm just so…tired and that was a lot thrown at me."

"I've always been hard on you that sometimes I forget to commend you for all you've accomplished."

Arielle covered her mouth as she let out an audible yawn. She felt herself fading slowly. It was about time, she thought.

"Come, I'll help you to your bed," Xena stood up and grabbed Arielle's hand, hoisting her off the floor.

Being tucked into bed like a child was just what she needed right now. Her body relaxed into the soft bed and she sprawled her arms out onto the pillows and let out a satisfactory sigh. She opened her eyes and Xena sat on the edge of the bed, smiling.

"So, Pannonia? Where did that come from?"

"I decided it's time to go home," Arielle traced her fingers along the silk sheets. "Besides, I think this palace is cursed."


	46. Chapter 46

**Thank you for reading and stay safe!**

Chapter 46 –_Kings and Queens_

Over the last year Farah commissioned two more Adames to be built across the state of Pannonia. She traveled around the state to make sure all of the construction was completed in a timely manner. The home for her family was further north and had just been finished in the last few months so everyone was allowed to move in.

The next Adame was scheduled to be completed by the end of winter but Farah urged the workers to finish quickly as soon as she received word from Arielle. The Adame was livable if nobody minded listening to hammering early in the morning until sundown.

Rain halted most of the work for the last couple of weeks and Farah fell ill a month prior. She hid the illness very well from her family but when she collapsed onto the field, Csaba was alerted immediately and she was taken back to their Adame. Laid up in bed almost two weeks, Farah grew tiresome of staring at the rain.

Csaba came in the bedroom to greet his wife and Farah sat up, eager to see him. He rushed to the bedside and kissed her hand.

“How are you feeling today? Better?” he titled her chin, examining her hollow cheeks. “Have you eaten today? Should I ask the servants to bring you something?”

Farah cast a worn smile. “I’m alright, Csaba. I would like to get out of bed.”

He frowned. “No, you will stay here until you’re well again.”

It was of no use to argue with him. She tried to leave the room twice and as soon as Csaba found out of her sly escape she was forced back into the bedroom. She wouldn’t be surprised if he decided to lock the doors but he did post guards outside to make sure she wouldn’t leave without notifying him first.

“Arielle will be arriving soon. The rain has slowed them down. I received a message that they’ve set up camp on the border. Hopefully the rain will let up and they’ll be here in a few days.”

Farah could see how excited he was to see the other half of his family. He’d been separated from Arielle for more than a year and hadn’t seen anyone since his mother’s wedding. Farah was grateful that wouldn’t have to share her home with Arielle or anyone else. She enjoyed the quiet of the Adame but occasionally she would go to see Ernak’s family.

“Csaba,” she gripped his hand, “I am going insane. I don’t know how much longer I can stay in this room.”

“I know you’re dying to get out of bed but you worked yourself too hard. You’ve been outside every single day overseeing the Adame’s construction,” he kissed her forehead. “You will stay here.”

“But Csaba!” she pulled his arm for him to stay by her side. “The physician cleared me. I’m fine.”

He wrinkled his eyebrows. “Why wasn’t I told this?”

A ball of nerves formed in the pit of her stomach and she swallowed. “I told her not to tell you.”

Csaba raised his eyebrow. “Why would you do that?”

“Because…I wanted to tell you myself,” a smile crept up on her lips, “the...midwife told me I am in perfect health.”

With wide eyes, Csaba snatched his hand away and abruptly stood. Slowly, he backed away from the bed and stared in horror at the nervous smile on his wife’s face. He felt his heart race and a lump formed in the center of his chest.

“_Midwife_?” he croaked.

Farah nodded. So far, she didn’t like his reaction. He hadn’t said anything and it was like he was staring right through her. She pushed the blankets off and rose from the bed, coming close to her husband. Nervously, she looked into his eyes with a smile.

Csaba clenched his jaw as her hand grazed his cheek.

“Won’t you say anything?” she asked.

He grabbed her hand and took a step away; his eyes darkened and deeply frowned.

“How?”

She stifled a laugh. “Do I have to spell it out for you?” she wrapped a hand on the nape of his neck.

“I thought you were taking the serum,” he said flatly.

Taken aback by his tone, she tapered her eyes and responded, “I must have missed a dose.” Her hand slid off his neck. “Are you _mad_ at me?”

Csaba’s eyes traveled to his wife’s still flat abdomen and pursed his mouth. He darted for the door and Farah ran after him. They met in the hallway upstairs and Farah watched him briskly walk down the staircase.

“Csaba! Aren’t we going to talk about this?” she ran down the hall and stood at the top of the stairs. “_Csaba_!” she screeched.

* * *

Edemen prowled the halls after he finished his studies with his tutors. He didn’t care for schoolwork but his mother was always breathing down his neck to study as much as possible. He wanted to be in the field training with weapons instead of reading endless amounts of mathematics from Persia.

He sometimes envied his brothers who had more freedom than he did. They played games all day and only studied twice a week. Edemen was grateful that his mother was not able to follow him everywhere lately since she was preoccupied with the construction.

He walked up the stairs and greeted the maids with a smile. He waved his hand to the guards to open the doors to his mother’s bedroom to pay her a visit. Upon entering his smile faded at the sight of his mother sobbing in bed.

“Mother?”

Farah rose from the pillows and wiped her cheeks and gaped at her young teenage son. “Edemen,” she held out her hand.

He rushed over and took her hand. “Mother, why are you crying?” he sat and brushed the tears away with his thumb. “Who made you cry? Tell me so I can put them in their place.”

She wiped her nose and smiled. “That’s…very sweet of you but I’m alright.”

Edemen stood. “You are not. You’re very upset. Who caused it? Was it my brothers?”

She shook her head. “Ede…”

“Did father say something to you?” he pestered her and Farah turned a cheek. “So, _father_ is the cause of your sadness.” He nodded his head, contemplating his next move. He then scurried out of the room.

Farah gasped and ran to chase her son. “Edemen!” she was out breath by the time she trailed halfway down the stairs. “Where are you going? Edemen!” she gripped the rail and put a hand over her heaving chest.

* * *

Csaba sat in his office going over a new map of Pannonia. He placed a few markers on where the Lombards were located in Banat. Sipping the wine, he made a few notes. He was anxious for Arielle to arrive because he knew she was bringing half the Avar army. He had several plans for the rest of the season and wanted his sister’s opinion.

Eksama was a great commander but there was nothing to be done here since King Alduin was lurking in Banat. He wanted Alduin to make a move so badly but for now, Eksama was stationed on the borders, anticipating an attack. It had been a long year for everybody.

He had a mouthful of wine and jumped at the doors swinging open. He raised his eyebrows at his eldest son charging inside. Swallowing the wine, he swung his boots off the desk and laced his hands together.

“Edemen? Something the matter?”

The prince grimaced and turned around. “Leave us,” he instructed the guards.

Csaba raised an eyebrow and the soldiers refused to move. He gave a terse nod to his men and they left the chamber. Clearing his throat, Csaba walked around to the front of the desk and folded his arms, staring at his son.

“What’s on your mind?”

“Mother is crying because of _you_,” Edemen plainly said.

Csaba groaned and hung his head, scratching his brow.

“What did you say to her?”

“Edemen, this is between me and your mother.” Csaba nudged his head to the doors, “you can go now.”

The prince crossed his arms and challenged his father to a staring contest to which Csaba broke with a smirk.

“I said _leave_,” he pointed to the doors. “Edemen, you are a child. I don’t need to explain _my_ business with your mother to you.”

“I am not a _child_. I am thirteen.” He dangerously approached the desk. “I’m not going to allow anyone to make my mother sad, father. I’m going to take her to Ernak’s Adame if you won’t apologize to her.”

Csaba’s eyebrows lifted. “Oh really?”

“Yes!” he spat and then cowered at Csaba’s menacing scowl, “your highness,” he added softly.

* * *

The rain slowed to a sprinkle and Arielle led everyone into Pannonia. They traveled two days crossing the border into her homeland. Everyone in the tribe, Huns and Gepids alike, were gathered around to greet them with smiles and waves. Arielle for once, smiled sincerely at the people. She didn’t think that they would be happy to see her but she figured Ernak straightened them out after the Eksama incident.

That felt like a lifetime ago. Arielle steered her horse carefully through the crowd to meet her immediate family at the largest Adame which now housed Ernak’s family. Aurora sat in front of her on the saddle and waved excitedly at all her cousins.

Ernak stepped forward with Csaba to say their greetings. Csaba helped the small princess off and she ran to see her cousins, completely ignoring him. He grabbed Arielle’s hand and aided her off the horse even though she didn’t need help.

“Arielle,” he held her cheeks in his palms, “_benim güzel kardeşim,” _he kissed each of her cheeks several times. “I’m very happy that you’re here at last.”

“Me too. If you don’t mind I’d like to look at the new Adame.”

Csaba’s mind drifted to Farah for a moment. “Of course. Be my guest,” he pointed to the unfinished Adame across the field. “It’s almost finished but you’re able to live in it comfortably. There needs to be a few more repairs.”

She smiled and then mounted her horse again, nodding to everyone then trotted off by herself. Xena and Gabrielle walked through the sea of people, horses in hand.

Xena stood before Csaba and he kissed her hand and pressed her hand to his forehead. He then stepped over to Gabrielle and kissed her hand and both her cheeks.

“Welcome back to Pannonia!” he said loudly. “I know it’s been a long journey for everyone. I’m sure you’d all like to rest for awhile.”

“That would be nice,” said Xena. “All of our clothes are drenched. I’m guessing the new Adame isn’t furnished.”

“Farah made sure that there are beds in every room but other than that it’s pretty bare,” he said uneasily.

Gabrielle looked around. “Where is Farah?”

He shifted his weight and glanced over at Edemen who was eavesdropping. “She’s very tired from overseeing the construction. She’s resting in her room.” He offered to take their horses and walk them to their new home. “Ernak is throwing a party tomorrow for everyone at his Adame.”

“A party in the middle of a war. That is so unlike Ernak,” sarcasm dripped off Xena’s tongue.

Gabrielle hooked arms with her spouse. “It’ll be fun!”

“Yeah, yeah. You say that every time.” She mumbled. “There are baths in the Adame, right?”

Csaba chuckled. “Farah designed the place. Of course there are baths.”

* * *

The next morning Edemen slipped out of his room undetected. He made sure to wake up before anybody else in the quiet household. He dressed quickly and closed his door as quietly as possible and then walked down the hall and across the entire second floor to where his parents’ bedroom was.

He peeked inside and saw Farah sleeping soundly though he knew that sleep didn’t come easily last night. He could hear his mother weeping from across the hall up until sunrise. Meanwhile, his father wasn’t around and not in his bedroom either.

Edemen didn’t have time to check all this rooms in the Adame so he left before he was caught. The only people awake in the tribe were shepherds and he kept his head down so they wouldn’t call out to him. Without thinking, he darted across the entire tribe to Arielle’s home. He figured they’d be awake since workers were already hammering away on the roof.

He walked in as soon as the doors were opened for him. Several of the maids were definitely not from Pannonia judging by their clothes and facial features. Nonetheless, he was greeted properly and the women continued decorating the place.

Aurora and Kazem came running towards him still dressed in their bed clothes.

“Edemen, Edemen!” the princess cheered. “You’re here!” she wrapped a silk scarf around his waist. “Are you coming to the party tonight?”

“Um, yes,” he eyed the little boy. “Who is this?”

“Oh, this is Kazem from the Hinukh tribe in Scythia. He’s my friend.” She hung her arm over Kazem’s shoulder. “This is my cousin, Prince Edemen.” She whispered in his ear.

Kazem gave a brief bow. “Aurora told me she has lots of cousins.”

Edemen smiled. “I think you’ll have no problem fitting in, Kazem. You two are up early,” he took the scarf and twirled it around Aurora’s head. “Are grandma khanum and Gabrielle awake yet? I need to talk to them.”

“I think so,” Aurora tapped her cheek pensively. “Do you want me to show you the room?”

“I think I can find it by myself.” He had his eyes set on the grand staircase ahead.

“Make sure you are _really_ quiet,” Aurora whispered. “My mom is sleeping.” she pointed above her head to the second floor.

Edemen raised an eyebrow. How could his aunt be sleeping through all of this noise?

* * *

As if one bath wasn’t enough last night, Xena soaked in the pool in the morning as well. Gabrielle was barely awake and struggled to get out of bed. Her head was pounding from the workers on top of the roof. She tried to ignore it but it was impossible.

Food was brought to the room and she sat on the floor, picking at the fruit and dabbed the warm bread in the eggs. She sighed in relief when the hammering stopped for a few moments but when it started up again she groaned.

“Xena, are you going to come out of there or what?” she called from the bedroom.

“I could stay in here for days.”

Gabrielle hummed and kept eating quietly. She wiped her hands and then went to the chest at the end of the bed and rummaged through it. She tossed her blouses and pants onto the floor and stuck her head deep into the chest and cursed under her breath.

“Where are our dresses?” she yelled and pulled out a long black and gold robe which belonged to her spouse. “Xena, did you forget to pack them?” she sat back on her heels. “Hello? Are you listening?”

Xena let out a dramatic sigh from inside the bath chamber. “Do you ever stop talking? You’re ruining my peaceful morning.”

“_Peaceful_ morning?” she muttered. How could anyone enjoy a morning of incessant hammering? “Alright, you didn’t pack the dresses, did you? I can’t find them anywhere! We’re supposed to go to the party tonight and I am not wearing pants.”

“Nobody said you _had_ to wear pants,” Xena snickered.

Gabrielle rolled her eyes and gave up on looking for the missing dresses. Either Xena forgot to pack them on purpose or she was hiding them. That had to be it, thought Gabrielle. Or perhaps there was another chest of clothes that hadn’t been brought to their room. Either way, Gabrielle didn’t want to worsen her headache over the matter anymore.

She jumped at the loud rap at the door. “Come in.”

Edemen opened the door and Gabrielle’s face lit up at his presence. He came into the room and kissed her hand gingerly just as Csaba did yesterday. She had to look up to him now. It was so strange to see him taller than her and looking more and more like a blend of his parents.

“Good morning,” he politely said.

“Morning!” she sat back down on the floor. “Eat with me, please.”

Edemen sat with her and looked around the empty room. “Where’s grandma khanum?”

“She’s still in the bath,” she said, annoyed. “I didn’t expect to see you until tonight. How are you? Your brothers? Your mother? Are they doing alright?”

“That’s why I came here,” he kept tearing the bread into bits and pieces. “It’s about my mother.” He hesitated and further added, “she’s been in her room for weeks because she was sick but…”

“But?”

“She’s been crying nonstop!” he tossed the bread on the tray. “I think my father upset her somehow,” he burrowed his fingers in his lap and grimaced. “They haven’t spoken in days. I don’t like to see her so upset. I don’t know what to do.”

Conflict followed them wherever they went so it seemed. Gabrielle bit a small piece of the warm bread and tapped her fingers on the table, staring at the prince’s intense green eyes.

“Um…what do you expect _me_ to do? Your parents have a right to their privacy.”

“I was hoping you…could punch him in the face or something?”

She choked and Xena walked in, towel drying her hair. “Punch who in the face?” she asked.

Edemen jumped to his feet. “My father.”

Xena paused at grabbing the comb. “That’s an odd request,” amused, she sat down and combed the knots in her hair tediously.

“My mother’s been crying for days and he hasn’t talked to her either,” Edemen relayed.

Xena turned with a furrowed brow. She had a hard time believing that Csaba could ever do that to Farah. They’d been married for a long time now and those two were inseparable from the day they met. Hearing this was unsettling but she refused to believe her grandson could treat his wife as poorly as Edemen described.

“I will talk to him.”

Edemen nodded. “I guess I’ll see you both tonight.” He turned to leave.

“Hey,” Xena set the comb in her lap. “Aren’t you going to give me a hug?” she smiled.

He sighed and stepped over the large floor pillows and gave her an awkward side hug. Xena squeezed him until he could barely breathe and then she pinched his arm to which he winced. Edemen pulled back before he was to be smothered by Xena and darted to the exit.

Gabrielle snorted. “He’s such a sweet boy and very protective of his mother.”

“Many girls are going to fawn over him in a few years,” she tugged at the knots at the ends of her hair. She then moved to the floor and waved the comb in Gabrielle’s face. “Can you…?”

Without hesitating, Gabrielle took the comb and gently worked her way through the knots in her wife’s wet hair. “Xena…what did you do with our dresses?”

Xena picked at the fruit and hid a devious smile. “I’m sure they’re around here _somewhere_.”

“If you left them in Scythia I swear…”

“I didn’t!”

Gabrielle huffed. “I’ll have to look through the other chests.” She continued to rake the comb through the mass of hair, “sending me on a scavenger hunt,” she mumbled. “I think you need a haircut.”

Xena protectively grabbed her hair. “I do not.”

She knew that Xena didn’t do much to her hair but she’d been neglecting it for awhile. It was going to take a long time to work through these knots and she was tired of doing this every single week after Xena washed her hair. Normally, this wasn’t a terribly long process but now that Xena’s hair was well passed her hips, it was increasingly becoming more difficult to care for it.

She’d have to convince Xena to cut her hair or she’ll end up with hair down to her ankles like Anastasia’s. And then she was going to be stuck with painful evenings combing out the knots.

“Should I send word to Khan Kubrat to come to Pannonia? His tribe isn’t that far from here.”

Xena licked her fingers. “Probably. Csaba isn’t going to be happy when he finds out his little sister is going to marry someone.”

“He thinks every single man is sent from hell when it concerns Arielle,” she laughed. “If it were up to him, she’d still be a virgin.”

Xena winced at the hard tug on her hair and cursed. “Gabrielle, must you have hands of steel?”

“I’m sorry but you really need to take better care of your hair!”

“That’s what I have _you_ for,” Xena looked over her shoulder, sending a charming smile her wife’s way.

* * *

Farah stood in front of the mirror after putting on a sparkly black and gold dress for tonight’s party. She adjusted the long sleeves and shifted the collar around her breasts. Her hands traveled down to her abdomen. She pressed her palms on her stomach and felt tears stinging her dry eyes.

Of all people, she never thought that Csaba would react the way that he did. He hadn’t spoken to her in days and she made no attempt to spark conversation either. Csaba appeared in the mirror’s reflection and her breath hitched.

She spun around and her hands slid off her flat stomach.

He lingered in the doorway, admiring the dress perfectly painted on her svelte figure. “You look beautiful as always,” he said and Farah looked down at herself, “are you ready to go?”

“Csaba, please,” she tread across the room. “I want to talk to you.” she rubbed his arm. “Why are you treating me this way? What is my fault?”

He tried to be as gentle as possible and put space between them. “Shall we go to the party now? Everyone is waiting for us.”

Farah crossed her arms over her breasts. “I’m not going anywhere until we talk about this.”

He sighed. “I’m going to the party. You can stay here if you want.” He grabbed the door handle and slowly began closing the door.

“Do you love me?”

Csaba wore a faint smile. “What kind of question is that? Of course I love you.” he waited to see if she was going to change her mind but Farah sat on the bed. “Make sure you eat something.”

* * *

It wasn’t easy but after searching for hours, Gabrielle found the _missing_ dresses in a chest located in the women’s quarters. She knew her wife was behind this. It was the only explanation for the smugness on Xena’s face. Due the little hunt she had to go through, Gabrielle forced her wife to wear a dress for the millionth time.

They set foot in Ernak’s Adame and everyone was dressed in their finest clothes. Wine was the first thing that Xena acquired. She snatched two glasses from a tray and passed one over to Gabrielle. The temptation to soil the green gown was great.

“You look _wonderful_,” Gabrielle whispered, snickering under her breath.

“No thanks to you,” Xena said through a tight smile.

“I bet you’ll think twice before you try to pull a fast one on me again,” Gabrielle smiled at the children who passed by. “I might even cut your hair while you’re sleeping.”

Xena gasped. “You wouldn’t.”

“Just a small joke,” she pressed her forefinger and thumb together. “I sent a messenger to Kubrat.”

“Smooth, Gabrielle.”

Aurora ran circles around them with Kazem and Utighur chasing her. Gabrielle pressed her body against Xena, trying to avoid being trampled over by the small energetic children. She yelped as she was being grabbed by Aurora’s hands, evading any attacks from the boys’ wooden swords.

Xena smirked, amused by the game. “Where is _your_ sword, Aurora?”

“Aman stole it!” she screamed and took off running, bumping into several guests. The boys darted after her, waving the swords in the air.

Gabrielle was able to breathe again and then collided into her wife as the twin princes ran right passed them. She put a hand over the glass to prevent it from spilling all over her dress.

“We should probably move…” she suggested, “before we get run over.”

Xena smiled. “A wise choice, Gabrielle.” she took her hand and walked over to a safe spot where benches were lined along the wall. “You should stay here, catch your breath.”

“Ha,” she downed the wine. “Where are you going? Are you leaving me here _alone_?”

“Are you afraid of the children?” Xena teased. “I won’t be long. I’m going to talk to Csaba.”

On the far side of the room, Csaba stood watching the children weaving in and out of the guests. The toddler princesses were in the women’s quarters with servants which allowed Nisa to roam the Adame freely for awhile. He leaned against a wall and held wine that he had yet to drink from.

Lost in thought he didn’t even see his grandmother approaching. He stared at his smallest sons terrorizing Aurora with their swords.

“Where’s your head?”

He flinched at Xena’s voice and half grinned. “Enjoying the party?”

She crossed her arms, holding the glass in one hand. “Where’s your wife?”

“Farah decided to stay home,” he quickly answered.

“Is there something going on with you two? Edemen came to my room today and told me that Farah has been crying for days.”

Csaba growled. “That boy. He can’t keep his nose out of my business.”

“He says that you haven’t talked to Farah in days. Is that true?” she pried.

“Grandma, I don’t want to talk about this, please.”

Xena’s eyebrows lifted into her fringe. “Your son is very concerned about his mother. Whatever is going on between you and Farah is already affecting your children so I suggest that you –“

“Farah’s pregnant,” he blurted out.

“Oh,” she felt more at ease. She thought the situation was more serious. “But I see you aren’t happy about it. Is that why Farah’s been crying? _What_ did you say to her?”

Csaba fearfully glanced over at her. “Nothing. I said nothing.”

“Then why is she crying? You’ve obviously upset her.”

“This is such bad timing and our children are older now. I’m not ready to have _another_ baby. We were really careful and she –“

“Csaba!” she grabbed his jaw and turned his face towards her. “Do _not_ put blame on her. You’re both responsible.” She gave his cheek a hard shove.

He rubbed his jaw and took a step to the side.

Xena clenched her fingers around the wine glass and then gave her grandson a hard slap to the chest. Csaba choked and gasped for air. He dropped the glass and keeled over from the blow. Some eyes turned to them and Xena casually sipped the wine, smiling at the guests.

He regained breath and supported his weight with a hand plastered on the wall.

“I don’t want to hear you say those words again, Csaba.”

He nodded in pain.

“I didn’t hear you.”

“I…” he coughed, “I won’t.”

She pat his shoulder. “Your behavior is very disappointing.”

* * *

Ku-Ilm sat in front of a mirror, braiding her hair. The nightgown she wore slipped off her shoulder when she reached for a few pins to pull the wispy hair from her forehead. She heard Arielle stir in bed and slipped a smile and looked behind to see the sleepy empress roll over onto her stomach. Arielle opened an eye and groaned.

“_Günaydin_,” Ku cooed teasingly.

Arielle rubbed her face and sat up, holding her aching head. “I drank too much wine last night.”

“That you did,” Ku swiveled around and flung the braid behind her shoulder. “It’s been awhile since you’ve had wine.” She came to kneel beside the bed. “I heard that Gabrielle sent a messenger to Khan Kubrat…”

Arielle smirked and pulled her fingers through her hair.

“Are you…really going to marry him?”

“Are you _jealous_, Ku?”

“No!” she denied instantly. “I just want to see…what kind of man he is first.”

Arielle swung her legs over the edge of the bed and pinched Ku’s chin, boring into her honey colored eyes. “Don’t be jealous. There’s _plenty_ of me to go around,” she winked. She walked over to the water basin and splashed some water on her face. “This is just a political marriage. He already has a wife anyway. He’s definitely not going to sleep in the same bed as me!”

Ku frowned and sat on the floor with a palm resting on her cheek. “But he will still live under the same roof as us. What if his wife doesn’t like you? What if she’s mean like Yeter?”

That brought a snarl to Arielle’s lips. “Then I will kick her out.” She wiped her face dry. “This is my home –my land –and I won’t put up with anyone overstepping their boundaries.”

Ku smiled. “Would you like me to iron your hair?”

“That would be wonderful,” Arielle sat down in front of the vanity, combing her locks. “Have someone send for Farah. I want to talk to her about the disbursement of funds throughout the empire. I’d also like her to design the church my mother wanted.”

“A church?”Ku asked, eyes lightening with glee.

“Gabrielle told me Kubrat is a Christian. I should appear tolerant of everyone, shouldn’t I?”

Ku nodded. “Yes, it’s a great idea Arielle but won’t that cause unrest with the tribe?”

“I don’t care,” Arielle shrugged. “I made a promise to myself to complete everything my mother started. Now, go, go! I want to hold a conference with everyone.”

* * *

He could barely sleep after he returned from the party last night. He knew his uncle was probably still asleep due to the amount of wine consumed. Csaba lay in bed all night alone thinking about what was to happen in the next year. He wasn’t ready to be a father again but after he was harshly accosted by his grandmother he thought he could’ve approached the subject better with Farah.

He rolled out of bed and immediately went to the kitchen below to gather food. Hesitantly, he trailed up the stairs with a tray of food and stood outside Farah’s room. Once the guards let him through he stepped inside and Farah was laying in bed with her back turned to him.

Csaba knew she wasn’t truly asleep because she never slept on her stomach. He tiptoed around the bed and Farah jolt forward in bed, surprised to see him. She wiped her nose and tried to smooth out her messy hair.

“I…brought some food,” he set the tray on the bed and sat. “Kefir for your stomach,” he lifted the tall glass. “Are you feeling sick?”

She shook her head and sniffled.

He set a hand on her knee. “I should’ve talked to you instead of ignoring you.”

Farah frowned and forced herself not to shed any more tears for him. She rubbed her cheek and took in a deep breath.

“I was really surprised. I didn’t know what to say,” he explained and could see his wife about to weep again. “The truth is I’m not sure if I want another child right now.”

Farah’s mouth gaped and her throat closed up. “What are you saying?” her chin quivered. She put a shielding hand over her stomach. “Do…you want to get rid of the baby?”

“No, I…Farah, come on,” he held her chin. “Don’t cry. It’s just that I’m not prepared and I…”

“It’s not all about _you_!” she spat and tucked her knees under her chin. “I’m not getting rid of the baby, Csaba.”

“I didn’t ask you to do that.”

“But you don’t want it!” she broke down and wept. “I can’t believe you –you’re acting like this.” She dug her nails into her hair.

This wasn’t going the way that he thought. He wanted to talk things over with his wife but instead he made her cry yet again. Csaba sighed and knew if this got out to any of his family members he was going to be given a verbal beat down and possibly a physical one from his grandmother and his sister.

“Farah, I never said I didn’t want the baby,” he tried to hold her hand and she scooted away. “I’m just telling you how I feel. I’m nervous to be a father again. We have three children already and we’re both very busy. Are you ready to raise another baby?”

Farah exhaled and fanned her face. “Just go.”

“What?”

“Leave! Get out of my room!” she pointed to the door.

“Farah…”

She pushed him off the bed and lay down on her side, glaring at the wall. Incessant knocking at the doors caused Farah to groan and she refused to answer the person on the other side of the door. Csaba looked at his solemn wife and then walked over to open the door.

A Scythian servant bowed her head at Csaba answering the door. “Your highness, Khagana Arielle requests Queen Farah in her Adame.”

* * *

As of now, Xena felt like death. Her body ached in places that she didn’t think were possible. Her head pounded at any minuscule sound. She wanted to strangle everybody this morning. Gabrielle was clinking glasses in the background and tapping a spoon on the rim of the cup over and over again. And again. And again.

She massaged her temples with a circular motion of her fingertips. Groaning, she could barely handle the noises.

“_Must_ you do that?” she griped.

Gabrielle gently placed the spoon aside and walked over to her pained wife and sat down. “I told you, you overdid it last night.” She handed Xena the cup. “Milk and honey.”

“I don’t have a stomachache, Gabrielle. I have a headache.”

“Just drink it.”

“_Günaydin_! _Iyi sabahlar_!” Arielle charged into the room and Xena winced at the obnoxious voice. “Oh, rough night, huh?” she relished in her grandmother’s misery. “You’re not the only one who’s suffering. I too, had my fill of wine last night.”

She sat on the ground and swished her straightened hair around, smiling. Xena kept drinking the milk hoping that this meeting was going to go by quickly. She could barely keep her eyes open and didn’t know how much longer she was going to last. This was the beginning of the day and this is not how she wanted to spend it: in pain.

“I’d like to get this meeting started. We have a lot to talk about before Kubrat arrives.”

Gabrielle smiled, rubbing her spouse’s arm.

“Don’t touch me,” Xena mumbled.

The Scythian maid hurried inside with her gaze to the floor and curtsied in front of everyone.”Khagana, Queen Farah is unable to come.”

Arielle raised an eyebrow. “Did she give a reason why?”

“She did not, Khagana.”

“I haven’t seen that woman since I arrived,” she drummed her fingers on her knees. “Tell her that I really want her here. This is very important.”

The servant nodded and trailed away.

Xena pushed through the headache and called out. “Stop!” she yelled at the maid. “Do not disturb Farah,” she rubbed her head.

“Grandma, I have lots of things that need to be done. Farah can’t stay in her home indefinitely. Get the queen,” she waved her hand at the maid.

“No!” Xena barked and the maid stopped in her tracks again, unsure of who to obey. “_Nobody_ is going…to get Farah…” she moaned and held the side of her throbbing head. “She and Csaba need time to themselves right now.”

Gabrielle offered a suggestion, “why don’t you tell me what needs to be done and I’ll deliver it to Farah?”

“I guess we could do that,” Arielle relented. “But I really want to talk to her in person. Grandma, is there something wrong with Farah that you’re keeping from me?”

Xena licked her dry lips. “It’s their business and I’m not entirely happy with your brother. Let’s put it that way.”

“Is Csaba mistreating her?”

Gabrielle grabbed the empress’ wrist. “Arielle, let’s talk first and then we’ll deal with Csaba.”

* * *

A day later, Khan Kubrat and his family rode into Pannonia. As soon as he received Gabrielle’s letter he immediately set out to greet the Pannonian clan. Upon his arrival most of the tribe gathered around to satisfy their curiosities. Kubrat was anxious to meet everybody as were his children and wife.

He recognized Xena and Gabrielle from their previous encounter. They stood outside the largest Adame in the tribe and there were other people as well. He eyed one of the women who stuck close by to one who thought was the king, one of the kings anyway.

Kubrat bowed in front of the family and Ernak stepped forward, holding out his hand.

“_Hoşgeldiniz_,” he said, shaking the Khan’s hand.

“_Hoşbulduk_,” he glanced around, eyeing the others. There were several children of various ages staring at him and his family.

Ernak introduced all of his children and wife, Nisa. Kubrat shook the hands of the king’s sons and kissed Ernak’s daughters’ hands. He also briefly acknowledged Xena and Gabrielle who were whispering off to the side by themselves.

“Khan, I’m sure you’re very anxious to see Arielle,” said Xena, slyly slipping into the circle. “She’s in her Adame getting ready. If you’d like, I will take you to meet her.”

He smiled and bowed towards her. Xena then escorted him to the Adame with his wife and children trailing behind. Gabrielle was about to follow but Ernak pulled her back by the arm.

“Where the fuck is Csaba?” he whispered.

“I don’t know,” she swiped her bangs off her forehead. “Farah hasn’t seen him in two days.”

Ernak huffed. “I will send some scouts to find him. He should be here.”

“He and Farah aren’t on good terms,” she told him. By his wide eyes, she gathered he was oblivious. “I don’t know why they’re arguing but he probably took off.”

“It’s not like him to do that.”

* * *

This was a political marriage, Arielle kept telling herself that. She was going to marry someone she didn’t even know for her people. She thought about the end goal and couldn’t wait to see Justinian’s face when he was to find out that his greatest ally was to become his greatest enemy.

Aurora and Kazem stood in the foyer ready to greet the khan and his family. They were asked to wear their best clothes and be on their best behavior but Arielle had her doubts that those two could behave properly.

Arielle entered the foyer and the children’s jaws dropped. She wore a floor length black gown with gold trim on the sleeves and collar. She smiled at her daughter and ruffled Kazem’s hair. Nervously, she stood in between the children and flipped the sheer veil over her face.

“You look very lovely,” Ku whispered and squeezed Arielle’s arm.

“_çok güzel_,” Aurora said and held her mother’s hand.

Arielle smiled, gripping her daughter’s hand tightly. A hand rested on her stomach and she felt like she was going to be sick. The first person she saw enter the home was Xena and she held her breath, pressing her palm on her stomach. Kubrat came in right after with his wife and two sons.

Kubrat stood a foot away from Arielle and tried to peer through the veil that concealed her face. He put a hand over his chest and bowed from the waist. He pulled out a small porcelain box from his coat pocket and presented it to her.

“I have a gift for you, khagana,” he said.

Arielle hesitantly with a trembling hand, took the box and opened it. She pulled out a ring lined with emeralds. If only he knew that she didn’t care for jewelry but it was a very thoughtful gift which she accepted graciously.

He took the next step and took the ring from her and slipped it on her finger. “I made this for you.”

“You _made_ it?” she gazed at the ring on her finger and nodded, “_güzel_.”

He smiled and then introduced his family. “This is my wife, Drusilla and my two sons, Bezmer and Kotrag. They were very anxious to meet you.”

Arielle’s hand was kissed by both boys and she pushed her daughter forward. “This is Princess Aurora, my daughter and this is Kazem, son of Tzes Bey.”

“Very nice to meet you, khagana,” Drusilla said with a short curtsey.

They stood in awkward silence for a few moments. Arielle glanced over at her grandmother who gave her a reassuring smile to finally reveal her face. She took in a deep breath and lifted the veil to expose her face. Her eyes fluttered at the many faces around her.

Kubrat’s mouth parted as he gazed into her blue eyes. In awe of her young beauty, he grinned and kissed her hand which made Arielle feel more uneasy. She was able to get a good look at him now that the veil wasn’t obstructing her view. Well he certainly wasn’t ugly like she thought he would be. Her eyes instantly went to the tattoos on his clean shaven head.

“There’s food prepared for everyone. If everyone would follow me please?” she stepped to the side and motioned to the long hallway.

Xena slowly slipped away and Arielle ran after her, grabbing her hand.

“Aren’t you coming to eat with us?” she asked, almost pleading not to be left alone.

“You need to get to know them, Arielle. Don’t be scared. You can do this,” she kissed the empress’ forehead. “You can do it.”

Arielle inhaled and nodded. “Don’t go too far. I might need you.”

“_Where_ would I go?” she jested. “You’ll be fine.”

* * *

In the center of the tribe of all three Adames Gabrielle spoke to a group of Ernak’s elite guard and their eyes traveled behind her. She turned and waved down Xena approaching the field. Shortly, Xena made her way over and the soldiers inclined their heads, lowering their gaze.

“What’s going on out here?” she asked.

“I’m sending these men to look for Csaba. He’s been gone for two days.”

Xena sighed, putting her hands on her hips. “Go to the borders of Dalmatia where Eksama is. Check to see if he’s there,” she ordered the soldiers.

“Yes, khanum,” one of the men answered.

“We should go check on Farah.”

Gabrielle looked at the Adame. “How’s Arielle doing? You’re leaving them alone with her?”

“She’ll be fine. She doesn’t need me there,” Xena admitted with a hint of sadness. She grabbed her wife’s shoulder. “Let’s go see Farah then, shall we?”

Csaba’s Adame was fairly quiet even with the several maids bustling around, carrying baskets of linen and trays of food everywhere. The princes were nowhere to be seen and Xena assumed they were up in their rooms studying or so she hoped they were. A maid rushed down the stairs, carrying a tray of vials and bottles so Xena grabbed her arm.

“Where is Farah?”

The maid motioned her head to the staircase. “In her room, khanum.”

Gabrielle picked up one of the empty vials on the tray and inspected it thoroughly. She tipped the vial over and uncorked the top then took a big whiff of the foul smelling liquid remnants.

“What is this?”

The young maid tried to get away but Xena’s grip tightened. “Queen Farah asked me to prepare a mandrake root tea,” she mumbled.

Gabrielle pushed the maid aside and darted up the stairs with Xena trailing behind her. They ran through the hallway on the second floor and rudely shoved the maids in the hall close to Farah’s room. Gabrielle pushed the doors open and Farah sat up in bed, holding the glass of hot tea in her hand. She held the rim of the glass close to her lips about to take a sip until they barged in.

Gabrielle rushed to the side of the bed and put her hand over the glass. Xena sat on the edge of the bed and took Farah’s hand.

“What are you doing?” asked Xena.

Farah’s chin wobbled and hot tears rolled down her cheeks. The glass of steaming tea was taken from her and set aside on the bed. While she was sobbing with her face buried in her hands, Gabrielle discreetly poured out the tea out the window.

Xena brushed her fingers through Farah’s locks and rubbed her arm. “Farah, did you drink any of that?” she asked and received a silent head wag. “Why did you want to do that?”

The frazzled queen wiped her red eyes and heaved.

“You know that stuff can kill you if you’re not careful.” Xena tried to look into the watery eyes in front of her. “Farah?” she titled the queen’s chin.

“Csaba…he hates me.”

Xena smiled softly. “No, he doesn’t.”

“He doesn’t want the baby and blames me,” she spoke in between spurts of tears and labored breaths. “But I want it.” She put her hands over her flat stomach.

Ernak poked his head in the bedroom and made a sound to draw Gabrielle’s attention. While Xena was comforting Farah, Gabrielle slowly moved away from the bed and met with Ernak who stood in the middle of the doorway.

“I found out where Csaba is,” he whispered.

Gabrielle felt relieved. “Oh thank god, where is he?”

“In Dalmatia with Eksama. The Lombards took control of our port and navy. They’re stealing all of our supplies on the ships.”

“That’s just _great_,” she grunted and pinched the bridge of her nose. “Is he hurt?”

He shrugged. “I don’t think so but Eksama has everything under control. I ordered that Csaba come back here,” he looked into the room at Farah. “What’s going on between them?”

Gabrielle shook her head. “Farah is pregnant and Csaba told her he doesn’t want the child.”

“Ah Csaba,” he rolled his eyes. “I don’t want to get involved in their business but I will talk to him if I have to.”

“Thank you, Ernak,” she gave his arm a firm squeeze. “Do you need Xena’s help at all?”

“No I just wanted to let you know what happened. I’ll keep you updated.” He paddled her shoulder and then hurried down the stairs.

* * *

Farah more or less forced Xena to stay with her all night. Just when she thought she couldn’t cry anymore, the waterworks continued all throughout the night until she finally knocked out a few hours before sunrise. Xena woke to the sun shining in her face and she tried to maneuver her numb arm out from underneath Farah.

She sat up gingerly and moved a pillow under Farah’s body and caressed her cheek. She inched her way off the bed and was able to leave the room without waking up Farah. Sighing in relief she closed the door and pressed her forehead against the wall.

“Morning!”

“God dammit, Gabrielle!” she hissed. “Not so loud. Do you know how long it took for her to fall asleep?”

“And you did such a good job,” Gabrielle pecked her wife’s lips.

Heavy footsteps ascended on the stairs and they both turned to see Csaba, disheveled and worn from the short excursion he went on. He halted at the top of the stairs and received a malicious glare from his grandmother and he felt the need to hide. This was last place he wanted to be right now.

“Look who it is,” Xena folded her arms.

Csaba swallowed and was counting the seconds he had to run. Suddenly, she walked towards him and grabbed him by the collar and slammed him against the wall. The possibility of him running away was void now that he looked into her eyes.

“Your wife almost killed herself yesterday.”

“Wh…what?” his chest tightened. “Is she okay? The baby?”

Xena smirked. “I spent all night comforting your wife. That’s _your_ job, Csaba and instead you went off to help Eksama!” she slammed him against the wall again. “She thinks you hate her.”

“I could never hate her.”

“Then what is your problem?” she spat.

“I’m scared!” he barked.

Xena’s eyebrows lifted and she backed off, releasing his collar. “_Scared_? Csaba you don’t need to be scared. You have your family here with you. You’ve been through this twice.”

“I know, I know but last time we planned it. Well, we didn’t plan on having twins,” he said with a light laugh. “But I wasn’t ready for this. I feel like someone punched me in the gut.”

“That can be arranged.”

Gabrielle rolled her eyes and crossed her arms. “Xena…”

“Relax; I’m not going to punch him,” she arched her eyebrow, “yet.”

Csaba ruffled his hair. “I feel terrible. I will go talk to Farah after I bathe,” he started to disrobe.

“You should probably wait until she wakes up. It took a long time for her to fall asleep,” Xena cupped his cheek and descended down the stairs.

Gabrielle smiled at him and then grabbed her wife’s hand. “Aren’t you going to tell him about Khan Kubrat and Arielle?”

“One woman at a time, Gabrielle,” she dramatically sighed. “I’m looking forward to sleeping in my bed, with you. No interruptions!”

“You _know_ that’s not going to happen.”

Xena pinched the hand she held. “I can dream.”

* * *

Kubrat hardly slept in the new home and was awake most of the night. When morning came around he decided to explore the empty Adame and found Arielle standing on a balcony in the front of the home, overlooking the tribe. He joined her but kept his distance.

She briefly grinned. “Did you sleep well?”

“No,” his response was terse and blunt. “Your family is very hospitable.”

Arielle looked down and gripped the rail of the terrace. “You haven’t met all of my family yet. My parents live in Balaam with my little brother and sister. You also haven’t met my older brother. He’s not going to like you.”

Kubrat furrowed his eyebrows. “Why’s that?”

“Because you’re going to marry me.”

“He will be hard to please I gather.”

Arielle hid her smile.

He ran a hand over his bald head and sighed. “When will we have the wedding?”

“I will have Gabrielle write up the marriage decree. We can sign it together.”

Kubrat turned to her and grabbed her hand. “I know this is a political marriage but I want a traditional ceremony. We will have both of our tribes merge. We will have a large celebration.”

She awkwardly grinned. “Ah, I wasn’t expecting that. I just wanted to sign the decree to finalize the marriage…”

“Let me marry you the right way, Khagana,” he cast a lopsided smile. “We will have a wedding. Drusilla is looking forward to it. She likes you.”

“Oh…how nice,” she slipped her hand away from his. “I’m sorry. It will take me awhile to get used to another woman living in my home…being married to the same man.”

“It is not uncommon in our culture.”

“That doesn’t mean I have to _like_ it,” she said defensively.

Kubrat chuckled.

“Did I say something funny?”

“No, Khagana,” he rubbed his beard. “I have much to learn about you.”

**lol I'm so sorry for all the babies, guys. **


	47. Chapter 47

Chapter 47

Farah sat in her office drawing a print for the Adame that was going to be built in Kazakhstan. Arielle wanted a home for Cera and Mirac's family. Once the prints were completed, Farah would have to pick a group of men to Kazakhstan to build the Adame. She wanted to send someone to oversee the construction but she didn't trust anyone but herself.

While she used the ruler to draw a straight line her concentration was broken by Csaba walking in. She kept her eye on the parchment and tried to ignore him. He came up from behind her and kissed the top of her head and wrapped his arms around her thin waist.

"Csaba, I'm working," she curtly said.

He knelt down beside her and examined her work. "When are you going to forgive me? I've apologized several times."

She ignored him and continued sketching and writing down several notes on a separate notepad. Csaba rubbed his hand on her flat stomach with a smile.

"How are you feeling?" he asked, hoping for a response. "When will we tell the boys?"

"When I want to."

"We're going to have to tell them eventually."

Farah paused and pulled his hand off her stomach and tapered her eyes for a moment. She sketched a straight line and then grabbed a curved protractor for the dome of the drawn Adame.

"I wrote a letter to your mother," she said and Csaba's stomach dropped. "I told her about how you treated me."

Csaba jumped up. "You _what_?" he paced around in circles. "Farah, she will beat me!"

She smiled deviously. "I know you want to talk but I am very busy. Tell the children not to disturb me."

* * *

Arielle smacked her hand on the table, alarming the governor. "Since grandma is in Dalmatia with Eksama, we will deal with the division that is set to spy on Chieftain Mezamir."

"Yes, that's correct," said Gabrielle, scribbling in her journal.

"But first, I'd like to speak to Farah. I want the prints completed as soon as possible," Arielle sat down, smoothing her fingers on her chin. "I want her to go to Kazakhstan to oversee the first few months of construction."

At that, Gabrielle paused and set the quill down. This conversation was bound to happen sooner or later but she didn't think she'd have to talk to Arielle about this alone. So far the only people that knew about Farah's condition were Xena, Ernak and Gabrielle.

"About that," she laced her fingers together, "Farah can't go to Kazakhstan."

The Empress snorted and propped her boots on the table. "Why? Is she pregnant?" she laughed and chewed on her nail.

Gabrielle let out a heavy sigh and her eyes dipped to the floor, finding that far more interesting.

"That was supposed to be a joke!" Arielle slammed her hand down. "Well, that certainly changes my plans. I was really counting on Farah to go to Kazakhstan," she shook her head. "Oh well. I'll put her to use in some other way."

"Spy division," Gabrielle brought the topic back.

"Yes, back to that." She swung her boots off the table. "I want to put Csaba in charge of that. I think he should…" she trailed off when Kubrat entered the room.

He walked across the room and curtly nodded at the governor. He came to his new fiancee's side with a smile and felt a bit awkward since he was interrupting their meeting. He bent over and whispered into Arielle's ear.

"When will we plan the wedding?"

She grinned nervously at Gabrielle who could definitely hear but tried not to listen. She excused herself from the table and grabbed Kubrat's arm and led him off to the side.

"We really don't have to make a big deal about this. We can sign the documents and go on about our lives," she whispered.

Kubrat gruffly grunted. "I want to marry you the proper way, Khagana."

"You don't have to call me that. You can call me Arielle." She gently caressed his arm and felt his muscles twitch. "You still have Justinian's men in your camp?"

He nodded and Arielle turned to leave the conversation and he grabbed her wrist. "I won't call you by your name until I know you better, Khagana. Inform your parents that I wish to have a ceremony here in Pannonia with you."

"You're really not going to let this go, are you?"

Her wrist slipped out of his hand and Arielle sighed, nodding. Satisfied with her blessing, Kubrat exited and she went back to sit down with Gabrielle to continue their meeting. Arielle plopped down with heavy shoulders and tousled her hair.

"Wedding ceremony, huh?" Gabrielle inquired from her devious eavesdropping.

"Let's talk about anything _but_ that."

"He seems to respect you. I'm sure your father will like to see that."

Arielle arched an eyebrow. "Gabrielle, _focus_."

* * *

Over the last week Eksama was able to take back the ships that the Lombards stole along the Dalmatian coast but most of them were badly damaged and needed repair which could take weeks or months. There were minor fires spread on the coast and she was able to keep the Lombards out of the area but the king's wife, Rodelinda, was relentless and refused to leave the coastline.

Xena arrived earlier in the week and watched as the Lombard Queen circled the area like a vulture, waiting to attack again. They were only yards away and Xena kept her eye on the fair skinned woman. She stood underneath a canopy in front of her tent and made sure all of the soldiers cleaned the area.

Eksama ran up the hill from the coast and met with her superior. "Rodelinda isn't going to leave anytime soon."

"She's looking for a fight."

"She has yet to strike. I've been watching her and she gave up the ships without a fight. I don't understand her game," said the commander.

Xena stepped out into the sunlight and glared over at Rodelinda who had been standing outside for hours, simply watching the Hun soldiers clean the rubble and dismantle the damaged ships. Rodelinda hadn't been inside her tent much since the attack. Xena didn't know how these Lombards could stay awake for days on end without overexerting themselves. The Antes were much the same back in Scythia.

"She's waiting for something," her eyes narrowed, "or _someone_."

Eksama crossed her arms over her chest, glaring at the Lombard Queen. "I've scouted the area. There isn't anyone else here aside from our men and the Lombards. What could she be waiting for? That woman hasn't slept in days."

"Not even I could stay awake for that long when I was in your shoes," Xena rubbed her chin, intrigued by the way these people operated. "They have an abundance of energy."

"Nobody can stand to stay awake for days," Eksama snorted. "They're probably taking drugs. Her men ran rabid on the coastline. They acted like animals."

"_Drugs_," the khanum half grinned. "There's an idea."

The afternoon came and went then evening approached. Xena retired to her tent to rest for awhile as nothing important was happening from the opposing side. She informed Eksama to wake her if something happened but just the slight movement of Rodelinda and her men wasn't enough to disturb her.

Eksama made sure that the Lombard camp was under heavy surveillance the entire time and she remained in her tent for the evening, drumming up new battle plans to take back Banat. They'd been at war with them for a little over a year now and she had yet to see Alduin and Rodelinda attack at full force.

Sitting on the floor, writing, one of the soldiers barged into her tent. He informed her that someone arrived in the Lombard camp. Eksama rushed outside and brought a lit torch with her to guide herself through the darkness. She stood at the edge of their camp and saw a figure walking up to Rodelinda. By the shape of the guest, it was a woman.

There were several men accompanying the guest. Off in the distance there was a trail of torches which meant that this wasn't just a casual guest. This was a person who had probably over fifty soldiers she brought with her.

"Go wake Xena," she told the soldier.

Several minutes later Xena waltzed out of her tent and placed her headdress on. She walked towards Eksama, adjusting the veil and tucked her hair underneath the large kozak's brim along her forehead. She put hands on her hips and witnessed the torches ride into the Lombard camp.

"What do we have here?" she asked.

Eksama shook her head. "I don't know but whoever it is brought soldiers and weapons. Rodelinda is going into her tent for the first time in days," she turned to the Lieutenant General, "you were right. She was waiting for someone."

"I'm hardly ever wrong," Xena alleged. "We'll have to wait until morning to see who it is but I already have a guess."

"You do?"

Xena cast a knowing smile towards the commander. "That woman you saw is probably Empress Theodora."

"I never thought Justinian would send his wife to such a dangerous area."

"She's here on a peace mission," Xena assumed. "She's probably paying a visit to all the churches in this area but don't be fooled. She's telling Rodelinda all of Justinian's plans for us. She's done this several times before. Don't be surprised if she tries to come over here to talk."

Eksama stretched her lips into a smile. "And we can't detain her or harm her."

"That's right."

* * *

A little more than a week back in Pannonia, everything moved very quickly concerning the empire's plans to combat three entities at once. Gabrielle was very busy and was able to write several reports and while her wife was away, she knew she was going to have to pry a report out of Xena. Talking to Arielle yesterday was very taxing.

She enjoyed living closer to the family again and she also loved that each family had their separate homes so everyone had their own space and they weren't crowded in one Adame. Early in the morning Gabrielle walked over to Csaba's home to discuss the tasks Arielle assigned. After that she was going to head over to Ernak's to assign his duties as well.

She was welcomed into the home by the twin princes and they guided her to Farah's office. Bright and early, Farah was already hard at work sketching the Nezak Adame and the church Arielle planned to build soon.

Farah set her work aside and joined Gabrielle on the floor. Her uncomfortable face was immediately noticeable and she gingerly sat down with a hand over her stomach. She took in a few deep breaths and folded her legs.

A corner of Gabrielle's mouth quirked up. "You feeling alright?"

Farah rubbed her stomach gently. "I've been sick all last night and this morning but let's get this meeting over with."

Csaba ran into the room to sit on the meeting and kissed his wife's forehead and sat beside her. He wrapped an arm around her shoulder and placed the other free hand on her stomach. "How are you?" he whispered.

She glared at him as if he was to blame for the way that she felt. Csaba awkwardly smiled and retracted his hand off her stomach and forgot that Gabrielle was watching the entire exchange. He waved his hand for her to begin the meeting.

"Arielle wants you to be in charge of the spy division for Chieftain Mezamir. You will be going to the Baltic region for a few months," said Gabrielle.

He was a bit disappointed to hear that. He wanted to be here for Farah especially since he treated her so poorly when he found out about their new child. He was even more nervous that Farah informed his mother about his behavior so maybe leaving for awhile was the best decision for now. He could escape his mother's wrath.

"When will I leave?"

"At the end of the month. She wants you to stay over there for four months at least. There will be a small group coming with you," Gabrielle sensed the tension between the couple. "Is that a problem?"

"No, no. It's fine." He laced his fingers with Farah's. "When is the baby due?" he whispered.

Farah rolled her eyes. "I told you already; the end of spring."

Gabrielle felt like a third wheel sitting in front of them. They looked ready to fight and she wanted no part in witnessing that. She heard that Csaba was able to talk to Farah but by the way they were interacting, there was a lot of unresolved anger on Farah's part.

"I just want to make sure I'll be here in time for the birth," he chided, annoyed by her standoffish behavior. "Anything else you wanted to discuss, Gabrielle?"

"Um, no, that about covers it," she finished writing and closed her journal. "Have you told your sons about the…baby?"

Farah sighed. "Not yet."

"We need to tell them," Csaba reminded her and she shot him a glare. "What? We do. You can't wait forever. You'll start showing in a few months."

"I _know_, Csaba."

Gabrielle raised her hands to halt the argument simmering. "When Xena comes back, we can have dinner altogether and maybe you can tell the boys then?" she offered a solution to which they both agreed to in silence. "You two really shouldn't argue. I hate to see you both like this."

He seemed on board with the suggestion and leaned into his wife. "What do you think, Farah?"

She curtly nodded and he kissed her cheek. Her eyes brightened and she turned towards him, showing a soft smile nestled her head on his shoulder. This was the first time in over a week that she showed affection towards him.

* * *

Eksama waited up later than the army to observe what Rodelinda was up to. That morning she indeed did see Empress Theodora walk out of the tent, smiling and talking to the Lombard Queen. She didn't acknowledge the Huns across the way and boarded her horse to leave with her husband's soldiers.

Xena walked out of her tent, unable to sleep for most of the night. She didn't expect for the camp to be attacked and even if it was, she was prepared to jump out of bed swiftly. She washed her face and then stood by Eksama just in time to see the Byzantine Empress depart.

"Told ya it was her," she nudged the commander's arm.

"It's almost like she wants us to see her. She's flaunting her arrival."

Xena wiped the corners of her lips. "Mhm. That sounds like her."

After Theodora left the campgrounds, Rodelinda hopped onto her horse and rode across the way into the Hun camp. Eksama immediately yelled at the soldiers to arm themselves while Xena stood back, calm and collected, cleaning the dirt out of her nails. Everyone frantically gathered to the edge of the camp and created a wall of soldiers to prevent Rodelinda from entering.

"What do you want?" yelled Eksama.

Rodelinda flicked her long auburn braids behind her shoulder. "I want to talk, that is all," she raised her hands to signal she was unarmed.

Hesitating, Eksama looked at her superior for permission and Xena inclined her head. Eksama allowed her men to create a path for the Lombard woman and Rodelinda galloped into the camp and dismounted the horse. She took long strides across the camp and stood a few feet from the military leaders.

"Did you have fun destroying our ships, your _majesty_?" Xena placated the woman.

Rodelinda smirked. "A sense of humor. That is amusing. You must be the famous commander of Attila."

"I'm no longer a commander but yes," her body language indicated she had no intention of giving in to the queen's ruse. "You said you wanted to talk, so talk."

"You must've seen the Empress in my camp earlier," she raised an eyebrow at Eksama who gave a penetrating glare. "Emperor Justinian wants south Pannonia under his control."

Xena cackled. "Not going to happen."

"We'll see about that. I expect you Huns will put up a fight. We will see who the victor is here," Rodelinda flashed a smile and swiped a finger on her nose and winked at Eksama.

She furiously rode out of the camp without giving the two enough time to respond to her open threat. Eksama closed off the camp with a wall of soldiers. She knew she couldn't trust the Lombard Queen but now she was a bit worried they were going to be attacked in Pannonia. She once attacked the place she called a second home now and she didn't want that to happen again even though she was not fully trusted by her family.

"What a spiteful woman," she thought aloud and spun around to see the smile on Xena's face. "You should go back to the tribe and tell them what to expect."

"You aren't honestly intimidated by this woman?" she scoffed audibly. "She is a child. She is a pawn for Justinian. He doesn't give a shit about her life."

Eksama was a bit amused and shocked by Xena's laid back attitude towards the situation. They were going to be at full on war with these people and Xena thought it was as simple as tossing them aside like mere toys. Rodelinda was a baby compared to the mass amounts of wars, battles and accomplishments Xena had completed throughout her life.

"Wait until Rodelinda leaves and then put soldiers along the borders for security measures," Xena told the commander. "Write down everything that's happened here. It will make Gabrielle's job a lot easier."

Eksama scratched her ear out of habit. "Do you want me to stay here?"

"What do you _think_?" she combated and the commander rolled her eyes then walked off, yelling at the soldiers.

* * *

Since Arielle was waiting on the prints from Farah and for her grandmother to come back home, she was restless sitting in the Adame. Gabrielle suggested that she and Drusilla go to west Pannonia to pick out furniture for the home. Arielle was a bit wary to spend some alone time with her future husband's wife but she couldn't avoid it forever. They'd been living under the same roof for a little over a week now and they hadn't said much to each other.

Drusilla brought her sons with them to pick out furniture and other decorations for the Adame. When they arrived in the western side of the state, the markets were very crowded and Arielle could hardly go anywhere without people recognizing her. She wore a headdress which she regretted because everyone knew who and where she was from.

They stopped at a shop that was covered in elaborate rugs and tapestries. Arielle smiled briefly at the merchant who wouldn't stop bowing his head which made her feel very uncomfortable. She touched several of the rugs to inspect the thread count.

"What about this one?" she asked.

Drusilla felt the rug and nodded. "It is nice. Where would you put this?"

Arielle shrugged a shoulder. "Perhaps in the women's quarters," she tapped the merchant's shoulder. "I want to buy twelve of these," she pointed to the style she desired.

They walked outside the shop to wait for her soldiers to load the heavy rugs onto the cart. Arielle felt she was very intimidating to Kubrat's wife. Drusilla was older than her and bore two sons to Kubrat already. She also didn't have her youth like Arielle and was an average looking woman compared to her as well.

"I, um," she nibbled on her lip, "I know this must be rough for you."

Drusilla smiled, "what do you mean?"

"I will be marrying _your_ husband," she thought that would render some shock but it didn't. "I won't be having sex with him. He's all yours."

Drusilla chuckled and her cheeks radiated in mild embarrassment. "It is not a _marriage_ until it's consummated," she reminded the khagana. "Your highness, I'm not going anywhere. I will always be in your life and whether you like it or not, we're going to have to get used to each other."

Arielle agreed, rubbing her suddenly itchy throat. "I was married once before when I was sixteen. That didn't work out like I had hoped," she admitted painfully, "but we have a daughter and he will be involved in our lives."

"The princess' father has that right."

"That isn't a problem for you?"

Drusilla took the khagana's hand. "Do not think of me as Kubrat's _other_ wife. One day, I hope, we can become friends."

Friends. Arielle didn't think she could be friends with another woman who shared the same man. She didn't know how Kreka dealt with not one but multiple women in Attila's life. She wasn't alive then but she imagined that Kreka didn't like any of the women her husband slept with and married. Women were territorial in her culture but it was common for chieftains or kings to have several wives.

She never once thought that she'd be in the same position as the late khatun. If her father married another woman there was no way her mother would put up with that. But this situation was a bit different because she didn't love Kubrat and probably never would.

"I will try my best."

Drusilla kissed the cheeks of her soon to be other half and Arielle gasped. "I'm looking forward to meeting your mother. Will she make your wedding dress?"

This caused Arielle to laugh. "My mother can't sew to save her life."

"I can make your dress," Drusilla offered. "Since we are here, we can pick fabric that you want," she began to walk away and Arielle reluctantly followed.

* * *

Xena wasn't going to write up a report just as Gabrielle anticipated. Instead, she orally reported everything that occurred in Dalmatia with Gabrielle writing down every detail. Gabrielle also convinced her grumpy wife to have dinner at Csaba's home a day after she returned from her quick mission with Eksama.

On the floor, Xena tapped the wooden spoon on the bowl, hardly hungry at all. She was too tired and irritated to focus on having dinner with her grandson's family. The princes were very talkative and spoke of their recent studies in advanced mathematics and literature which Gabrielle encouraged them to keep talking about.

Farah pushed the food around on her plate but her loss of appetite was very noticeable to Xena, Gabrielle and even Edemen. She took a few bites of the food but drank more tea prepared for her. Liquids were much easier to digest than solids for the time being.

"I want to go home…" Xena mumbled.

Gabrielle traced her fingers down her spouse's back and whispered, "we'll go back soon. Just try to get through this dinner."

"I don't see why we have to be here."

Gabrielle wrapped her fingers around Xena's neck from behind. "Behave yourself. Csaba wanted you to be here."

Once Csaba was able to quiet his two sons down during the dinner, he loudly cleared his throat to grab everyone's attention. He held his wife's hand firmly and felt her sweating. He didn't think that she'd be the nervous one because he was far more nervous than she was or so he thought.

"Me and your mother have something to tell you boys," he said.

Aladar, with a mouthful of rice, spoke up, "are you still sick?" he asked in a muffled voice.

Xena smacked the boy's leg lightly. "Eat first then talk."

Csaba took in a deep breath, "you three will have to help your mother a lot from now on because I'm not going to be here for awhile."

"Where're you going?" asked Aman.

"I have to go somewhere far away. Just for a little bit," he pinched his son's cheek. "I want you two to be on your best behavior. I shouldn't have to remind you, Ede."

The eldest prince smiled, chewing the last bit of his food, very uninterested in his father's supposed news.

Xena groaned, scratching the nape of her neck. "Csaba, can you get on with this?" she begged and Gabrielle shot her a menacing glare. "What? I don't want to stay here forever…"

He squeezed his wife's hand. "Right, so boys, your mother is pregnant and it would mean a lot if you three helped out more," he said.

All three princes fell silent and gawked at their parents. Edemen had his mouth wide open and his little brothers wore similar expressions. Csaba swallowed a lump in his throat, not quite ready for their reactions. Silence wasn't always a good thing but maybe in this case it was. He only hoped it was.

"_Pregnant_?" Edemen uttered.

"Yes, that's right."

Farah nervously smiled, hoping her youngest sons would soon say something. They both had the same faces that Csaba had when she told him the news. This wasn't the reaction she expected from either of them.

Aladar broke into a smile. "I will be a big brother?" he clasped his hands together and Farah nodded, cupping his cheek. "Aman, we'll be big brothers!" he rejoiced with his other half.

Aman scowled and flipped over his plate and jumped to his feet then stalked off. Xena and Gabrielle shared a disturbed look and watched the angry small boy stomp up the stairs and then they heard the door slam.

"I think that tops Arielle's reaction," Xena smoothed her palms down her thighs. "Good luck with that one," she raised the wine glass and finished it off in one large swig.

Once that first tear broke free, the rest followed in a single stream. Farah bent over where she sat on the floor and pressed her palms onto her face. Her breath stuttered as she tried to take deep breaths. Csaba's hand came to rest on her trembling back.

Xena, wide-eyed, stared at the way Farah was reacting to her son's tantrum. Making jokes probably wasn't best suited for this situation but she didn't think that Farah would succumb to a sob fest. She was going to make sure that she was not the one to comfort Farah again but Csaba looked as helpless as a small child.

Her arm stretched over the spread of food and caressed Farah's arm. "There's no need to be so upset. Aman is just surprised. He'll come around and I know your other sons will be very helpful. _Right_, boys?" she encouraged the other princes.

Edemen wiped his mouth and nodded. "We'll be there for you, mother," he said.

Aladar crawled across the rug and sat next to his mother. He wrapped his arm over her back and gently paddled her knee.

"Don't worry mom, I will talk to Aman," he thumbed his chest.

Farah raised herself up and looked at everyone who gave her encouraging smiles. She blotted her cheeks with her fingertips and peered down at Aladar's glowing face. She wrapped a palm over his neatly combed hair and kissed the top of his head.

She rubbed her nose and her voice cracked when she spoke, "thank you…"

* * *

Gabrielle sat at the vanity set which was the only piece of furniture in the bedroom, and wrote the marriage decree. She felt hands massaging her shoulders from behind and dipped the quill into the ink bottle. It was a decent distraction but she always had a difficult time concentrating with Xena so close to her.

"I'm working…" she hinted that she wanted to be left alone.

Xena didn't want to leave and she had no intention to. She continued to dug her thumbs into Gabrielle's tense shoulders and felt several knots. And she thought she had tense muscles.

"_Gabrielle_..." she uttered, mildly disturbed by the muscle twinges beneath her fingers. "You never told me you were so tense. Is this painful for you?"

"It is when you keep doing _that_," she tried to relax and focus on writing but she couldn't.

"You should've said something," Xena pulled the silk robe off of her spouse's shoulders and pinched the knotted muscles in between her forefingers and thumbs. "Is that the marriage decree?"

"Mhm." She shut her eyes for a moment, embracing the shooting pain in her shoulders and upper neck. "I'm almost finished with this. Did you hear? Drusilla is making Arielle's wedding dress."

At that, Xena pulled her hands away and sat on the end of the bed. "I didn't think that Arielle wanted a huge wedding."

Gabrielle rubbed her sore shoulder and swiveled around. "She doesn't but Kubrat _insisted_," she hinted and Xena cracked a smile. "I think she's a little worried sharing a man with another woman even though she has no feelings for Kubrat. It's a sore topic for her especially after Bayan."

"It's not a situation that I would want to be in. I applaud Arielle for being such a good sport about it," Xena hid her animosity towards Bayan. She didn't know Kubrat well enough to make a good assumption of the way he treated women but from the conversation she had with his wife, she could tell Kubrat was very lenient.

"I never told Arielle that Drusilla was the one who proposed the marriage," she added.

Gabrielle completed the contract and blew on the wet ink and waved the parchment in the air. "Why not? That might ease her concerns."

"I don't really want to get involved in that web," she slapped a hand on her knee. "I want Arielle to have a good relationship with Drusilla."

Gabrielle set down the parchment and poured hot wax on the bottom of the contract and pressed her ring into the wax. Deviously, her mind wandered and thought to toy with her partner. She was curious to what her response would be.

"What would you do if I suddenly…I don't know, wanted to marry a man?" she pried.

Xena's entire face drained of color. "_What_?"

"Y'know, if I found a very attractive man and I wanted to marry him with your permission of course," Gabrielle bit her lip, trying not to burst into laughter. "Would you have a problem _sharing_ me with someone else?"

"Are you trying to make me go completely gray?" Xena fidgeted and dug her fingers in the sheets.

"This is a serious question," Gabrielle's stomach fizzled and she couldn't look at her wife's face because she was deathly afraid of the reaction. "A hypothetical question of course."

Xena was tempted to grab a weapon of some sort but she wasn't going to succumb to her temper. She smoothed her tongue along her top teeth and finally Gabrielle turned around with the cheesiest grin she'd ever seen. With a tight lipped smile, Xena's nails scraped on her bare knee.

"You're mine and _only_ mine."

Gabrielle stifled a laugh. "Oh, so I'm your _property_ now?" she could barely contain herself and was bursting at the seams to throw herself on the floor, laughing uncontrollably.

Xena approached her petite wife and examined all of the body parts that she had claimed over the years. She picked up Gabrielle's arm and gently traced her fingers on the bare skin. "Mine," she massaged the hand she held.

She intertwined her ankle around Gabrielle's muscular calf. "Also mine."

Inching closer, Gabrielle's breath hitched as her wife's fingers trailed across her collar bone. Xena hinted a sly grin. "Mine as well," she said just above a whisper and swiped her fingers on Gabrielle's lips. "_Definitely_ mine."

She combed her fingers through the short golden locks and then reared Gabrielle's head back with a swift jolt. "To answer your question; no I will not allow any man to _touch_ you or even come close to you. Not even in death, Gabrielle."

"I get it…" she let out a suppressed laugh. A peck to her lips was enough to satisfy her curiosity, although she didn't expect a calm reaction either, she was amused. "You played into the game very easily. Do you really think that I could marry someone else?"

"No," Xena sat on the floor and tapped her foot on Gabrielle's. "If you wanted to leave you could've done so a long time ago."

Now it was time to let loose and let an explosion of belly laughs surface. Gabrielle smacked a hand on her meaty thigh. "As if you'd _let_ me leave!"

"As you've said…I can be _difficult_."

"That's one way to put it."

* * *

Csaba had a rough couple of sleepless nights after he and Farah broke the news to their children. He tried to talk to Aman but it was like talking to a wall. He wasn't able to get through to that boy and he felt useless because he was going to leave soon. He wanted everyone to be on good terms before his departure.

When Farah told him that she wrote his mother he wanted to vomit. It was almost a blessing in disguise that he was leaving soon because knowing his mother, she was probably going to come here. He hoped that his mother was going to stay in Balaam long enough before he left to the Baltic region.

Rolling over in bed after spending hours awake, he peered at his slumbering wife beside him. He brushed her hair from her face. The color in her cheeks had been absent for days now. He expected her to wake up soon as she had trouble sleeping for awhile.

He slipped the strap of her dress off her shoulder, exposing her swollen breast. His palm cupped her breast gently and pressed his lips on her arm. Farah stirred and released a soft moan.

"Csaba…" she whined, half awake. The tenderness of her breasts was a symptom she always hated. She shifted in bed and her eyes fluttered open.

"Sorry," he muttered and kissed her hand. "I have to meet with Arielle today to discuss my trip. Are you coming with me? I think she wants those prints."

Farah rubbed her tired puffy eyes. There wasn't a morning without her body rebelling against her. She rubbed her stomach and sat up in bed. Her child wasn't going to give her a break this morning either. She jumped out of bed and darted across the room into the bath chamber.

Csaba sat up and sighed hearing his wife retching. It hurt him that he wasn't able to comfort her. He rolled out of bed and slipped on his trousers and sleepily walked into the baths. He leaned his elbows on the doorway walls.

He knelt down and held back her long mane and smoothed his hand down her back. Farah wiped her mouth and sat back with a hand over her stomach, breathing in and out several times. He pecked the top of her head and caressed her rosy cheek.

"He's giving you a real hard time already," he mildly joked and that provoked a smile from his wife.

"Or _she_…"

He smiled, "don't be disappointed if it's a boy, Farah." He held her hand to help her up off the floor.

She nodded and stood with his helping hand. "I won't be disappointed," she halted in the doorway and furrowed her brows.

"You alright?"

The wave of nausea passed and she followed him back into the bedroom. "I'm fine for now." She lowered herself to a chair and exhaled. "You should probably go without me. I'll talk with Arielle later."

Csaba grabbed his shirt and threw it over his head. "Will you eat today? Do you think you could handle it?"

The act of eating made her want to run back into the baths. She waved her hand, shaking her head vehemently.

"Alright, well at least _try_ to eat something," he kissed her on the lips briefly. "I'll tell Arielle that you aren't feeling well. I'm sure she'll understand."

* * *

In the small breakfast circle Arielle ate ravenously after finally regaining her appetite. Over the last few days spending time with Drusilla stirred up several strange emotions. She didn't think that Drusilla was being insincere when she wanted to have a good relationship with her but the situation was still odd to her.

"How far away is the wedding?" Xena asked.

Arielle spread a large helping of jam onto her bread and the corner of her mouth twitched. "I don't really want to talk about it."

"You can't just ignore it."

"Grandma, I don't want to talk about it. Drusilla has been talking me about my dress for three days now." She stuffed the bread in her mouth. "I'm supposed to have my first fitting with her later today."

Gabrielle sipped the hot coffee. "That should be fun," she tried lighten the mood and Xena shook her head. "No? Okay then…"

Csaba sprinted over to the circle and sat down in between his grandmother and sister. He made a plate for himself and scooped the rest of the bread onto his plate. He took the bowl of the yogurt egg mixture and poured it over his bread then took the remainder of chopped peppers and dumped it on top.

Arielle raised an eyebrow, chewing her food slowly. "Hungry?"

He let out a stilted laugh and mixed everything together on his plate with a piece of the bread. "Morning, ladies. Farah can't make it. She's having some…" he scooped some food into his mouth, "issues."

"_Issues_?" the younger sister questioned. "Issues being pregnant, you mean."

"Yes…" he sent a frown her way. "She's sick."

"Oh imagine that," Arielle swayed her head back and forth, "sick and pregnant. Wow what a concept. I would've never guessed," she tapped her cheek.

Csaba sneered. "Don't start, Arielle."

"Anyway, you'll have to leave your wife for awhile. A squad is going with you to the Baltic region. I want to know everything Mezamir is doing. You'll send reports to me once a month."

"Gabrielle said I'm going to be stationed there for four months at least."

She snickered. "If it takes longer then it does. This is important, Csaba."

"But Farah…"

"Will have her family here," she slapped his shoulder. "Don't worry brother. I'll make sure you're back in time for your child's arrival," she rolled her eyes.

He ignored her usual sour attitude and smiled at his grandmother. "Mother might be coming here. Farah wrote her a letter."

Xena's face immediately lit up. She'd been apart from her daughter for nearly eight months now. Ever since both Cera and Pamira had their daughters, they left with Anastasia and have been living together in Balaam for the last year. Ana sent letters back and forth to everyone but she was hadn't seen her family in person for some time now.

"Maybe she'll bring Cera with her," she said.

Arielle gasped and clapped her hands. "I hope so! I want to see little Emese. She's so precious, Csaba."

He was a little disappointed that he was about to leave since he knew his mother was coming to Pannonia. There was no question about it. She was coming here or already on her way. If she was to bring his little sister and his niece, he was saddened that he was going to be absent from his family for awhile. He hadn't gotten the chance to meet Emese yet or see his mother in over a year.

"I hope I will get to meet her one day." He finished off his food and set the empty plate aside. "Where's the man you're supposed to marry? I haven't had a one on one with him yet."

Arielle flipped her hair over her shoulder."He's with his sons. They're sparring outside."

"Perfect," he nodded with a devious grin. "Has he been disrespectful to you? He hasn't tried to sleep with you has he?"

Xena smacked a hand to her thigh. "Csaba, you are the _last_ person who needs to talk about disrespect right now."

Arielle snapped her head around. "Something I need to know?" she asked of her brother.

"No, ah, no." he caught a lump in his throat. "I'll get the prints from Farah later today. If you ladies don't have anything else to discuss then I'll be on my way." He couldn't wait to get out of there.

"You aren't going to interrogate my _husband_?" Arielle teased.

* * *

Mid afternoon Gabrielle finished her work early and she decided to go outside to get some fresh air. There was a meeting but she didn't want to sit in on it considering she heard both Arielle and Xena arguing back and forth for more than half an hour. She knew she was going to hear about it later but for now, she needed to clear her head.

She tightened the sash around her waist and breathed in the cold autumn air. She did miss the weather here and of course she missed just being in Pannonia in general. She strolled through the grass and spotted the twin princes playing a game of catch. The little tantrum Aman displayed days earlier didn't sit well with her and she wondered how that was being handled. It probably wasn't, she thought.

"Aman!" she waved her hand, catching the boy's attention.

He threw the ball at his brother and ran across the field to meet with her. He greeted her with a lopsided smile and Gabrielle cupped his cheek. She asked him to sit with her on the steps of the Adame. She remembered Arielle's reaction to her new siblings and she wasn't happy at all. Aman had a similar reaction and she wanted to find out why he was so upset.

She wrapped her arms around herself, shivering at the cold wind brushing by. "How are things at home?" she started the conversation off easy.

"Okay, I guess," he said, picking at the tassels on his coat.

"Are you going to help your mother before the baby arrives?"

Aman sighed. "Edemen locked me in my room for a whole day."

She tried not to laugh and sustain her composure. "Why did he do that?"

"Because I was angry," he grumbled. "He hit me too!"

"He what?"

"Just on my arm," he pulled up his sleeve and showed her the bruise. "But I hit him first so I guess I deserved it."

Gabrielle shook her head and ran her fingers through her hair. "You really shouldn't hit your brother. Did you apologize to your mother?"

He grimaced. "Why should I?"

She turned and pinched his arm and he whined then attempted to run from her. She grabbed him by the collar and yanked him back to sit beside her. She wrapped an arm around him, forcing him to stay.

"Your mother was really upset. She cried after you stormed off to your room."

Aman stopped wiggling and looked up at her. "She _cried_?"

She lifted her eyebrows into her fringed bangs and widened her eyes.

"I didn't know she was going to cry," he lowered his head and scratched his scalp. "She _actually_ cried?"

"Yes, she did." She rubbed his back tenderly. "I think she would really appreciate it if you apologized. You're looking at this 'big brother' thing all wrong."

Aman looked at her suspiciously.

"You can teach your little brother or sister how to spar, use a sword, help with studies, ride a horse, play games…" she could tell by the slip of a smile on Aman's lips that he was liking the sound of everything she mentioned.

"And I think you'll be a great protective big brother," she said, nudging his arm.

Aman broke out into a big grin. "If I have a sister I will make sure no boys come around her," he swore with a furrowed brow. "But I could teach her all the things I know how to do too."

"See, not so bad, right?"

Infuriated by her conversation she had with her granddaughter, Xena rushed out of the Adame. Tempted to yell into the void, she scurried down the stairs and paused at Gabrielle talking to Aman. Her heavy breathing withered away and she contained her sizzling temper that was ready to erupt at any moment.

They turned their heads and she smiled, graciously making her way down the stairs. Aman stood up and greeted her with a head bow as he was in a far better mood than he was just a few minutes ago. She grabbed his shoulder and glanced at Gabrielle.

"What are you two talking about?"

"Nothing," Aman sneakily smiled and Gabrielle winked at him. "I gotta go see my mom now. I'll see you later." he jumped off the last step and ran back home, calling his brother to follow him.

Gabrielle chuckled and walked up the stairs. "I explained to him that being a big brother isn't the end of the world. I also told him to apologize to Farah."

"Ah, the wisdom of Gabrielle."

She ignored the light jest. "How did the meeting go with Arielle?" she asked and regretted doing so. "I take it that it didn't go well given your flushed face. Did you hit her?"

"No, I did not hit her," Xena snapped with a mocking smile. "But I was thinking about it. I have to go to Kubrat's tribe. Justinian doesn't know that Kubrat has allied with us now."

"So, what does that have to do with you screaming at Arielle?"

"She wants me to lead the Byzantines to the Black Sea for an ambush."

"Ambush…"

"Arielle's going there first with our army and she wants _me_ to lead these men to their deaths."

The plan began to sink in. "Oh…that's very…interesting." Gabrielle nodded. "Did you try to talk her out of it?"

"Of course I tried!" she barked. "Sorry. I don't mean to yell at you."

Gabrielle, unaffected, asked, "when are you leaving?"

"After Csaba leaves." Riddled with nerves, she picked at her nail. "I really hope she knows what she's doing."

**Next we will have some war and Anastasia ;)**


	48. Chapter 48

**Thanks for reading this long journey, guys! Here we will learn more about Khan Kubrat's motives for marrying Arielle.**

Chapter 48

When it came time for Csaba to depart for his mission he didn't know that Farah would take it so hard. She sobbed days before he left Pannonia and wouldn't allow him to leave the bedroom right up until the final moment before he mounted the horse. Even though she was going to be without him for the majority of her pregnancy he knew that she wouldn't be alone. She had the entire family here to support her yet leaving her, seeing how distraught she was, killed him inside.

Two weeks after he left, Arielle kept pressuring Xena to leave to Kubrat's tribe but as usual the two butted heads. Xena decided to stay until Anastasia arrived which infuriated the stubborn empress. She wanted to at least see her daughter before she left to go on an escapade that she didn't approve of.

Today was the day that Ana was supposed to arrive and Xena waited outside eagerly with a big smile on her face. She received word that Ana was crossing the border a few days ago and calculated the exact moment of the arrival. Anastasia rode into the encampment with Navaz by her side, waving at Xena from afar.

Xena's stomach fluttered and she couldn't contain her excitement any longer. She helped her daughter off the horse and embraced her tightly and kissed both cheeks. She refused to let go until Anastasia struggled to breathe.

"_Mother_," she protested. "I'd like to breathe!"

After a couple more seconds, Xena finally pulled away and cupped her daughter's cheeks, kissing them again and then pecked her forehead. She held her daughter's hand and took a step back, examining her daughter's frame mostly to see if she was taking care of herself.

"You look wonderful. It's been too long."

Anastasia nodded. "I know. I'm sorry. I lost track of time and I should've come to visit you." her cheek was grazed by her mother's palm.

"Well, you're here now. How is Cera?"

Anastasia sighed. "Cera has been very overbearing when it comes to Emese. She wants to put her in a glass bottle forever. She's so afraid of something happening to her. I've been encouraging her to allow Emese to have more engagement with Yeter's sons but…"

Xena didn't like the sound of that but she knew why Cera was so overly cautious. After the birth, Cera didn't want anyone to touch her daughter for awhile. She guessed that type of overprotective behavior didn't wither away. It could definitely hurt Emese in the future when she wants to branch out and gain independence.

"She's a new mother and she's still adjusting. Just give her time."

Arielle saw her parents and darted across the field. She immediately ran to her father with arms stretched outward. She soared in the air and collided into Navaz and wrapped her legs around his waist and arms around his neck. Navaz almost toppled over from the blow. He didn't expect such a warm welcome from her.

Anastasia grimaced. "It's like she didn't even see me."

Xena stifled a laugh. "Arielle…"

The khagana jumped off her father after she kissed both his hands then went to greet her mother. She gave Anastasia a quick hug and a kiss to both her cheeks. Smiling from ear to ear, she looked over her parents' heads to see if there were more _guests_ accompanying them.

"Did you bring Emese and Mahfiruze? Soran? Cera?" she asked, itching to see her nieces and siblings.

"It's nice to see you too," Ana said and her daughter gave an eye roll. "They're in Balaam."

Arielle's smile disappeared. "You left them all alone?"

"They're not _alone_, Arielle," she chuckled. "I asked Ursula and Ebnedzar to watch over them while your father and I are away."

"Yeter better not be over there too."

Ana rolled her eyes. "She's not. When are you going to stop this hostility you have towards Yeter?" she asked and Arielle snubbed her nose.

Despite her warm welcome she had her mind set on giving Csaba a piece of her mind. When she received Farah's letter she was more than angry. She never expected her son to react that way in her life. She thought she raised her son better than that and was completely at a loss for words when she read that her son treated his wife the way that he did.

"_Where_ is Csaba?" she asked, her eyes darkening.

Xena clenched her jaw, seeing the fire within her daughter. "He had to leave for a mission. He won't be back for several months," she rubbed her daughter's arm.

"Farah was really sad to see him go," commented Arielle. "I know she's pregnant and all but damn, I've never seen her so hormonal before! She cries at _every_ little thing!" she said, smiling at her slight jest.

"When he comes back I'm going to have words with him." Ana grabbed the horse's reins and walked across the field towards her daughter's Adame to settle in.

The corner of Arielle's lip quirked up. "What did Csaba do to piss everyone off?" she asked, confused.

* * *

Farah dressed to meet Anastasia and she wasn't really looking forward to seeing anyone. Everyone was having dinner at Arielle's home and she wanted nothing more than to stay in bed but she couldn't. She stood in front of the mirror and put on her earrings.

She stood there for a long time, staring at the bags underneath her eyes and sunken cheeks. Tears brimmed in her eyes and she forced herself not to cry for the millionth time today. Aladar walked in and she saw his reflection behind her. She smiled and turned around, smoothing out her black gown.

"Mom, are you ready to go?" he touched her long sleeve and picked a piece of lint off the fabric. He looked up at her red eyes. "Were you crying?"

Farah inhaled. "No, I wasn't. Are your brothers waiting downstairs?"

He nodded and then placed his small hand on her flat stomach. "Is the baby making you sick _again_?" he curiously asked.

She broke out into a smile, trying not to laugh. She combed her fingers through his hair. "The baby has been on its best behavior today."

"Good," he grabbed his mother's hand, escorting her out. "You didn't eat the soup earlier. Are you _sure_ you're not sick?"

Farah raised an eyebrow. "Are you logging my food intake?"

"Father said we have to take care of you," he wagged his finger. "He told us to make sure you eat."

"How _considerate_ of him…" she frowned as her longing for her husband quickly died.

* * *

As much as Xena wanted to catch up and converse with her daughter, she was overrun by the children. When they sat down for dinner that evening Anastasia was bombarded by small talkative mouths. She engaged in conversation with all the familiar faces and also met some new faces. Kubrat's sons were well behaved and did not speak out of turn. That couldn't be said for Aurora who talked over her cousins the entire dinner, clinging to Anastasia the whole time.

In the quieter part of the circle, Gabrielle watched as the children kept questioning Anastasia, not allowing her to get a word in. She picked at the last bit of her food, too amused by the horde of the children to eat.

"Someone was missed," she whispered.

Xena's lip twitched into a smile. "They're going to keep her busy for awhile," she wiped her mouth and threw the cloth napkin on her empty plate. "Ana was not thrilled when I told her I'm leaving soon."

"I'm not very happy about it either," she sighed and stabbed the meat with her fork. "Don't let your overprotective nature of Arielle cloud your judgment."

"I won't. I have no idea how this is going to play out."

"Arielle's plans can be a little…unconventional but she's been doing well so far. She has a lot on her plate for someone her age."

Xena eyed the one person in the circle who wasn't speaking to anybody and that was Farah. She always knew Farah to be a very privileged woman and normally she was more chipper and commonly had a sharp tongue. Lately, Farah was a walking dark cloud and hardly said anything aside from when others asked her questions.

Everyone seemed to have forgotten that Farah lost her sister a year ago as well as her entire nation. She had no parents or other family ties back in Banat. She was, in a sense, alone despite all the family members around who were a constant in her life. And now that Csaba was gone for awhile, she probably felt extremely isolated.

Xena grabbed her wife's knee. "What are you going to be doing while I'm away?"

A strange question, Gabrielle thought. "I'll be going over plans with Eksama and Ernak to fight the Lombards in the south."

"Make sure Anastasia pays attention to Farah. I don't want her to dive deeper into depression."

Gabrielle was touched by her spouse's concern and smiled. "Sure, I'll tell Ana. It's so kind of you to be concerned about Farah."

"She's my grandson's wife. Of course I'm concerned. I do care about Farah's well being. She is a part of my family," she sincerely said, placing a hand on her chest.

After dinner everyone lingered in the sitting room, talking together. Arielle could hardly get a word in with her mother since all the children had her mother occupied for hours now. That meant she was forced to talk to Drusilla some more and that in itself was awkward.

Navaz secluded himself from the circle of women and children. He decided to corner his daughter's soon to be husband and question him, curious as to what Kubrat's true intentions were. At first he was shocked to see Kubrat. He was a little older than Navaz expected. From what he was told briefly, Kubrat was only a few years older than Csaba and already had two children and a wife.

When he heard that Kubrat was already married he was very skeptical of how his daughter was handling being married to a man who had a first wife. Given Arielle's status it didn't seem to matter as she wouldn't be called 'the second wife' but she definitely wouldn't have the same status as Drusilla did.

"You will be marrying my daughter and I expect you to treat her very well," he advised.

Kubrat turned to the White Hun and frowned. "I haven't mistreated your daughter at all. She hardly talks to me. I would like to get to know her better especially since she is going to be my wife."

"This is a political marriage so my daughter told me," Navaz took a drink of the wine and looked out the balcony. "You aren't obligated to do anything except to show your allegiance to us."

"I've already proven that I am loyal to your people," Kubrat eyed him, bringing his lips to a firm line. "I told your daughter that I think we should marry in the spring. That should give us enough time to get to know each other some more."

Navaz was curious as to why this man was so eager to show interest in Arielle. So far he didn't receive any bad vibes from Kubrat but he was always suspicious and worrisome of any male that entered Arielle's life. After Bayan he no longer trusted anyone and he barely allowed Xerxes to court her. He only permitted the courtship for the sake of his wife and daughter's happiness. That didn't end well and he didn't want this marriage to fall apart either.

He was no stranger to arranged marriages as he once had one with Anastasia. That marriage was rocky from the start but over time they were able to develop a very good relationship and since they were married again, it was different. They were more comfortable around each other despite the minor arguments they had from time to time.

"If you hurt her in _any_ way I will bury you."

Kubrat's mouth turned upward into a sly crooked smile. "Not if one of these women buries me _first_, your highness," he said lightly. "I treat my wife very well. You can ask Drusilla for yourself."

"I'll take your word for it. I assume that you will want my daughter to give you children."

Kubrat was a bit annoyed by the interrogation but he responded calmly, "when she is ready. I will not pressure her. Children can be a burden if you aren't prepared for them, wouldn't you say so?" he flashed a smile.

Navaz sipped the wine with a furrowed brow. "I never thought of my children as burdens. I love them both."

"I love my sons too but I am saying that having a child is more of a burden to the woman than it is for the man," Kubrat implied. "Especially since your daughter is the leader of the empire. A lot is expected of her and to have a child would put a lot of unwanted pressure on her."

Navaz shifted his weight, eyeing the chieftain. This conversation wasn't going the way he wanted. He now felt uncomfortable by Kubrat's reasonable answers and calm head.

"You do not have to worry about me forcing myself on her, your highness." He winked and clasped a hand on Navaz's shoulder. "It has been nice talking with you."

* * *

A little more than a week later Xena led the army into the Dulo tribe by the Black Sea. Arielle took half of the men under her wing and took them to the east side of the tribe far from the citizens. Xena eyed the amount of Byzantine soldiers on the coast near the ships.

She didn't know if this plan was going to work and she certainly didn't want anything to happen to Arielle. She tried to be reasonable and fair but agreeing with Arielle was beyond impossible sometimes. She waited on the west bank hiding from the Byzantines, watching Arielle from afar.

They couldn't correspond with each other and that worried Xena. Even if she gave a signal Arielle wouldn't be able to hear her to see her at this distance. The Byzantines had no clue that there was about to be a huge ambush of over one hundred Hun soldiers. They had complete faith in Chieftain Kubrat's loyalty.

Arielle waited on horseback until she was ready to strike. Being by the sea brought back memories of her first raid. She remembered how horrified the innocent bystanders were when her people galloped on the beach, slaughtering people left and right. At the time she was equally as horrified and nearly vomited at the sight of the dismembered bodies that lie on the beach.

She was forced to watch the entire invasion. This wasn't far from where they invaded. She remembered when her grandmother lined up every single Kidarite on the sand and then ordered their executions. Now that Arielle sat on her horse, watching the Byzantines, ready to repeat history, she no longer had that same dreadful feeling that she did all those years ago.

Being the skilled bower that she was, she instructed the archers on the front line. She dipped her arrow in the oil and ignited the arrowhead. She titled her taut bow into the air and the other archers followed.

"_Kovmak_!" she shouted.

A wave of arrows rained on the Byzantines by the coast. It took a few moments to realize what was happening and several men scattered to gather their weapons. They took their horses and rode around the area to find the source of the arrows.

Arielle frowned and reloaded her bow. "_Tekrar_!"

The second wave of arrows pierced through over fifty men and Arielle strapped her bow to her back and hunkered down on the saddle. She wrapped the scarf over the lower half of her face and raised her hand to her army behind.

She waited until the Byzantines were settled on attacking and then kicked the hind leg of her horse and galloped down the hill and onto the coast with the army following behind. Archers stayed on the east hill, continuing to open fire.

On the west bank, Xena watched, horrified, as Arielle rode into the thick of the chaos. She could barely make out what was going on from where she stood. She rested a hand on her fizzling stomach and took in a deep breath.

Focus, she told herself. She whistled at the soldiers and waved her hand. "Set fire to those ships!"

A group of thirty men rode along the coastline towards the ships. The Byzantines were too distracted from Arielle's raid to notice that their ships were about to be blown up in a matter of minutes.

Xena grimaced, keeping her eye on Arielle the entire time. There was a circle of soldiers surrounding her so she wouldn't be attacked from any angle. Xena was mildly irritated watching how Arielle wielded a sword in combat. She was sloppy and left herself open several times to be sliced in two.

"Barricade the entire area!" she shouted to the next group of soldiers.

She promised Gabrielle that she wasn't ever going to go into the field again but it was difficult to watch Arielle struggle to fight off ten men by herself. She was able bodied but she knew if she went down there, she might get injured and from her last injury, she realized that another injury like that would definitely kill her.

Loud horns echoed from behind and Xena whipped her head around. She wasn't expecting anyone to arrive and thankfully from the sound of horns, they were allies and not enemies. She cinched her eyebrows together when Kubrat came riding towards her with a small entourage.

Kubrat skid to a halt and met with her on the front line. By the look on her face he could tell she was not pleased to see him.

"What the hell are you doing here?" she spat. "You had orders to stay behind! You are not getting off to a good start by disobeying your wife's commands."

Kubrat snickered. "I came on the orders of King Navaz."

She rolled her eyes. "Damn you, Navaz," she mumbled.

* * *

For a change of scenery, Ernak walked with Gabrielle outside to conduct their meeting that were normally held within his home. They spent over half an hour walking and talking about the plans to push back the Lombards in the south. Once they were able to get rid of Alduin and Rodelinda then their lives would be a little easier but until then they were on high alert.

"Did you send scouts to the south?" she asked.

Ernak nodded. "Eksama is in charge of that. A part of me hopes that this war is postponed until spring. I don't like to fight in the winter and I have a feeling it's going to be a rough one this year."

She scribbled in her journal, slowing her pace as she walked. "This war is putting a huge dent in the treasury. Arielle spent almost half by going to the Dulo tribe and sending Csaba off. Not to mention Bayan is still rebuilding Scythia _and_ Arielle wants a church _and_ another Adame built in Kazakhstan," she exhaled, shaking her head.

"That is not what I want to hear," he grunted and scratched his beard. "Did you talk to Farah? Maybe she can balance the budget."

"I'll go see her later. She's spending time with Ana right now."

That brought a smile to Ernak's lips. "Ah, Anastasia, I did miss her. Although," he stroked his beard, "she is acting more and more like Xena the older she gets. I don't know if I can live with her if she keeps that up," he cackled.

She slammed her journal shut. "You say that like it's a bad thing."

Ernak raised hands with open palms, implying that what he meant was the truth and nothing but.

"I'm going to write a letter to Bayan to send more funds and I'll also ask Farah what the best plan is to balance our budget for the war. We can't keep spending large amounts like this."

"Arielle isn't very good with money it seems."

Gabrielle couldn't agree more. "I'm not going to be the one to tell her that."

* * *

On the floor during some of her off time, Farah often looked over her sons' work to make sure their math was correct and advised them on how to complete complex problems. She sat on the floor, checking over their work and marked up the parchment several times, shaking her head.

The twin princes waited patiently until she was finished. They didn't want to spend any more long hours on math today but considering that their mother was correcting their work, they both knew they were going to be stuck inside all day, studying.

Farah groaned and flipped to the next page. "Wrong," she scratched through one equation. "Wrong, wrong, _wrong_!"

She lifted her eyes to her sons who gawked at her fearfully. She waved the parchment in their faces.

"What is _this_?" she asked. "It's like you two aren't even trying. I know you can do this and yet you bring me this."

Aman swallowed, "it's really hard!"

"We went over these theories last week. You two haven't studied at all. It's obvious you've been playing around too much with the other boys," she tossed the parchment at them and the boys flinched. "Go to your rooms and rework all of those equations."

"What?!" they exclaimed.

Farah narrowed her eyes and pointed to the door. They grumbled and got off the floor, bickering under their breaths. On their way out they bumped into their elder brother, Edemen. He smiled at them and then stood in front of his mother and handed her his journal.

She quickly sipped some water and snatched the journal from his hand and flipped through it. She dipped the quill in the inkpad and immediately began correcting his Latin. She circled a few words and then looked up at her son.

"You might as well take a seat. This is going to take awhile."

Edemen sighed and plopped down, resting his chin on his palm. He eyed the way she was correcting his work and nervously picked at the tassels on his sleeves. He hated it when he brought his work to her because she was quite tyrannical when it came to his studies.

After awhile, Gabrielle walked into the room and looked over at Farah writing on the floor while Edemen was rocking back and forth. She quietly walked across the room and smiled at the prince. She didn't want to disturb Farah and sat down on the floor until she was finished.

Farah huffed and closed the journal with a smile and handed it back to her son. "Very nice but you have a few spelling mistakes. Make sure you're more careful with the vocabulary."

He nodded. "I will. Can I go outside with Bezmer? He's going to spar with me."

"I'd prefer that you rewrite all of that today, Edemen."

He sighed. "But mother, I've been working on this for three hours. I need a break."

Farah looked over at Gabrielle who looked like she wanted to discuss something important. She tapped her fingers together and smiled at her son, allowing him to leave and go spar with Kubrat's eldest son. Edemen raced out of the room before she could say anything else to him.

Gabrielle brushed her hair behind her ears. "I see you're keeping busy."

"Csaba normally checks Edemen's work but since he's not here…" she trailed off. "Is there something you want to talk about?"

She pulled out her journal and pushed it towards Farah. "Yes. Our treasury is dwindling down to nothing. I need your advice on what we should do."

Farah flipped through the journal and her eyes widened at the large numbers printed on the pages. She licked her fingertips and turned the page. At the rate that Arielle was splurging the empire's funds they weren't going to be able to make until spring. Arielle seemed to forget that they needed funds not only for war, supplies, weapons, soldiers but also crops and other necessities for the tribes.

"My goodness," she whispered. "I didn't approve any of this. What is the point of me being treasurer if she doesn't consult me first before she spends our money?"

Gabrielle scratched her head. She felt a bit guilty that she hadn't come to Farah first but now seeing how badly the empire's debt was, she realized she should've been more careful and told Arielle to confirm with Farah first.

"What do you think we should do? I was going to ask Bayan to send more money."

Farah felt a headache coming on and closed the journal. "No, we're not going to do that. We're going to need a loan."

"A _loan_? Who are we supposed to ask for that?"

"We're going to have to ask Shah Kavad."

* * *

The circle around Arielle dwindled from ten men to five and she pushed her way through the sea of Byzantines coming to attack her. Her sword impaled through a soldier's chest and she ran him into the next soldier on standby. She let out a loud cry and forced her blade into the second body.

Blood spattered on her cheek and she ripped the scarf off her face, snarling at the dying Byzantine. Her left side was open for an attack and she was focused on the others to notice a man running towards her. In less than a second she felt a stab in her side and she took a sharp painful inhale.

One of her men drove the attacker away and his blade ripped out of her body. She pressed her hand to her bleeding wound. On her blind side another person came up from behind and grabbed hold of her arm to pull her away. She yanked her body forward and her elbow snapped.

Her eyes widened and let out an ear piercing scream. Finally, her men came to her aid as she was in the center of the field, crying out in agony, tears rolling down her cheeks. She collapsed to her knees, bleeding out of her side.

Xena thought her eyes deceived her when she saw Arielle topple over. Over the chaos of the raid she heard Arielle's screeching screams from afar. She wasn't going to sit aside and wait until the area cleared. She was going to ride down there and didn't care about any little voices in her head telling her otherwise.

She steered her horse to ride down the west bank and then Kubrat galloped passed her with a group of men. She held onto her headdress before it went flying off her head. Sitting on her horse she witnessed Kubrat ride into the field, pushing soldiers out of the way to get to Arielle.

With her mouth agape and not able to bat an eye, Kubrat rode back with Arielle cradled in his arm on the saddle. Xena sat on her horse, gawking at the blood pouring out onto Arielle's armor and pants.

"Do we have a tent set up?" he asked.

Xena blinked rapidly, meeting his serious dark eyes. "Y-yes," she pointed behind her.

He didn't have time to hesitate and set Arielle down in the large tent. She moaned softly and tried to shift her body. He grabbed her arm firmly and flipped her over onto her back.

"Don't move," he said.

He whipped the dagger out from his belt and cut through her leather vest and then ripped her blouse open. Xena walked in just as he was leaning over her granddaughter's half naked body. She pushed the other soldiers out who stayed behind. She walked over and knelt down, staring at the large stab wound.

Kubrat frowned at her. "You shouldn't be here."

"Don't tell me what to do," she barked.

He ignored her and pressed a cloth against the wound to clot the flow of blood. He briefly pulled the cloth away and began cleaning the wound as quickly as possible until the blood starting flowing again. He applied pressure and turned to Xena who was sitting there, horrified.

He looked over at Arielle's arm and nudged Xena. "Do you know how to put bones back into place?"

Xena gave him an incredulous gaze. "Of course I know how to do that."

"Good then put yourself to use and put her arm back into place," he ordered her. "Do it!"

She didn't have time to argue and crawled to the other side of Arielle and looked at her broken arm. She'd been injured several times and was pretty sure she had broken almost every single limb in her body but seeing a broken bone was always unsettling.

Arielle was fading and blind to the pain. Xena winced, knowing this was going to send a charge through Arielle's body. She grabbed the broken arm and snapped it back into place with a swift jolt. Arielle arched her back, screaming loudly.

Kubrat held her down with a hand pushing down on her chest. Every move that she made caused her wound to open.

"Easy!" he growled. "Relax. Stay still."

Xena looked around for something to make a splint for Arielle's arm. While she looked around the tent she broke a staff in half and tore a piece of her veil off her headdress. She strapped the poorly makeshift splint to Arielle's arm.

She watched how calm Kubrat was being about the situation. He kept cleaning the wound and adequate amounts of pressure in between cleaning. For someone who didn't love Arielle he sure was very concerned for her health.

"Thank you," Xena said in a shaky voice.

Kubrat lifted his eyes, casting a lopsided smile. "She'll be fine. Aren't you glad that I'm here?"

She wiped her teary eyes and frowned. "You better keep your eyes on that wound _only_."

He chuckled, _very_ aware that she spoke of Arielle's breasts bound in a brassiere. It was the first time he'd seen Arielle without a top on and he couldn't help but look at her toned flat stomach covered in tattoos. She also had several underneath her breasts and along her arms as well. He noticed a scar on the other side of her stomach.

"What is that from?" he pointed to the scar.

Memories of Xerxes rushed back and that was a moment she wished she could erase. At the time she thought Arielle was going to die and it was Xerxes who nursed her back to health. She grazed the scar with her fingers and cast a solemn smile.

"She was injured in Persia. I didn't think she was going to make it."

He lowered his eyes and checked on the wound. It was beginning to clot now which was a good sign. Soon he was going to have to cauterize the wound and then sew it before they were to head back to Pannonia. They couldn't stay here long and he had an obligation to protect his tribe too.

"Arielle was supposed to marry Shehzade Xerxes Sassan," she brushed Arielle's hair from her bloodied cheek. "He died a year ago."

Kubrat sighed. "And she was married to Bayan when she was a teenager. Drusilla told me."

Xena brought her lips to a firm line. She reached for a cloth and cleaned Arielle's cheek.

"She doesn't have much luck with men," he said lightly with a small smile which Xena shared. "I now understand why her father was so stern with me."

"Arielle is Navaz's little girl," she laughed lightly. "He spoils her."

Kubrat set the cloth aside and checked on the clotting. Good enough, he thought. He took his knife and snatched a lit candle and held the blade over the flame to sterilize it.

"Khanum, I want to tell you something."

"Alright…"

"I will treat your granddaughter very well. I know she is nervous about the wedding and marriage in general," he said with a soft sigh. "We don't know each other but I hope we will have a mutual relationship in the future. You do not have to worry about her safety with me."

Xena rubbed her lips together and sat, unsure of what to say. She had a hard time trusting men in general especially men in her family's life that tried to get close to her family members. Xerxes was the only man she liked aside from Ellac and Navaz. She thought that maybe Kubrat was just telling her what she wanted to hear but he sounded sincere.

"You'll have to earn my trust, Kubrat. Words are just words."

"I understand."

He placed a hand over Arielle's chest and caught Xena's harsh gaze. His hand slid down to Arielle's abdomen, far away from her breasts. He blew on the blazing hot knife and took in a deep breath.

"You better hold her down. This is going to shock her awake," he strongly advised.

* * *

A week later they returned to Pannonia victorious of getting rid of the Byzantines in the Dulo tribe. Arielle was asleep most of the way back and occasionally woke up, moaning and crying out in agonizing pain. She was brought to her bedroom on a stretcher and had her wound treated and sewn by Kubrat before they left on their journey.

Anastasia and Navaz both stayed by their daughter's side waiting for her to heal for a few days. Arielle was barely conscious enough to make light conversation with her parents. She briefly saw Aurora but was too weak to greet her properly.

In order to keep Aurora's mind off of her ailing mother, she was put in Drusilla's hands and kept occupied by her soon to be stepbrothers, Bezmer and Kotrag.

Xena sat in the large bath while Gabrielle sat behind her outside the bath. She leaned her head back as the water was poured on her hair. She opened her eyes and met Gabrielle's jade eyes, smiling softly.

"I'm really proud of you for keeping your head in the game," said Gabrielle.

She massaged the oil into her wife's long hair from the ends and worked her way up to the scalp.

Xena felt her limbs fall limp as her scalp was massaged. She lowered her body into the hot water and rested her head on the ledge of the bath. She hadn't been this relaxed in a long time and felt like she was going to fall asleep.

"Kubrat did all the work. He saved her…not me."

Gabrielle hummed quietly. "That's what Ana said. I guess he scored some points with Navaz."

"Hmm."

"Don't fall asleep on me now," Gabrielle jested. "I know you're very relaxed right now but we need to talk," she whispered.

Xena's eyes shot open and she grimaced. "I don't like where this is going."

"I was doing some checking on the finances and…Arielle is draining our treasury. We're in a lot of debt," she could tell Xena was about to erupt and massaged her shoulders. "I spoke to Farah and she said we should get a loan from Shah Kavad."

"She said _what_?!"

"Think about it, think about it!" she squeezed Xena's shoulders. "We have a lot of tribes to feed and we still need more supplies for the army."

Xena growled and slapped the hands off her shoulders and spun around, sinking in the water. She was never good at organizing the finances in the empire and that was often left to Kreka and Attila in the past. Farah was very good at her job and Xena never thought she was frugal considering she hoarded her funds but she always knew how much she spent concerning soldiers, food and supplies.

"How much are we in the hole?"

Gabrielle hesitated to answer and shied away from her wife's penetrating eyes.

"_How_ _much_?"

"Ah…a lot," she spoke cryptically. "Farah said we won't make it till spring if Arielle keeps this up."

Xena ran her hands over her wet hair and let out an audible groan. "I ought to break Arielle's other arm." She closed her eyes and took in deep calming breaths. "From now on every single thing that Arielle wants to spend money on will need to be approved by Farah."

"And…what about the loan from the Persians?"

"I don't know if that is a good idea but if that's our only option then we should probably…do it," she dug her fingers into her face.

Gabrielle stilted a laugh. "That's a very _attractive_ face," she said sarcastically.

"You see this?" she held her silvery raven locks. "This is all Arielle's fault."

"_All_ of it?"

"Oh, don't worry, you're sprinkled in here somewhere," Xena picked at the ends of her hair.

* * *

More than two weeks went by and Arielle was finally able to get out of bed without anyone's help. She was a bit irritated that her arm was going to be in a splint for a few more months which meant she had to rely on her family for help. She spoke to Gabrielle and was a bit shocked to hear that she wouldn't be making the decisions when it came to spending money in the empire any longer.

Sore and in slight discomfort, Arielle painfully strolled down the hall, cursing under her breath. She held the side of her torso and hissed. Rounding a corner she smiled at her family waiting to have dinner with her. Anastasia didn't want her to walk all the way downstairs to eat with everyone but Arielle insisted. She was dying of boredom staying in bed all day.

Aurora got up off the floor and ran over to her mother. "Are you better now?"

"Mhm," Arielle's legs felt like stilts and she forced a smile for her daughter's sake.

Kubrat immediately came to help her sit on the floor. He grabbed her hand and lowered her down to the pillow. Arielle looked up at him, smiling softly. Ever since they came back to Pannonia she hadn't spoken to him much but she did thank him for coming to her rescue as embarrassing as it was.

"Now Arielle, about this spending problem of yours," Xena started the conversation on a rough note.

Arielle sent her a mean glare. "I get it. I'm no longer in charge of the funds. Farah said I can't make a decision without her."

"So, you know that Farah's going to ask for a loan from Shah Kavad…"

Arielle widened her eyes and looked at all the faces staring back at her. She gripped the spoon in her hand and then she was reminded that her daughter and several other children were sitting right next to her. She gently set the spoon down in the bowl.

"No, I did not know that."

"I've already written the letter but I need your permission to send it," said Gabrielle.

Arielle rubbed her forehead and replied, "fine. Go ahead and send it. Great, now I'm going to be indebted to the fucking Sassanians."

"We wouldn't be in this predicament if you had been more careful," Xena chimed in.

At that last comment, Arielle attempted to get up and leave. She didn't want to sit and eat with her family if she felt she was going to be attacked on all sides. When she tried to leave, Kubrat set a gentle hand on her shoulder.

"We don't have to talk about this anymore," he whispered, "we can just eat altogether."

Arielle gazed at him questionably and she decided to stay, soothed by his calming words instantly. She smiled, nodding her head. Her family stared at her and then began to fill their plates with food in silence.

She on the other hand, burdened by her broken arm, had quite a difficult task getting food onto her plate. She tried to grab one of the bowls of rice and Kubrat grabbed it for her and spooned it onto her plate. Her cheeks reddened and she thanked him barely above a whisper.

"Well since you're injured," Ana began casually, eating bits of bread, "and I'm here, I can stand in your place," she added with a big smile.

Arielle held the spoon close to her open mouth and paused. She didn't think of her mother as incapable of managing the empire but at the same time she didn't want her mother in charge either. Her right to spend the treasury funds had already been taken away and she didn't want anyone else making decisions without her consent. It was bad enough that Farah had taken all of her privileges away regarding the funds.

"Aha…" she lowered the spoon from her mouth. "That won't be necessary, mother. We have plenty of other queens here; Farah, Eksama, grandma…"

Anastasia smiled warmly, "but I am next in line if something happens to you and would you look at that, I just happen to be here just at the right time."

"But don't you need to go back to Balaam?" she hinted, eyeing her father.

"I'm going to stay here until your brother comes back."

The spoon of rice scraped against Arielle's teeth and she smiled at her mother. "_Fantastic_…"

* * *

Xena had worked with her daughter several times in the past and they didn't always agree but at least Anastasia was more reasonable than Arielle. They sat together in Ernak's Adame for an annual meeting and Xena thought this meeting was going to go very smoothly and she was so wrong.

Anastasia wanted to go in the field with Eksama. She wanted to be completely in charge, calling all of the shots. A part of Xena wondered if Ana just wanted to boss around Eksama for her own amusement. She couldn't stand to listen to her daughter any more.

"No," she blurted out, interrupting Anastasia.

"No, what? I want to go with Eksama. I will be nice, I promise. I won't kill her." she clasped her hands together with a hope look in her eyes.

Xena twirled the beads of her headdress in between her fingers.

"No."

Ana growled and slammed her fist down. "But mom!"

"_But_ _mom_," she mocked. "Don't 'but mom' me, Anastasia. I said no and that's final."

Ernak snickered, watching the two argue. "Wow, I feel like I've stepped back into time thirty years."

"Shut up, Ernak!" Ana barked.

"Yes ma'am," he saluted and sunk down in the chair, hiding his face from the angry women.

"Listen Anastasia, I love you very much. You are my daughter and I care about you," Xena laced her fingers together on the table. "You know I would do anything for you like you'd do anything for Arielle, Csaba and Cera but I am telling you _no_ and you need to listen to me."

"Mother, I've been an adult for a long time now. I'm in charge while Arielle is recovering and I want to go with Eksama to the south border."

Xena groaned and slapped her hands on her face.

"And what could you possibly offer going down there? You _still_ can't see as well as you used to."

Ana folded her arms. "I just want to help."

"You _are_ helping!" Xena reached across the table and grabbed Ana's hand. "I need you here. Ernak and Eksama will have no problem by themselves."

"That's right!" Ernak cheered amidst the tension. "Don't sweat it my sweet Ana, you'll have plenty to do here. Me and my sister will handle the Lombards."

"This conversation is over," Xena stood from her seat. "Shah Kavad will send an ambassador to talk to us about the loan. It will most likely be Tegin Irkin. You will be in charge of negotiating with him. Farah and Gabrielle will be present."

Anastasia tried not to display any disappointment. She really wanted to be on the field as she felt she'd serve better purpose there than sitting behind a desk. Her mother kissed the side of her head and she twisted her face into an ugly snarl.

"Don't make that face. I am counting on you to be the fine negotiator that you are."

* * *

To break the tension between everyone Xena resorted to using her sword as a means to cope with her frustration. She had limited sparring partners to work with and she didn't want to bother Gabrielle. But she also didn't want to hear Gabrielle complain of being hurt later. That never ended well for either of them.

Gabrielle sat outside in the field behind the Adame and watched Xena swinging the sword. She had just finished her meeting with Farah which was cut short because Farah couldn't sit still for longer than a few minutes before her stomach rebelled against her.

When Xena used to be a teacher in the school they had a few years ago, she taught them what weapons came from where and who made them. She always wanted to train the children but everyone prevented her from doing that until today.

Kurt, Edemen and Bezmer were among the eldest of all the children and they were set on training. Kurt, nearing sixteen and a spitting image of Ernak, was already very skilled wielding a sword.

Due to Farah's overprotective nature, Edemen couldn't train as much as his cousin. Bezmer on the other hand didn't know anybody here and he was just getting to know his new family. So far, he got along very well with Edemen due to their closeness in age.

Xena presented her sword, holding it with both hands and the boys stood, watching intently.

"I know this might sound silly to you boys but you need to become one with your sword," she said and Edemen cracked a smile. "Something funny?"

He cleared his throat. "No…no."

"Uh huh," she flashed a short smile. "I know you're used to working with one type of sword but let's say you're in the middle of a fight and your sword gets taken from you –"

"Isn't that the number one rule? Don't lose your sword?" Kurt asked.

"Well, yes, but anything can happen. Anyway," she twirled the sword around with ease, "you might have to use a weapon you're not familiar with. You should always be prepared in case that happens."

Gabrielle lifted her eyes every so often listening to Xena teaching the young teenage boys. She smiled, writing and then heard someone approach from behind. She turned and stood to greet Kubrat. She quickly closed her journal and set it on the stairs.

The Khan arched a thick brow. "What is happening out here?"

"Xena is teaching them the importance of their sword and how to use it in combat."

He furrowed his eyebrows, watching the exchange, specifically eyeing his son and how horrible he was at holding a weapon of any kind. Xena saw that immediately and focused most of her attention on Bezmer while the other two boys practiced on their own.

"Does she do this often?" he asked.

Gabrielle let out a heavy sigh. "Not so much anymore. She enjoys teaching the children," she said and there was stilted silence between them. "Ah, so how is Arielle?"

"Drusilla is with her."

He folded his hands behind his back, annoyed by Xena's method of teaching concerning his eldest son. He took a deep inhale through his nostrils and turned to the petite governor with a terse smile.

"I have come to learn many things about this family in the short time I've been in Pannonia."

"Oh?"

"Yes," he smoothed his fingers through his beard. "The women are very stubborn."

She couldn't deny that. She had lived with them for several years and each woman had a special way about them.

While Anastasia could be stubborn sometimes she was the most level headed of them all but she had her moments when she lost clarity in the past. Arielle was a breed all on her own and she never liked to follow rules from the moment she could talk.

Cera was the kindest of them all yet she was very skilled with a brush and quill. By the looks of her, nobody would ever suspect that Cera was also highly skilled in hand to hand combat. Farah, the most gorgeous, often called by her nickname, 'beauty queen', also had brains. She was incredibly smart and not enough people gave her credit for it.

And then there was Xena.

Gabrielle suspected that Kubrat would never come to understand Xena or Arielle. She sometimes didn't understand Xena even after all the years they spent together. She was continuously surprised by her spouse and that wasn't necessarily a bad thing.

"They can be stubborn," she said with a light laugh. "But you'll get used to it."

"Am I supposed to just act _submissive_ towards the khagana?" he asked. "I can already tell that she and I will not see eye to eye on everything."

Gabrielle shifted her weight on her heels uncomfortably.

"Arielle is a lot more reasonable than she used to be."

He shot her a look of disbelief.

"She likes to take the hard road," she implied, "but she's learned a lot. Arielle will compromise with you if you come to a disagreement."

Somehow, Kubrat refused to believe that. From what he'd seen, Arielle was a very difficult woman to talk to. She constantly spoke back to her family members and she liked to be the sole person in charge. He knew that he came into his marriage alliance with a hard heart considering his wife was the one who suggested it.

"There is one more thing that I haven't mentioned regarding the marriage alliance."

Gabrielle crinkled her eyebrows. "And what's that?"

"In order for our marriage to be recognized, she will need to convert to the church," he said and saw the governor's face drain of all color. "I can't marry a pagan woman. If she doesn't convert then this alliance will be broken."

He took a brief bow and then sauntered back into the Adame. Gabrielle stood flabbergasted and had the urge to slap Kubrat. None of this was mentioned prior when she and Xena met with him months ago.

Xena left the boys to train on their own for awhile and walked over with a big grin on her face. She clasped her hand on Gabrielle's shoulder causing a flinch.

"Something wrong?" she asked.

Gabrielle swallowed and rubbed her throat. "No…nothing's wrong."

"Don't lie to me, Gabrielle. I saw you talking with Kubrat. Did he say anything to upset you?"

"No, he was…just telling me about Arielle's recovery."

Xena lifted a skeptical eyebrow. "And…how is she?"

Gabrielle stared off into the distance and then felt a gentle nudge to her arm.

"Oh, um," she looked into Xena's piercing eyes. "She's feeling better. Drusilla is watching over her," she said with an uneasy smile.

"Alright then," Xena replied with a small head nod. "I'll go check on her later. Do you think you could get my scimitar? It's in the bedroom. You know which one I'm talking about, right? The one with the gold etching on the blade?"

Gabrielle felt her mouth dry. "Yes, I remember."

Xena smiled and gave her spouse's shoulder a firm squeeze and then walked back to continue her lesson with the princes. Gabrielle began making her way back to the Adame with a black pit forming in the center of her core.


	49. Chapter 49

**Expect the unexpected…**

**This chapter is a bit long. I'm filling in the necessary gaps. We'll see more of Csaba's adventure and Xena & Gabrielle in the next chapter. Hope you all enjoy :D**

Chapter 49 –_Aslan_

Gabrielle sat on the disturbing revelation for a little more than a week. She didn't like to keep secrets as that usually ended horribly for her in the end. She couldn't tell Xena about what Kubrat said. If he had this conversation with Arielle there was no way she would agree. Gabrielle couldn't tell Xena. She just couldn't because she knew that her wife would blow up.

She also couldn't speak to Anastasia as her react would be much the same. Navaz wasn't approachable at this point. He would probably kick Kubrat out of Pannonia. Gabrielle had to talk to somebody in private without causing suspicion.

She decided to talk to a neutral person in the family but someone who was also very close to Arielle. She knocked on Ku-Ilm's bedroom door and opened the door after she was allowed entrance.

Ku welcomed her inside and offered her a seat while she finished braiding her hair. Gabrielle sat, anxiously twiddling her thumbs and looked around the room. Her brow formed a line of sweat and she wiped her forehead with the back of her hand.

"We don't normally talk alone. I hope you haven't come here to relay bad news," said Ku.

"I…actually want to speak with you about Arielle and Kubrat."

Ku tied the end of her plaited hair with a ribbon and sighed. "Did he do something to her?"

"No, not at all," Gabrielle denied and saw relief in the woman's eyes. "I've been sitting on this for awhile and I really needed to tell someone so I came to you."

"Okay…" Ku crossed a leg over her knee. "You're making me nervous."

She took in a deep breath and spoke softly, "Kubrat told me that he wants Arielle to convert or he won't marry her and if she doesn't then he'll break the alliance. I haven't told anyone about this."

Ku scratched her arm and frowned, gnawing on her lip. "He is a hypocrite. He is a Christian yet he wants to stay married to two women at once."

"I'm afraid if she doesn't comply then he will turn on us and attack us."

"And why are you telling me this? Are you hoping that I can talk her into it?"

Gabrielle sheepishly smiled.

"_Ya_ '_illhi_," she muttered. "Arielle has always been tolerant of other religions and she respects others–me for example –but I don't know if she will want to convert."

"Would she be open to the idea?"

"I honestly don't know, Gabrielle. Maybe you should tell Anastasia Khatun about this."

"No!" Gabrielle yelped. "I, ah, no that's not a good idea. Nobody can know about this. Just talk to Arielle first and see what she says."

* * *

After her bath, Drusilla walked her back into the bedroom and already picked out a dress for her to wear. Arielle sat down and threw the towel off her body and grimaced at the dress. She wasn't in a position to argue as she was grateful for Drusilla's help. She slipped the dress over her head and Drusilla helped her slide the long sleeve over her arm.

Ku-Ilm knocked on the door and let herself in. She briefly smiled at Drusilla and came to Arielle's side and kissed her forehead.

"How are you feeling?" she asked.

"Bored."

Ku eyed the Khan's wife and said louder than expected, "I'd like to speak with Arielle alone for a little bit."

Drusilla set down the folded towels and turned to Arielle who gave her a head nod. She took the basket of soiled towels and linen then excused herself from the room. Ku sat down on the bed and Arielle inched her way towards the pillows and exhaled heavily. It took a lot of effort to move such a short distance.

"I hardly see you!" Arielle twirled a strand of Ku's hair around her finger. "Who sent you in here? My mother?"

"No," Ku laughed.

"My grandma?"

"No! Arielle, I need to discuss this marriage between you and Kubrat."

She rolled her eyes, "Ku, I already told you, you don't need to be jealous. You're my best friend. You're more than my friend. I'm not going to kick you out and replace you with Kubrat."

"It's not about that but thank you," Ku's cheeks tinged pink.

"Then what is it?"

Ku tapped her fingers together. "Kubrat said that he wouldn't marry you unless you…convert to the church or…he'll break the alliance."

Arielle's eyes widened at the surprising news. It took a few moments to allow it to sink in and she furrowed her eyebrows. She rose from the bed and wrapped an arm over her sore abdomen and charged to the doors with a stilted limp.

"Arielle, wait!" Ku jumped up and ran after her.

* * *

Now that the message of the loan request had been sent to Persia, everyone had to wait for a response. Anastasia was heading over to meet with Farah to discuss the empire's budget. While Arielle was out of commission for awhile, Ana was in charge and she was immediately overwhelmed with the workload.

She received a letter from Bayan that gave an update on Csaba's location. He was now in the Baltic region and had reached out to Bayan. For this mission the rest of the time spent in that area was supposed to be a secret. Csaba couldn't make contact with anyone outside for months while he was on the dangerous mission of spying on Chieftain Mezamir.

Anastasia let herself into Farah's room and looked around. She brought a tray of tea and fruit for their morning meeting and set it on the floor. She knelt down and took the cups off the tray and grabbed a few pillows then set the plates of fruit.

Farah left the bath chamber and dried her hair with a towel and halted when she saw her mother in law in her room. She gasped and searched for a robe to put on her naked body.

Ana's eyes lifted and smiled. "Good morning."

"Morning," Farah slipped the silk robe on and tightened the sash around her waist.

She walked over to sit on the floor and Anastasia put both hands on her small bump. Farah timidly smiled and brushed her wet hair behind her ears.

"Look at you!" she grabbed Farah's hand and eased her down to the floor. "Maybe you will finally get that daughter you've always wanted.

Farah put a protective hand over her stomach. "I think it's a boy. I'm almost one hundred percent sure it's a boy."

"We'll see," Ana smiled, sipping the tea. "I wanted to talk to you about the budget. Previously, Khagana Jiulu divided up her entire treasury to be distributed to everyone in the empire but it's obvious Arielle can't be trusted with money. She's been spending nonstop for two years."

Farah voraciously ate an entire plate of fruit in less than a few minutes which left Anastasia speechless. She stifled a laugh with a mouthful of fruit and ran her hand across her stomach.

"I'm sorry. I'm really hungry," she managed to say and swallowed. "Arielle will no longer have any access to the treasury but I'm going to apply this rule to everybody."

Ana gaped. "What?"

"Mhm," she licked her fingers and reached across to grab the plate of bread and cheese. "Everyone will need to sign a document to get access to our funds and I'm the only one who can approve the request. That includes you too, your mother, Ernak," she went down the list, "everybody."

"Does that include the Nezaks, Bayan and Navaz too?"

Farah nodded. "I said _everybody_." She eagerly eyed the extra plate of fruit. "Can I have that?" she asked, pointing to the plate.

Anastasia pushed the plate across the rug and saw the bright smile on her daughter in law's face. She set down the cup in her lap, contemplating how this situation of the treasury in Farah's hands was going to affect everyone in the family. Nobody was going to support this decision. There was going to be backlash and she had to be prepared for it.

"I'm glad you got your appetite back," she grabbed Farah's knee.

* * *

_Babylon, Persia_

Tegin Irkin rode in from the Sassan palace in Estakhr on orders of the Shah. He had to come in secret and he was always at risk of being caught by Shehzade Kawus' soldiers posted on every other corner of the large city. Tegin had several of his men accompany him but from a certain checkpoint in the center of the city he opted to ride alone so suspicion wouldn't arise.

He walked through the streets and came to a very large villa that belonged to the Shah's sister, Esther. The home was completely guarded by Esther's men and he showed his face to allow him entry. He waltzed inside after he scanned the area to make sure he wasn't being watched.

Tegin flipped the hood off his head and politely asked one of the maids where he could find Esther. He trolled down the dark hallway and came into a large room where he saw the Shah's sister sitting in a chair, sewing with her back turned in the chair.

He bowed and Esther raised her hand to briefly acknowledge his presence. He averted his gaze while she covered her face with the veil so she could address him properly. In all his years of serving the Sassan family he'd never seen any of the women's faces aside from Nousha's and the other concubines in Kavad's harem.

"If my brother sent you this late in the day then I assume what you have to say is urgent," she said, rising from the chair. She turned to him with her veiled face and Tegin lowered his gaze.

"Yes, your majesty. Where is the Shehzade? I need to speak with him immediately. I cannot stay long."

Esther slowly turned to the left and pointed down the hallway. Tegin bowed his head once more and then quickly ran down the hall into another room which was blocked off from all human contact. The room had no windows and there were four guards posted outside the doors.

The doors opened and Tegin Irkin saw the Shehazde sitting on a couch, repairing one of his bows. He smiled, greeting the prince with a head bow and approached him. The doors closed and he heard them lock from the outside.

"Shehzade Xerxes," he said.

"I hope you brought news from my father that I can leave this hellhole," Xerxes said without lifting his head and kept oiling his war bow. "I am tired of waiting here. I've done everything my father asked of me."

Tegin understood the prince's frustration. Essentially, he was a prisoner in his own land for the sake of saving his life. Shehazde Kawus truly believed that Xerxes had been killed more than a year ago and he would have been if it weren't for Kavad's soldiers who saved Xerxes at the last minute. From then on out Kavad decided to entrust his sister to his son and planned to assassinate his eldest son, Kawus.

"I'm afraid that you can't leave yet, Shehzade but you will be able to soon. Shehzade Khosrow is gathering a group of assassins to get rid of your eldest brother."

Xerxes groaned and threw the bow at the wall. "I have not seen the outside world in a year!" he growled and grabbed Tegin by the arms and shoved him against the doors. "If my father doesn't get rid of my brother soon then I will do it myself."

"Noted, your highness…" Tegin smiled nervously. "I came here to tell you something else."

The prince let go of the pasha and folded his arms, waiting for the news he had no desire to hear.

"The Huns have asked us for a loan. I am going to Pannonia to negotiate an arrangement for payment with them," he said slowly and added, "Khagana Arielle moved to Pannonia a few months ago. She is set to marry Khan Kubrat."

Xerxes' arms dropped to his sides and his heart thumped rapidly. He tugged at the tunic around his throat and frowned, turning away from the pasha. He felt ill the moment he heard the word 'marry' come out of Tegin Irkin's mouth. In a way he felt like he betrayed Arielle by hiding out at his aunt's home. His life was at stake here and Kawus had such a huge following that it was becoming a problem for his father to run the empire.

He slammed his hands on the desk and hung his head, feeling his chest radiate and stomach rolling. His breath hitched and he closed his eyes to compose himself. The bitterness in his mouth lingered of bile.

"She will marry…this _khan_?" he spat with obvious hatred.

"I believe it is a political marriage."

He was supposed to be the one to marry Arielle. He was supposed to be with her right now, not hiding in his family's estate. The thought of her marrying someone else, someone she didn't even love, made him violently ill. This was the fault of both Kawus and Shah Kavad. It was their fault that he had to hide and lie to everyone.

"When….when," he could barely speak, "when will you leave?"

"Right now, Shehzade."

Xerxes lifted his eyebrows and spun around. "Could you deliver a message for me?"

The pasha frowned. "Your highness that is not wise."

"Please?" he sat down and grabbed a parchment and quickly wrote a short message. "Deliver it to Arielle. I want her to know I'm alive." He rolled up the parchment and stamped it with a royal wax seal.

Tegin sighed and took the letter in his hand. "If Shah Kavad finds out about this he will have my head."

"My father _won't_ find out!" he barked. "Once Kawus is killed then I won't have to hide anymore."

Tegin felt like he was wedged in a tight spot. He had to please the Shah but also obey all of his sons as well. He wanted to help Xerxes but he knew that if anyone found out about this that he'd be sentenced to death for betraying the Shah's trust outright. He tucked the letter in his vest and saw Xerxes' dark eyes sparkle.

"Shehzade, your father doesn't know about your relationship with the Khagana."

"I don't care. I will marry her one day," Xerxes sat back, gripping the chair's arms. "I love her," he said out loud for the first time. He never got the chance to tell Arielle that before and now he still couldn't. "I hope she loves me," he muttered in concern, rubbing his beard.

Tegin hid his smile. "I should be on my way now, your highness."

For the first time in a year Xerxes had hope for the future. He didn't know how long he could take being cooped up in this villa. He longed for fresh air and human contact other than seeing his aunt every single day. Now that the assassination of Kawus was nearing he could be free from his imprisonment.

He often thought of Arielle and how devastated she must've been when the news of supposed death was delivered to her. He tried to put that image out of his mind but he couldn't help but see her teary blue eyes staring back at her. Xerxes then thought of how angry she was going to be when she was to find out that his death was all a hoax.

She is going to kill me, he thought.

"Your mother is going to be very distraught when she finds out you still long for the Hun woman," said Esther from the doorway. She flipped the opaque veil over her hair, exposing her pale face.

"Aama Esther," he jumped up, addressing his aunt. "You heard everything?"

A smile graced her pale features and the wrinkles crinkled around her dark eyes. "Your father will not allow you to marry the Hun woman, Xerxes."

"I will marry without his consent and knowledge. He doesn't need to know."

"That will not end well for you," she warned. "Your mother was kind enough not to tell your father about your relationship with the Hun."

Xerxes grimaced, thinking of his mother. He wouldn't be able to keep this a secret from her and she wouldn't dare anger his father over this. She only hid his relationship with Arielle because she cared for his well being.

"I won't be able to hide this from her, will I?" he assumed.

Esther raised an eyebrow. "Your secret is safe with me. I won't say a word to my brother but I strongly advise that you tell your mother."

* * *

"You!"

Arielle yelled from down the hall, glaring at Kubrat who was chatting with one of the soldiers. She walked to him, pressing a firm palm on her wound, ignoring the stabbing pain in her side and lower back. She bit her bottom lip and halted in front of the khan with a heaving chest.

Kubrat studied her irate eyes and then his cheek was given a hard slap. His jaw dropped and he grabbed her wrist when she tried to strike him again.

"What the fuck are you doing?" he growled.

She grunted, struggling a bit and stomped on the instep of his foot and his eyes enlarged, holding in a muffled scream. She pushed him backward with a hard shove of her palms. She kept pushing him back until his back met with a wooden column.

"How dare you?" she spat venomously. "Who do you think you are to give me orders?"

He shielded his face, though it was tempting to retaliate. "You have the nerve to hit me without telling me what my fault is?!"

"You kneel before _me_!" she reminded him. "I am your superior. I am your ruler!"

Down the hall, Xena and Anastasia talked together about the regulations Farah put in place. They came to an abrupt halt when they saw the altercation up ahead. Xena quickly left her daughter's side and grabbed Arielle's shoulders and yanked her away from Kubrat.

Arielle's arms went flying and she pushed Xena back and went to attack Kubrat yet again. "This was never discussed!"

"Arielle, please calm down!" Xena grabbed the irate empress again and bear hugged her. "Stop it!"

Kubrat rubbed his sore jaw and adjusted his coat and received a glare from Anastasia Khatun. He flashed a smile and then tried to slip away.

"Where do you think you're going?" said Anastasia. "My daughter doesn't just hit people without good reason."

Arielle's lips pulled into a vicious snarl. "He won't marry me until I convert to his _precious_ religion!" she said with a guttural growl. "Or he'll call off the alliance!" she wiggled around, "get off me!"

Xena released her granddaughter, relying on Arielle to control her temper. So far, Arielle wasn't going to run forth and slap the khan again.

"Is that true, Kubrat?"

"Yes," he said unapologetically.

"You pledged an allegiance to _me_!" Arielle thumbed her chest. "You don't get to make the rules in the marriage, Kubrat. I have been _very_ reasonable. I invited your family into _my_ home."

"I can't marry a pagan," he said flatly.

A couple of stitches broke on her wound and she put a palm to her side, wincing. She smiled, hiding her pain the best she could.

"Then get the hell out of my land," she pointed to the doors. "Go back to your tribe. You already signed your life to me. You are bound to my empire and you will remain my ally. I _suggest_ you don't become an enemy."

Xena saw the blood staining Arielle's dress. "You're bleeding."

"I know!" she snapped. She waved her hand, disgusted by the entire situation and walked down the hallway, applying pressure to her wound. "You have three days to leave Pannonia or I'll behead you, Kubrat!"

* * *

Gabrielle knew something like this was going to happen. Obviously Ku wasn't able to convince Arielle to convert but that was inevitable. The outcome was worse than she expected and after she finished her meeting with Ernak she came by to see how the fuming empress was doing.

Xena sat beside the bed and carefully stitched up the ripped wound on Arielle's side. She did her best to be gentle but even after weeks of healing the wound was very deep. Since it had reopened the wound was going to take a lot longer to heal which meant Arielle's recovery was going to be longer than she wanted.

"Are you almost finished?" asked Arielle.

"You know, if you had allowed Kubrat to cauterize your wound completely you wouldn't need stitches in the first place."

Xena cursed quietly and saw her wife out of her peripheral vision. She snipped the thread and slipped it through the needle's eye. The needle dug into Arielle's flesh and she pulled the thread tautly. It pained her to see Arielle in such discomfort but there was nothing to be done except to finish the job as quickly as possible.

"Looks like I missed some excitement," said Gabrielle.

"Arielle nearly mauled Kubrat before Ana and I intervened," Xena murmured, concentrating on sewing. "He wanted her to convert or he was going to break the alliance."

"I know," she said plainly and Arielle cocked her head in confusion. "Kubrat told me earlier in the week. I asked Ku to talk to her first and see what she said. Clearly, she didn't like the idea."

Xena licked her lips. "You _knew_ about this and kept it from everyone?"

"It wouldn't have made a difference _when_ I told everyone." Gabrielle leaned over her wife's shoulder, inspecting the bloody wound and wrinkled her nose. "The reaction would've been the same either way."

Xena looked up at the blonde and scowled. She dabbed the wound with a fresh damp cloth and then trimmed the excess thread and pulled the dress over Arielle's torso. She washed her hands vigorously with a bar of soap and saw Arielle try to rise from the bed.

"Lay back down," she ordered. "I stitched up your wound for an hour and you'll just reopen it. Lay down."

Arielle huffed and settled in the pillows. "I told you I was cursed."

"You are _not_ cursed."

"Then why do all my marriages fall apart?!" she said, tears filling her eyes. "Something must be wrong with me."

Xena sighed and sat on the bed, wiping her wet hands on her pants. "Nothing is wrong with you. In the words of Kreka; 'men are goat shit'," she said, smiling. "This isn't your fault, Arielle. You're better off without Kubrat."

Gabrielle nodded in agreement. "Now you don't have to be stuck in a loveless marriage."

Arielle wiped her eyes. "But now I'm going to live in fear of him revolting. He's not going to uphold his end of the deal. He won't remain my ally anymore. You both know it's true."

"Maybe," Xena shrugged. "He might be too afraid to rebel. You also got rid of all the Byzantine soldiers in his tribe. If he does want to fight us it's going to take a lot of convincing to let Justinian to lend him more men."

"That's true." She put a hand over her sore abdomen and wrinkled her nose. "I think I want to rest for awhile." She inhaled sharply and added, "don't tell Aurora what happened. She is always worrying over me," she weakly smiled.

Xena leaned over and kissed Arielle's forehead and grazed her cheek. "I'll send in Ku to watch over you."

* * *

Navaz threw a dagger at the wall. He sat at the desk in the suite he shared with Anastasia, throwing daggers at the wall for the last hour. So far he had gone through more than ten turns. It was the only thing keeping him from marching over to Kubrat's room and beating him senseless. It weren't for his wife he would've smashed Kubrat's face in hours ago.

Anastasia came up behind him and draped her arms over his large chest. She slipped her hand underneath his shirt and swirled her fingertips across his chiseled abdominal muscles.

"You're distracting me from my target practice," he said gruffly.

"That's the idea," she kissed his neck and scraped her fingers through his short hair. "Take a break and come to bed with me."

Navaz grabbed her hand and pulled it out from beneath his shirt. "I'm not in the mood, Anastasia. I want to kill that man." He threw another dagger at the wall. "I'm only keeping my distance because _you_ asked me to."

She grumbled and sauntered towards the bed and removed her dress. It fell to the floor around her ankles and she took the several pins out of her bun and her long hair tumbled down her backside. Ana looked over her shoulder with a glint in her eyes and mischievous smile.

He peered at her from across the room and clenched his jaw, forcing himself not to give in to her. He shifted in the chair and sunk down, spreading his legs apart and scratched his beard. His eyes darted over to his wife once more and admired her shapely hips and thighs hidden by the veil of hair.

He was too upset over the altercation between his daughter and Kubrat to focus on his wife. He groaned and ran a hand over his face and turned away as soon as Anastasia turned around.

"Ana," he sighed. "I don't know what you're trying to do but you need to stop."

She put her hands on her hips. "Navaz stop thinking about plunging a sword into Kubrat."

"In three days if he's not gone," he raised an assertive finger, "don't try and stop me from doing just that."

Ana's upper lip quirked up. There was no doubt in her mind that Navaz would fulfill his promise. She wanted Kubrat to follow the rules and leave before it came to that.

* * *

_Baltic Region_

Csaba sent his correspondence to Bayan the moment he arrived in the region. After that he was on his own with the men assigned to roam alongside him. He searched the area and it wasn't difficult to find the Antes tribe in the north. He bought several new clothes so he wouldn't stand out from everyone else here.

This trip was necessary but he needed to make sure he returned quickly. He wanted to be with his children and Farah. All he could see was his wife's weeping face replaying over and over in his head. To be separated this long from his family was going to be hard but he had an obligation to fulfill.

He and two men came with him to the Antes tribe and instantly he was gawked at by several blond men. He was obviously an outsider but he couldn't let anyone know that he was a Hun otherwise he'd be dead in less than a second.

Radogost approached with a halting hand. "Who are you?"

Csaba stared at the long haired blond. "I'm traveling through the area. I need a place to rest. Are you able to host me and my men?"

"Where are you from?"

"Ravenna," Csaba studied the blond man's distrusting eyes. He hoped his accent wasn't going to give him away.

"Wait here."

Csaba knew that he was a spectacle for these Antes. They were examining him from afar, studying the way he carried himself, the clothes he wore, the horse he had. He didn't make eye contact with any of the onlookers and waited for the blond to come back.

From afar, a man with red hair and long beard exited a large tent. Csaba raised an eyebrow at the man. He assumed this man was Chieftain Mezamir. It was obvious he was in charge of this tribe by the way he looked and everyone turned when he came out of the tent. They looked fearful of him. This was definitely our guy, Csaba thought.

Mezamir marched across the tribe and all lowered their heads when he passed by. He stopped in front of Csaba with a smirk on his face. His fingers ran through his frizzy coiled beard. Csaba avoided eye contact and kept his head at a slight angle.

"I hear you're traveling from Ravenna."

Csaba raised his head gradually. "Yes, that's right. I'm looking for work."

"Ravenna is overrun by Huns and Gepids. Are you one of them?" Mezamir narrowed his light eyes.

"No, I'm Roman."

Mezamir hummed, suspicious of the traveler. "What work do you need? What are your skills and why did you travel all the way up here?"

Csaba felt his mouth become arid. "The Huns don't give jobs to Romans. I am an excellent blacksmith and I know how to make war bows."

"War bows," the chieftain smiled, nodding his head. "I'll allow you to stay. Radogost will set up a tent you and your boys," he winked at the accompanying men. "We'll talk later."

"Thank you. It's very kind of you to allow us to stay in your tribe."

Mezamir chuckled. "What is your name?"

"Lukas."

* * *

A couple weeks later Kubrat left with his family within the three days. The Adame was tense for those few days and there many questions from the children who were oblivious to the situation but ultimately they were left in the dark. Before they left, Drusilla fought with Kubrat and chastised him for asking so much from Arielle.

Out of all people, Drusilla was the most disappointed to leave. She had her mind set on living in Pannonia and slowly developed a mutual relationship with Arielle and the other children in the tribe. Her plan to unite the tribes was foiled and now she was going to be stuck in the Dulo region, living in fear that her husband might rebel against the empire.

Xena sat with Aurora in front of her, brushing the girl's long hair while she listened to Gabrielle's plan for Eksama concerning the Lombards in the south.

"All the tents have been set up in south Pannonia," said Gabrielle. "Farah is reviewing all of the costs needed for the soldiers."

Xena hummed quietly, brushing Aurora's hair. "Did Ana talk with Arielle about the Adame and church?"

"Farah says that the construction of the church isn't a priority right now and the Kazakh Adame will be built in the spring."

Aurora picked at the hem of her pants. "Why did Drusilla leave? I liked her."

"I know you did," said Xena. "They had to go back to their tribe because Khan Kubrat and your mother didn't…come to an agreement on the marriage."

The princess frowned. "Was he mean to her?"

"Something like that." She set the brush down and ruffled Aurora's silky locks. "All done. You're lucky you don't have your mother's hair otherwise we'd be here for hours."

Aurora held the small mirror, inspecting her silky hair and turned around with a smile. "Thanks. I think I'm gonna go play with Kazem now. We're supposed to practice some archery."

Xena arched her eyebrow. "And who will be watching you two?"

"Umm…" the girl tapped her cheek. "Ku-Ilm?"

"You didn't ask her, did you?" Xena asked and the princess laughed awkwardly. "Go get her. I don't want you two wandering off again. You caused a lot of trouble back in Scythia."

"I'll be good I swear!"

Aurora got up off the floor and took off running, screaming for Kazem who was already outside. Xena rolled her eyes, shaking her head. There were some traits that Aurora shared with her mother but for the most part she was better behaved than Arielle ever was as a child.

"We've all heard that before," Gabrielle said.

She took out her journal and pushed it across the rug towards Xena. She grabbed her quill pointed to the bottom of the page and waved the pen in her wife's face. Xena furrowed her brows and hesitantly took the pen into her grasp and read over the page quickly.

From what she read she was going to have to be on patrol of Pannonia further north. She always hated being on patrol as it consisted of a lot of waiting around for something to happen and usually nothing ever did. Justinian also sent more men around to Assyria and they were on the borders of Persia as well.

"I'll be patrolling the border for a week?"

Gabrielle confirmed with a head nod.

"What _fun_," Xena said in a hushed tone and signed her name on the document. "You're going to keep me company, right?"

"I do have to be there if anything happens," Gabrielle hinted. "Maybe we'll get lucky and it won't snow while we're out there!"

Anastasia walked into the women's quarters and waved down Gabrielle. "Tegin Irkin is here to discuss the loan."

Gabrielle nodded. "I'll tell you everything after the meeting," she whispered and got off the floor.

Xena crossed her ankles and sprung up from the floor and placed her headdress on, eyeing her daughter from afar. She took her gloves out from her coat pocket and slipped them on her hands. Since she wasn't going to present in the meeting and Ernak didn't need her with Eksama, she was stuck in limbo with nothing to do.

"I'm going to go outside to keep an eye on those two rugrats. I don't want them to get into trouble," she winked and waved at Anastasia then made her way outside.

* * *

Tegin Irkin waited in a large room decorated with several long tables and couches lined against the walls. He looked down at the huge rug beneath his feet and recognized it to be a Persian design. He sighed heavily and heard the doors open behind him.

He spun around on his heel and in walked Anastasia, Gabrielle and Farah. He bowed his head and took a step aside to allow them to pass. All three women sat down on the floor and Farah set down a large stack of journals and began organizing them, ignoring the Persian pasha.

He sat down opposite of the three and smiled nervously. He expected to see Arielle here attending this very important meeting but was too afraid to ask where she was. The letter tucked in his coat was a reminder to ask to speak to Arielle alone later.

"Anastasia Khatun, it's very nice to see you again," he said and she briefly smiled. "Queen Farah," he inclined his head.

Farah lifted her eyes to give a quick glance and then continued flipping through two journals at once.

"Governor," he greeted.

"Tegin Irkin," Gabrielle said with a soft smile.

Farah handed Anastasia a journal of the plan she wrote down for the last couple of weeks. Ana instantly was overwhelmed by the amount of information handed to her. The loan was going to be quite a lot and the Shah wasn't privy to the amount. Farah had worked out a very concise plan to distribute the funds to every single part of the empires which also included a payment plan as well.

Anastasia cleared her throat, unsure of how to begin this awkward conversation.

"We're requesting to borrow a little over 100,000 dinari from your Shah."

Tegin raised his eyebrows. "That's quite a lot, khatun."

"I'm aware but we need it for the war against the Lombards, Antes and Byzantines. We aren't able to pay our soldiers, feed our tribes or provide proper weapons for the army."

"And how are you going to repay the Shah if we give you these funds?"

"We won't be able to start repaying him until we get the Lombards out of Banat and south Pannonia. We'll also tax all of our other tribes too."

Tegin rubbed his smooth jaw. "How long will it take to pay the loan back?"

Farah spoke out of turn, "three years minimum, five years maximum."

Anastasia grimaced and shot her daughter in law a wicked glare. Farah shied away and turned her cheek.

Tegin broke the tense silence. "What if I supply 50,000 dinari and give you some soldiers instead? You don't have to worry about housing them or feeding them."

"But I worked for weeks on this payment plan!" Farah complained.

Anastasia craned her neck and snarled, "Farah! If you don't stop talking without permission you're going to have to leave," she whispered for everyone to hear.

Gabrielle, busy recording the meeting, chimed in with her two cents, "I think Tegin's offer is reasonable. We don't want to be indebted to Persia for five years." She too, received the terrible glare from Anastasia.

Farah leaned over and ripped the journal out from Ana's grasp and scratched out all of her hard work. She cursed under her breath and opened a spare blank journal and began quickly jotting down extensive math equations. She counted silently and drew up an entirely new plan on the spur of the moment while everyone else waited for her.

She tossed the journal down in front of the Persian and threw her pen down. "There is the new plan. We can pay your Shah back in a year if everything goes according to plan."

He half grinned, nervous to say anything more.

"I'm more than willing to give you the original amount requested but it will put a huge dent in our treasury as well. We also have a large empire to care for."

"We need to talk about it a little bit more," said Anastasia through clenched teeth.

"Take all the time you need," he raised a hand. "If you don't mind, I'd like to speak with Khagana Arielle. Is it possible to speak with her?"

* * *

The children knew they couldn't do anything aside from archery the moment Xena arrived. Kazem was quieter than usual and focused on shooting the target. Aurora looked over her shoulder after she shot her arrow at the target and missed horribly.

She lowered her bow and quirked her mouth upward. "You know you don't have to stay here…"

Xena looked down at the small princess. "Oh, I think I do."

"But we're being good. We haven't done anything!"

"And I'm going to make sure it stays that way," she smiled and pinched Aurora's cheek.

Horns at the edge of the camp sounded and Xena turned around to see who was entering. She squinted and saw Empress Theodora on horseback with her husband's soldiers following behind her. Eksama escorted the empress, leading the entourage.

"Shit," she mumbled. "Archery practice is over!" she called out to the children. "Go inside."

Aurora ran ahead to see the guests. Her mouth gaped. "Who is that?"

"Nobody, just go inside." The children refused to move as they were too intrigued by the guests. "_Now_!"

Aurora squealed and took Kazem by the hand and they ran back into the Adame. Xena took in a deep breath and stalked over to the center of the field and met with Empress Theodora and Eksama. The Byzantine flashed a smiled and dismounted her horse and approached Xena.

"Empress," she greeted politely.

"Xena. Still alive, I see."

"I know how much that must _excite_ you," Xena winked. "What are you doing here?"

Theodora looked around the camp and spotted three large Adames. She walked forward and slipped the fur gloves off her hands and nodded, admiring the fine craftsmanship of the Hun homes. Some of the people emerged from their yurts to satisfy their curiosity. Most of them immediately crowded together once they recognized who she was.

"You Huns have been very busy." She paddled the gloves on her palm and turned to Xena. "I would like to speak to your granddaughter. I hear that she is in charge now."

Xena looked at Eksama who was very silent. "Arielle is not available. You can speak to me or my daughter."

The empress rolled her eyes. "I don't wish to speak to Anastasia. She annoys me."

"Well, those are your options, empress." Xena bit her tongue, refraining from saying something she might come to regret later. "You and I should talk. We haven't had a _decent_ conversation in a very long time," she smiled.

"You'd like that, wouldn't you?" Theodora mocked. "I'm not leaving until I speak with Arielle."

"What is the reason for your visit?"

The empress let out an annoyed sigh. "Xena, you've always been hard of hearing or maybe you just don't like to listen. I want to speak with _Arielle_ so if you wouldn't mind fetching her?"

"_Fetch_?" Xena clenched her fist. "Do I look like a dog to you?"

Eksama stepped in. "I'll go get her."

"Finally, someone who listens," the empress smiled.

* * *

Arielle's frustration level was through the roof today. She had several maids who treated her wound and arm. There was hardly time in the day to be by herself without anyone checking up on her. she sat on the edge of her bed in a silk robe and waited impatiently as a maid was applying a salve to her wound.

Three loud raps at the doors caused her eye to twitch. She smacked the maid's hand and wrapped the sash around her waist gently.

"Go away," she ordered and leaned back, wincing. "Come in!"

Tegin Irkin stepped inside with a maid who escorted him to the room. Several other women passed by him and he acknowledged them with short head nods. He took the coiled turban off his head and cleared his throat loudly.

Arielle's head spun around and her eyes widened. "Tegin."

Slowly, she rose from the bed with a hand supporting her sore lower back. She flicked her wrist at the other women who lingered in the room. Once they were both alone, she sauntered across the room with a frail smile. She knew Shah Kavad was going to send someone here but she didn't expect to see his right hand man.

"It's been a long time."

"It has," he agreed. "I heard you are to marry Khan Kubrat from the letter I received."

Arielle frowned. "Not anymore. I called it off." She dismissed the topic with a wave of her hand. "I don't want to talk about it. Since you're here it must be important. My mother hasn't allowed anyone to come see me."

Tegin pulled out the letter from his inner coat pocket and saw her eyes narrow. "I was ordered to deliver this to you."

"Me?" she took the letter, inspecting the royal seal. "Is it from Shah Kavad?"

He remained quiet and Arielle pursed her mouth. She broke the seal and unrolled the parchment. She read through the few sentences not once but three times in a row. Her eyes skimmed the page and she looked to Tegin who was emotionless. Her fingers crinkled the sides of the letter and her breath hitched.

She recognized the poetic and melodious words to be from someone whom she thought was dead. She knew Xerxes' handwriting like the back of her hand. Suddenly, she thought this might be some sort of trick and she was being made a fool of. She remembered that day when her father came to see her. it was a day she'd never forget.

"What…w-what is this?" she croaked and waved the letter in Tegin's face. "What is this?!"

He knew this meeting wasn't going to go well. Tegin didn't want to be the brunt of her wrath but he was intent on defending himself if necessary. By defending himself, he meant to move as swiftly and far away as possible from her.

"A letter from Shehzade Xerxes, your highness."

"Xerxes is _dead_!" she crumpled the letter and threw it at him. "He's gone!"

He sighed. "He is very much alive, khagana."

She laughed out loud. "Kawus killed him. You delivered a letter to my father saying so!"

Tegin licked his lips. "Yes, I did. Shehzade Kawus did _try_ to kill Shehzade Xerxes but failed. The Shah put him into hiding and Shehzade Kawus still believes his brother is dead. He has been living with his aunt in Babylon."

This wasn't a dream nor was it reality. Arielle couldn't believe what she heard. For over a year she grieved Xerxes' death. She hadn't completely gotten over his death and now that she came to know that he was alive, anger slowly rose within her. She'd been lied to this entire time.

She didn't know how to feel but she did know that she felt like throwing up at any moment. She turned around and put a hand over her queasy stomach and took in several deep breaths. Her eyes shut tightly and tears streamed down her cheeks.

"He's…really _alive_?"

"Yes."

Her face dropped into her hands. The knock at the door startled her and she wiped her cheeks and nose.

"Yes?" she called.

Eksama opened the door. "Empress Theodora is outside waiting to speak with you."

* * *

The conversation between Theodora and Xena was nonexistent. Instead, they stared at each other while they waited. More people began to trickle out of the Adame and the empress smiled as soon as Arielle walked down the stairs, dressed very informally she noted.

Arielle briefly eyed her grandmother nervously. She tried to hide her puffy red eyes but Xena noticed immediately. They were definitely going to talk later, she knew it, but for now, she had to behave and act like the ruler she was.

"My, how much you've grown since I've seen you," said Theodora with a shimmer to her eyes.

"What can I help you with, empress?"

Theodora stepped forward and Arielle raised a hand before she came closer. She chuckled and took a generous step backward. "It's come to my attention that you plan to build a church here in Pannonia."

Arielle studied the woman and was more concerned how that information slipped out of her territory and whispered into Byzantine ears. She made eye contact with her grandmother who shook her head. She played it calmly and chose not to question as to how Theodora knew about the church's construction.

"That's right. It will be built in the spring."

"If I do remember correctly, you and your entire empire are pagans, correct?" she asked and Arielle nodded. "Yet you want to build a church here. I commend you for being so tolerant."

"Thank you, empress."

Theodora hummed softly and continued, "I'd love for you to build a church here but you must understand that you can't just _build_ a church here. You will need to pay taxes to my empire. You also need permission from the bishop at the Hagia Sophia to build a church."

Arielle swallowed her anger. She had no desire to continue this conversation. Her mind was so focused on Xerxes that she didn't think she could form sentences to combat her enemy standing in front of her.

"There were churches in Scythia and I gave plenty of money to those churches and charities. I don't need your husband's or anyone else's permission to build a church. This is my land, my territory, empress."

"Just know that if you build a church here you will pay taxes to us, Arielle."

"That's _Khagana_ Arielle to you," she corrected with a proud smile. "You're welcome to stay in my Adame. I am an excellent host."

The empress' lip twitched. "A kind offer but no thank you. I have a place to stay."

Arielle nodded and bowed her head. "It was nice talking with you, empress."

As soon as Theodora mounted her horse and began to leave the premises, Arielle put a hand to her sweaty forehead and her balance wavered. She staggered backwards a couple of steps and Xena whipped her head around.

She walked towards Arielle but was a few seconds too late. Arielle's eyes rolled in the back of her head and she collapsed onto the grass. Xena gasped and ran over, dropped to her knees and scooped Arielle into her lap.

"Arielle," she slapped her peaked cheeks gently. "Arielle, _tatli_ _kiz_," she whispered.

* * *

Anastasia and Navaz opted to stay in Arielle's bedroom as soon as they were notified that she fainted. Outside the room, Tegin Irkin was cornered by both Gabrielle and Xena. They interrogated him for several minutes until Xena was able to pry the information out of him just before she drew a weapon to his throat.

More than an hour later they sat in the women's quarters, sharing a bottle of wine together. Neither one of them said a word for awhile and kept filling their empty glasses. Tegin Irkin broke his promise to the Shah and told them about Xerxes' faked death. This certainly changed everything and explained why Arielle dropped like a fly so suddenly.

Xena licked her wine stained lips and tapped her fingers on her knee, staring off in the distance. She blinked rapidly and turned to Gabrielle who looked equally as bemused as she did.

"What's going to happen now?" she asked.

Gabrielle took two swigs of the wine and exhaled. "I'm not sure."

"I think Arielle was just getting over Xerxes' death and now this happens…" she finished off the wine and reached for the bottle.

Xena poured the wine into her glass and Gabrielle's respectably.

"Maybe she's right. Maybe Arielle is cursed."

"Shut up, Xena."

"I don't know what I would do if I lost you. I can't imagine what is going through Arielle's mind right now." She swished the wine around. "Well, she's not really thinking right now because she's unconscious," she laughed under her breath.

"Stop it. You're being insensitive."

"Alright, I'm sorry," she raised a hand to surrender. "Anastasia is going to freak when she hears about this. Good luck telling her."

Gabrielle nearly choked on the wine. "Excuse me?" she wiped her mouth. "You're not sticking me with that! You _always_ do that to me."

"Fine. I'll do it."

"Thank you…"

Xena's nails tapped on the glass and she pursed her mouth. "You know what this means, don't you…"

"No?"

"We're going to have to deal with Nousha. And here I thought that we wouldn't ever have to see her again!"

Gabrielle laughed. "I can't ever tell when you're joking or not but…are you seriously afraid of her?"

"You keep asking me this question and my answer is always 'yes'." Xena ran her fingers through her hair. "She's a scary firecracker."

"Now you're just being ridiculous."

"She has a really bad temper, Gabrielle."

"So does Arielle and…you do too sometimes."

Xena's upper lip twitched. "You're not doing yourself any favors right now."

* * *

_Estakhr, Persia_

Even though Shah Kavad and Sambice were married, the two hadn't gotten along in several years. The tension between them heightened when Sambice conspired with her son to overthrow Kavad off the throne. She left the palace and went into hiding for awhile but after nearly a year, Kavad ordered her to come home.

Despite her traitorous actions against her husband, Sambice was allowed to stay. She was obligated to stay to keep face for the empire but the two hardly spoke and lived on opposite ends of the palace. It was apparent to both Kavad and Sambice that Kawus had tried to assassinate Xerxes.

Sambice was convinced that Xerxes was long gotten rid of and since then, she was in a far better mood than she'd ever been in a long time. Kavad kept an eye on his wife for an entire year and often sent people to spy on her conversations she had with their son.

When she wasn't conversing with Kawus, she often liked to make surprise visits to the harem wing of the palace. She strolled through the long corridor with her maids trailing behind her. She stepped through the large doors once opened and all of the concubines, who were sitting and chatting, fell silent.

She flipped the veil over her head and the women stood up immediately and bowed their heads. Sambice walked through the women and they parted a path for her. She stopped at the back of the room where Nousha sat by the window, refusing to acknowledge her.

"Nousha," she announced loudly.

She lifted her light eyes and cast a smile. "Shahbanu Sambice. Hello _again_. Weren't you just in here yesterday?"

Sambice furrowed her thick eyebrows. "I just saw Mera from the House of Varaz leaving the palace. You wouldn't have anything to do with that, would you?"

Nousha finally stood up, facing the towering queen. "Why do you always suspect _me_? Why not anyone else here?" she motioned to the other women in the room.

"So, are you playing matchmaker for Shehzade Khosrow then? As you know, your son and Jamasp are both _dead_. There is no need to converse with the other Houses in Persia," she grinned maliciously.

Nousha folded her arms. She tried her best to contain herself from cursing Sambice outright. She wanted to tell her to jump off a bridge. Ever since she came to the palace she didn't receive a warm welcome from Sambice. She was often jealous of Talia, mother of Khosrow and Atossa, mother of Jamasp, because they weren't hated or ridiculed as much.

"Maybe you should talk to the Shah about Mera Varaz's arrival. As you know, you two are on such _great_ terms," she chided with a smug smile which irritated Sambice. "If I were you, I'd keep a close eye on your son."

Sambice made a visible snarl and flipped the veil over her face and pushed her way through the concubines. She left in a hurry and Nousha kept smiling. All of the women began gossiping and whispering as soon as their queen left.

Talia, a blonde Persian and once favored concubine of the Shah, approached the petite woman. "Nousha, you shouldn't speak to Sambice like that," she whispered, shielding her eyes from the curious women.

"She's a bitter old woman. I don't care what she has to say. She's been out to get me ever since I came here. It's not my fault that the Shah doesn't find her attractive anymore. I wonder when the last time she shared a bed with him was," she snickered.

Talia sighed.

"She is still our ruler, Nousha. Just because she and the Shah aren't on good terms doesn't mean that she can't hurt you. She can _exile_ you!" she grabbed Nousha's arm. "She is in charge of the harem!"

Nousha shrugged it off. "She's tried to get rid of me before. I'd love to see her try again." She plopped down onto the sofa. "The Shah loves me. He wouldn't allow any harm to come to me."

"I sure hope you are right, Nousha. I'd be very careful if I were you."

Little did the Shahbanu know that Xerxes was in fact alive and well. Nousha was sworn to keep her son's faked death a secret. Her son was the only weapon she had in this palace. He was also the only thing that kept her alive from Sambice's repeated and _failed_ attacks over the years. Nousha was protected by the Shah and that infuriated Sambice.

* * *

Anastasia sat in front of her mother and Gabrielle in complete shock at the news. She sat for a few minutes, not knowing how to react or what to say. It certainly explained Arielle's fainting spell. The news was too much for her to handle.

"Xerxes is _alive_?" she asked a second time.

The women bobbed their heads, silently staring at the flustered khatun.

"What if –what if it's just a ruse? What if this is a sick game concocted by Shehzade Kawus?"

"We both spoke to Tegin Irkin," said Gabrielle. "He has been communicating with Xerxes for over a year. He swore on his life that the letter he delivered was written by Xerxes himself."

Anastasia picked at her nails anxiously.

"How could…Shah Kavad do this? How could he cause Arielle such distress? She's been suffering for a year! She's been –been so miserable!" she clenched her fists.

Xena's gaze dipped downward. "Anastasia…I don't think the Shah knew about their relationship."

Ana's face fell into her hands and tears slowly trickled down her cheeks. Xena moved across the rug and wrapped her arms around her trembling daughter. She pressed her lips against Ana's temple and gently rocked her back and forth.

Anastasia raised her head from her palms and let out short spurts of breaths. Her mother's hand brushed the tears from her cheeks. She sniveled and wiped her nose with the backside of my hand.

"I…just want my daughter to be happy," she uttered in between hitched breaths.

"I know you do." Xena brushed her daughter's hair behind her ears. "Mothers always want the best for their children."

Anastasia met her mother's warm eyes and weakly grinned. "She's been unhappy for a long time. I don't know if I can be relieved that Xerxes is alive. Their relationship is bound to go through several obstacles."

Gabrielle placed a hand on Ana's shoulder. "But despite all the hoops they've had to jump through so far, Arielle was very happy with Xerxes. She knew the road was going to be tough going in and Xerxes knew it too."

"Where do we go from here? Will Arielle want to be with him again?"

Xena swiped her thumb across her daughter's cheek. "I think that's for her to decide. How much do you want to bet that she slaps Xerxes?"

"Mom!"

* * *

Navaz argued awhile with Anastasia to offer to watch their daughter while she got some much needed rest. After several minutes of bickering he was able to convince her to go to bed for the evening. He stayed with Arielle and waited for her to wake up. He stayed awake most of the night and nodded off every so often.

That following morning, exhausted and mentally drained, he sat in a chair with Aurora sitting on his lap. She was very talkative and told him all about the games she played with Kazem last night and the archery lessons they had often.

He tried to seem intrigued by his granddaughter's tales and occasionally smiled at key words she said throughout her long winded sentences. In the middle of one of her stories, Arielle stirred awake and slowly opened her eyes.

Aurora gasped and hopped off Navaz's lap and ran over to the side of the bed. "Mom, mom! Are you feeling better now? Grandma khanum said you fell down outside. Why did that happen? Are you sick?"

Arielle, jarred by the twenty questions coming at her, began to hyperventilate. This caused her father to instantly grab the princess and whisk her away.

He knelt down and whispered, "why don't you go tell everybody that your mother is awake?"

Aurora glanced back at her mother with concern. "Is she okay?"

He held her small face in his palms. "Absolutely. Go tell everyone the good news," he paddled her thigh.

Once she darted out of the bedroom, Navaz sat back down beside the bed and kissed his daughter's hand. Finally, her breathing returned to its normalcy by her father's calming presence. Navaz scooted closer and checked her forehead with the back of his hand.

"I heard about Xerxes," he said.

Arielle's face scrunched up and she started to whimper. She put a hand over her eyes and felt her father squeeze her other hand.

Instant panic set in and he rubbed her arm. "Don't do that," he pried her hand off her eyes. "Don't cry _aslanim_."

She inhaled sharply when her father called her _aslan_. It was one of the first words she heard Xerxes say in her mother tongue. In his letter he also addressed her by that pet name. She knew the letter was written by him but she couldn't believe it. Was that just yesterday? The days were all running together. Her life changed completely a year ago when she heard of Xerxes' death and now her life was once again affected by him.

She swallowed the lump caught in her throat and sniffled. "I…was supposed to marry him," her voice, defeated and broken.

Navaz let out a soft sigh. "I know."

He knew Arielle had some reservations concerning marrying anyone again. From what he remembered, she wasn't too excited about the idea even though Xerxes was courting her. She never actually said that out loud that she wanted to marry Xerxes until now. She was a master at hiding her feelings.

"What am I supposed to do? I don't know how to feel. I'm confused…and…hurt. Why was this kept from me? I would've kept it a secret! I would've…I…"

"Alright," he calmed her down with a finger pressed to her lips. "You know how secretive the Sassanians can be, Arielle. They don't trust anybody and look what they're doing; killing their own family members."

"Kawus deserves to die! He's a snake who lurks in the garden."

"I agree with you but Xerxes' was being protected by his father. His life is vital to Persia. If Kawus dies then Xerxes and Khosrow are the only two princes left to the throne after the Shah dies."

Arielle bit her lower lip. "I don't know what to do."

"Do you…love him?"

She nodded.

"Then maybe you should write him a letter. Tegin Irkin can deliver it when he returns to Persia."

"I –I don't know what to say! What should I say?" she sat up slowly. "Can you help me write it?"

Navaz smiled. "I will get the parchment."

He stood and walked over to her desk to scrounge around for some blank parchments. He flipped through her piles upon piles of documents and opened a couple of drawers. He rummaged through the messy desk drawer and grabbed a small stack of blank parchment and grabbed an inkwell and pen.

Arielle nervously smiled when he sat back down and set the items in her lap. She gazed at the parchment and gingerly took the pen from his grasp.

"Dad, do you think I'm doing the right thing?" she asked, unsure of herself.

"I said I was going to help you write the letter. Don't be nervous."

She laughed softly. "No, I'm not talking about the letter. I mean, wanting to marry Xerxes. Is it the right thing to do?"

Navaz chose to keep his opinions to himself and he truly wanted the best for her even if that meant giving her to a Persian. He wasn't very enthralled with the idea from the start but he couldn't control her life. She wasn't a child anymore.

"I will support you no matter what." He kissed her hand.

She released a sigh of relief. She had doubts of marrying Xerxes and building a life with him during their short courtship but ever since he was ripped away from her she came to the realization that she took him for granted.

**I wasn't ** _ **actually** _ ** going to kill Xerxes. I have plans for him later. He just needed to disappear for a little bit lol.**

**Fact: Shehzade Xerxes was very close to the Huns and Avars which made him extremely unpopular in the Sassanian Empire. He had numerous amounts of death threats from his brother Kawus and other politicians in Persia.**


	50. Chapter 50

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Csaba learns about some very explicit intentions that Mezamir has for Arielle. After Gabrielle is injured during an invasion, Xena realizes that she takes her wife for granted. In an attempt to cheer up Farah during Csaba's absence, Arielle organizes a game revolving around Farah's pregnancy.

**We made it to 50 chapters! Many more to come!**

Chapter 50

Another month passed and Xerxes was finally released from seclusion once Tegin Irkin returned from Pannonia. Shehzade Khosrow was able to capture Kawus and bring him to their palace in Estakhr. He was judged before their father's council and sentenced to death instantly.

Xerxes came to watch the beheading outside in the square behind the palace. He saw the betrayal in Kawus' eyes and felt no pity for him. He was forced to hide for more than a year because of Kawus. Everything that went horribly wrong was all due to Xerxes' elder brother.

Finally, he could live freely. Even though he was declared safe after Kawus' head was separated from his body that foggy winter morning, Xerxes feared what might happen to him in the future. Kawus' mother, Sambice, was still very powerful and unfortunately still the Shah's legal wife. But for now, he wanted to focus on his future and that future was to going to be with Arielle no matter what his mother said.

Days after the execution Xerxes was invited into his home to greet his parents after spending so long apart from each other. Nousha welcomed him with open arms and showered him with gifts and a massive spread of food. Once he was finished visiting with his mother, Xerxes had plans to see his father to discuss the soldiers transported to Pannonia.

He couldn't avoid the topic forever. He needed to tell his mother his true intentions with Arielle. After all the time that passed, he never forgot about her. When he reunited with Arielle, he knew he was going to receive a mouthful from her and he expected nothing less from the outspoken Khagana.

"Mother," he interrupted her spiel, "I want to talk about marriage."

Nousha smiled, oblivious to her son's inner thoughts. "I'm so glad you brought that up, Xerxes. I too, would like to talk of marriage."

"You do?" he asked with a furrowed brow.

"Your father held a meeting with Eshan Varaz. He thought it is best you have an arranged marriage with Eshan's daughter, Mera."

Xerxes' jaw dropped at the news. He knew he couldn't trust his mother. Even while he was locked away, she was busy arranging his life for him without consent as usual. He met Mera Varaz once before when they were children but he hadn't seen her in over twenty years.

"She's grown into a lovely young woman," Nousha said adoringly. "I know she will give you gorgeous children in the _near_ future," she hinted.

His dark eyes lowered to the floor. His plans to talk to his mother about his intention to marry Arielle were pointless now. There was no possible way to convince his mother to call off this marriage, at least not this second.

"When will she arrive?" he asked.

"She needs time to organize her trip to come here. It will take awhile but don't worry," she paddled her son's knee, "the documents have already been signed. You are legally married to her. I hear Mera is very anxious to see you again."

Xerxes' face drained of all color. Married. He was already married to this woman. His entire family controlled his life but he wasn't going to let them control his destiny too. Marrying Arielle was his end goal. It needed to happen and it will, he swore it would when he promised her.

* * *

_Baltic_ _Region_

Csaba kept his guard up while he cohabitated with the Antes tribe. He received strange stares daily which he tried to ignore. He did as he promised and crafted several war bows for Chieftain Mezamir. The cover he had would only last so long. Mezamir might have been suspicious of him from the start but Csaba couldn't read the man well.

Mezamir was an interesting character. He joked around a lot with his men but it was clear that the tribe respected him. Radogost on the other hand was very distrusting of Csaba and his small crew. Csaba was quick to learn that Radogost was the Chieftain's right-hand man and would kill in the blink of an eye.

He kept a watchful eye on the tall blond. Two months he lived among the Antes and shared a yurt with his soldiers not far from Mezamir's tent. Csaba finished making about ten war bows since his arrival and today he was asked to come to Mezamir's tent to showcase his work.

Mezamir sat on the floor of his tent and inspected the war bows one by one. He gazed up at Csaba and smiled, nodding his head. He then passed the bows off to Radogost to be put in the armory tent across the camp.

"You do excellent work," he complimented.

Csaba smiled proudly. "Thank you."

Mezamir reclined on a mound of pillows and offered his new bowman a seat. He poured some wine for them both which Csaba graciously accepted. Sipping the bitter wine, Mezamir stared at the supposed Roman across the way.

"You live among the Huns and Gepids," he stated and Csaba eyed him. "You look like a strong man. I bet you know how to wield a sword in battle."

Csaba's mouth quirked up into a sneer. "I know a thing or two about using a sword."

"Ever kill a Hun before?"

Csaba's jaw clenched. "One or two," he lied, placating the Chieftain.

The redhead grinned and finished off the wine. He slammed the cup down on the floor and draped an arm over his raised knee. His eyes were never taken off of Csaba and he ran his fingers through his braided long beard.

"I sent someone to kill that savage Hun empress awhile back," he said casually. "The man I sent didn't finish the job so I had to finish _him_."

A bitter taste was left in Csaba's mouth. It took great strength and willpower not to pounce on the man who spoke of his little sister. He'd always been very protective of both his sisters and knew if he showed an ounce of sympathy for Arielle that his plan would fold.

"The Khagana won't be easy to kill," he managed to say with a cool tone. "I heard she is living in Pannonia again."

Mezamir swiped his tongue over his upper lip. "She was wise to relocate but that won't stop my men from making another attempt on her life."

"Are you planning to attack soon?" Csaba fished for answers.

Mezamir shrugged a shoulder and raised a palm. He didn't trust this man who called himself a Roman but he trusted him enough to spill his intent. Smiling, he leaned forward and poured another cup of wine.

"Would you bed a Hun?" he asked.

Csaba widened his eyes at the intrusive question. He couldn't keep a straight face and his reaction caused Mezamir to erupt in a roaring laugh.

"Aleksander told me that the Hun empress is very…pleasing to the eyes," he winked and raised his cup. "Maybe I shouldn't kill her first," he proposed.

Csaba narrowed his eyes, gripping the cup tightly in his palm. His heart raced rapidly and his upper lip trembled. One more word about his sister and he would reach across the way and tackle this man to the ground. Death by asphyxiation was an awful way to leave this world, he thought.

"I could bring her here and claim her," Mezamir said, chuckling. "I'd pass her around the tribe. I've always wanted to see what a Hun woman is like in bed."

Csaba bit his inner cheek and his nostrils flared from breathing heavily. He needed to leave this tent or he was going to kill Mezamir. And he'd have no problem doing it too but one wrong move could cost him his life.

He decided to play along. "Somehow I don't think the Khagana would _let_ you have your way with her."

"She wouldn't have the _option_ to fight back. I'll fuck her and then leave my men to finish her off," he said, glaring into Csaba's green eyes. A malicious smile formed and he took a swig of the drink.

* * *

This was the third week in a row that Xena was told to keep watch along the border. It was the most boring job in her entire career. She never liked waiting for there to be no outcome. Sometimes she got lucky and something happened but usually it was dull. It wasn't like she wanted her people to get attacked.

This last watch she was annoyed with her wife. Somehow, Anastasia weaseled her way into coming to the border and somehow, she convinced Gabrielle to let her tag along. This was another one of Gabrielle's pushover moments that Xena despised.

Anastasia was overly excited to accompany them that Xena couldn't deny her. She didn't have the heart to tell her daughter to leave after she saw how excited Anastasia was. But still, she was irritated that Gabrielle gave in so easily.

"I don't know why she wants to be here," she whispered to Gabrielle. "She can't see beyond her own two feet."

Gabrielle released a long and dramatic sigh. "You're overexaggerating. I don't think she actually was interested in the task itself. I think she just wanted to spend some time with you."

Xena turned, eyes softening at her daughter standing on the snow-covered hill. She tilted her head and let a soft smile slip.

"I have been kind of hard on her lately, haven't I?"

"Just a little," Gabrielle pinched her spouse's arm.

Anastasia stood with the cold wind blowing against her face. Her coming here wasn't all for nothing. She may not have been able to see but her ears never deceived her. Ever since her accident she thought she could hear ten times better than she could before. She wanted to prove her worth to everyone here and show that she wasn't just someone's wife, someone's mother and someone's daughter.

She was still a ruler here and she had plenty to offer. This time, she could offer something more than what anyone's eyes could. Her ears perked up at the sound of snapping and popping in the distance. She closed her eyes and listened to the noises that were not from the surrounding natural forces.

The snapping. The popping. The crackling of dried leaves. The footprints in the snow. The creaking of a taut bow ready to pull.

"Someone's here," she announced.

Xena walked ahead, putting a halt to her conversation shared with Gabrielle. She joined her daughter and looked out at the dark snowy plains ahead.

"I don't see anyone."

Anastasia kept her eyes closed, following the sounds. Then she slowly turned her body and pointed out to the left field. Her eyes shot open and she smiled.

"There."

Xena raised a skeptical eyebrow and looked back at her wife who stared questionably. She waved to the soldiers and motioned for them to scout the area Anastasia pointed to.

As soon as the soldiers entered the left field, several men popped up hidden underneath a blanket of snow. Xena instantly grabbed her daughter and ushered her away from the danger. She took Anastasia's hand and ran down the hill, nearly losing her footing on the slick snow.

Gabrielle made eye contact with her wife and had a silent conversation with her with just a stare. She ran ahead, yelling at the soldiers to get ready to protect the border. All across the field, men kept appearing from beneath the snow. Hun soldiers were shot with an abundance of arrows, killing the scouts.

She panicked and crouched down to evade the oncoming arrows shot directly at the row of soldiers guarding the border. Gabrielle ran behind the soldiers with a hand over her fur hat. She poked her head out to see the large number of invaders trickling in.

She picked up her wife's role and began commanding the soldiers. She looked over her shoulder and saw Xena coming back this way now that Anastasia was in the clear and out of harm's way.

Gabrielle brought her attention back to the field and before she could react, a knife pierced her shoulder. She fell backward and cried out. Her eyes drifted to the short knife sticking out of her body. It was wedged in between her collar bone and meat of her breast.

Xena didn't freeze when she saw Gabrielle fall. If she went to help Gabrielle, she wouldn't hear the end of it. She couldn't let Gabrielle be a distraction for her again. It happened too many times before and she made poor decisions.

Instead of keeping her promise to remain out of the field she drew her sword and marched up the hill, passing by Gabrielle who was still lain in the snow.

A soldier came to Gabrielle's aid and applied pressure to the wound and yanked the knife out. She bit her lip, growling lowly as a surge of agonizing pain coursed through her entire upper body. Amidst the pain, she sat up and put her hand over the wound which was gushing blood all over her fur collared coat.

Almost instantaneously, she forgot about her bloody wound. She watched Xena from the lower part of the hill, hacking up one of the invaders. Warm blood completely covered her hand and the soldier kept speaking to her but his words went in one ear and out the other.

Xena gripped her sword with both hands and drove the blade down into the attacker's chest. She withdrew the sword and then stabbed him again. The ribs of the attacker made an eerie crackling sound when the blade dove into his chest for the third time.

When Ana returned to the Adame, Navaz galloped to the border to offer his hand. His focus immediately went to Gabrielle and he jumped off the horse to help her. Without hesitating, he scooped Gabrielle into his arms effortlessly.

"You need immediate attention. I'm taking you back to the Adame."

"No! You need to help Xena! She's out there killing people left and right, Navaz!" she protested.

He set her on the horse and climbed aboard then wrapped his arm around her. "Your wound is more important! I am not worried about Xena. She is more than qualified to handle an invasion."

While the Huns were busy blocking the border, Xena was able to detain one of the attackers. She broke his arm and stabbed his thigh so he wouldn't try and run. She dragged him across the snowy plains by pulling his arm.

Her blade was pointed to his throat and she stomped her boot on his wounded thigh. The man released a high-pitched scream and grunted while heaving. It had been a long while since Xena interrogated someone and she wasn't feeling very kind today especially after what happened to Gabrielle.

"Who sent you?" she pressed the tip of the blade into his neck. "Alduin? Rodelinda? Mezamir?"

He lifted his chin and gaped into her menacing eyes that continued to narrow.

"I'm not going to kill you. We could take this to a more private area if you wish," the corner of her lip twitched into a hateful sneer.

"Lieutenant!"

She whipped her head around to a soldier calling her. She let up on the attacker and stalked over to the Avar waiting for her on the archery line. Her focus was drawn to the many men on the plains fighting relentlessly with every weapon but swords. They were using axes and maces mostly. Very few archers accompanied them on this invasion.

"They are Chieftain Mezamir's men," he informed her.

Xena snarled and then pointed her bloody blade to the open field. "Get rid of them all. I don't want to see a single living soul left here."

She turned back to the man suffering on the ground. He tried desperately to crawl away. This poor man, she thought. Xena marched over to the Antes soldier and took a handful of his hair and yanked his head back. A quick swipe of her sword to his neck and he gargled on his own blood. Choking, he clutched his throat and spat viscous blood on the white blanket of snow beneath him.

Xena threw him aside and the snow soaked up all the blood pouring from his throat. She wiped her sword on his pantleg then walked towards the Adame, trusting the soldiers to finish what she commanded them to do.

* * *

Arielle met her father in the foyer who carried Gabrielle in his arms. She wanted to console Gabrielle but first she needed to know what was happening out on the field. She ran outside and scurried down the steps.

She halted on the middle of the staircase when she met her grandmother's wicked dagger-like eyes from the bottom of the steps.

Xena pointed to the field behind her. "Is this what you pay your men to do?" she asked sternly. Then she raised her voice, "what is this? We were attacked! I thought you ordered every single soldier to guard the borders!"

"I…I did!" Arielle said. "You're the one in charge of the army grandma."

"No," she walked up the stairs and jabbed Arielle's chest, "_you_ are in charge," she hissed. "I just carry out the orders or did you forget that? I plan and devise. You're above _me_, Arielle. Did you forget all of your training? What is going on in that head of yours?"

Arielle cast a solemn frown and her gaze fell to her boots.

Xena sighed and lifted Arielle's chin with a finger. "I know you miss Xerxes and I'm very glad he's alive. But I need you to focus. Don't let a boy distract you." She nudged a knuckle to Arielle's cheek.

"Do you think he will be happy to see me?"

"_Please_," Xena rolled her eyes. "That man kisses the ground you walk on."

Arielle's eyebrow lifted, expressing her skepticism. "I'm going to the border to make sure no one comes into our tribe."

"Yes, you do that. Don't leave your post until I say so."

Xena passed by and entered the Adame shortly after she ended the conversation with Arielle. She wandered the halls for a bit and found Anastasia standing outside the infirmary on the first floor. Several maids exited the room with bloodied linens. She felt her chest constrict and her head followed the maids carrying the baskets.

She darted towards the room and Anastasia blocked her path. Anyone else in her way and she would've thrown them. She clenched her fists and breathed heavily.

"_Move_, Anastasia."

"No, mother. I'm not allowing you in there." She spread her arms out and pressed her back against the doors.

"I think you should know by now to get out of my way when I say so. Step aside, Ana."

Anastasia remained vigilant and refused her mother entry. "Please, mother. Don't put me in a difficult position."

Xena grabbed her daughter by the shoulders and gently yet forcefully, shoved her aside. She swung open the doors and rushed inside the infirmary. Standing at the foot of the bed she saw Gabrielle's shoulder and breast bound in thick gauze. Gabrielle was obviously heavily sedated as she lay still as a board, unresponsive to the many hands that came to her aid.

A shamaness from the Suevi tribe entered the room and set a tray of medicine on the bed. Shocked to see Xena in the room, she hesitated to apply the necessary medicine to Gabrielle's wound and instead stood by the bed, gaping at Xena.

Xena, distracted by her spouse's injury, finally took notice of the shamaness and frowned. "What are _you_ doing in here? Where is the physician?"

"Anastasia Khatun requested that I come here."

She began pouring several oils into a bowl and mixed them with dried herbs. She swirled the mixture around with a pestle and Xena grabbed her arm.

"Don't you _touch_ her," Xena ordered. She sat on the bed and looked underneath the bandage to see the large gaping hole in Gabrielle's body.

Anastasia walked in and saw the shamaness waiting off to the side while her mother kept ogling the ghastly wound.

"Mother, what are you doing? Why aren't you letting her do her job?"

Xena grimaced and unraveled the bandages on Gabrielle's shoulder. "I don't want her _kind_ anywhere near Gabrielle. Why didn't you bring the physician here?"

"Cemre is a very good friend of Ursula's. I asked her to come here because of her extensive knowledge on herbal medicine to eradicate poisons."

Xena froze and whipped her head around. "Poison?" she croaked. "What do you mean _poison_?"

Ana set a hand on her mother's shoulder. "This is why I didn't want you to come in here. Please let Cemre do her job."

Slowly, Xena eased her way off the bed, taking her daughter's hand. She stepped away and allowed the shamaness to continue to do her task of mixing herbs and applying them to Gabrielle's wound.

* * *

Arielle manned the border with her father by her side. She made sure that all of the soldiers were blocking the border while she instructed the archers to keep firing at the Antes soldiers. She walked behind a row of men, eyeing the resilient men of Mezamir.

The gatekeepers on the other side of the tribe towards the south blew the loud horns and Arielle turned around. She swiftly darted across the hill and saw a horde of horsemen riding into the tribe with Eksama's empty blonde horse.

She brought her eyebrows together. "Where is Eksama?"

Navaz stepped away from the archers and stood behind his daughter. "It looks like your question is about to be answered."

A Gepid soldier furiously rode through the thick snowy terrain up to the hill. The horse skid to a halt in front of Arielle and Navaz. He breathed heavily and removed his helm and briefly bowed his head to them both.

"The Lombards have begun their attack. King Ernak and the Commander were both ambushed. The Commander has been wounded and I was told to bring her back here."

Arielle growled. "Fuck!" she slapped her thigh out of frustration. "This is not going the way I wanted it to!"

She ran and jumped onto her horse. Before she galloped away, Navaz grabbed hold of the reins.

"Let me go to the south border," he suggested. "Your grandmother wants you _here_. Don't defy her orders, Arielle."

With Gabrielle's injury, she knew not to rock the boat further by angering her grandmother. Now that Eksama was also injured they were short a commander and that could be very detrimental to their army. Ernak was all alone in the south against the Lombards. Arielle had no choice but to stay here.

"Alright," she huffed and dismounted the horse. "Dad, don't come back with a severed limb or something. Mother will have a stroke," she mildly joked with an underlying seriousness to her tone.

Navaz saluted to his daughter and winked. He boarded his horse and galloped down the hill with the Gepid soldier accompanying him. He waved to the soldiers waiting on the outskirts and they quickly followed him without command.

* * *

_Baltic Region_

It was tough living here without having contact with his people. Csaba wanted to go back home and see his family. He hated living among the Antes. Mezamir wasn't very talkative for someone who was in charge of an entire tribe. Csaba was here on a mission and while he was living here for the last couple of months, he didn't find out anything useful.

The only thing he did find out was Mezamir's sick desire to sleep with Arielle. How he wished he could've killed Mezamir right then and there. He could barely contain himself from retching all over the floor while in the Chieftain's tent.

There was a celebration last night in the camp that Csaba didn't partake in. He discovered that these people liked more than their wine. There was a tea passed around every group in the camp during the festivities. Csaba noticed that their moods heightened as the night went on. He later discovered that the tea was brewed with a plant that had hallucinogenic properties.

It explained why the Antes were able to keep awake for days during a battle. They never tired. Although Csaba didn't join in on the celebrating, he did take some of the leaves used in the tea and stored them in his bag.

While sitting outside the tent sharpening a sword, Radogost crossed the camp and Csaba lifted his head. He rose from the stump and greeted the blond officer.

"Morning."

Radogost crossed his arms. "Chieftain Mezamir wants to talk to you in his tent."

Csaba's mouth soured. "I'm not finished with the swords. I still have a lot to do."

"It's not about the swords."

Csaba put the dull sword into his tent but made sure to keep at least one weapon on his person everywhere he went. He walked with Radogost through the sleeping camp. On the outskirts, Aleksander, another officer, was rounding up over a hundred men. Csaba lifted an eyebrow and took a mental note.

The soldiers looked to be setting out to ride somewhere. Deep down he hoped they weren't going to head to Pannonia. If they were, he couldn't warn his tribe about the impending attack. He was sure that the last legion that left a couple of weeks ago was for a siege in Pannonia.

After he was granted entrance, Csaba stepped inside the large tent. His cheeks reddened at the sight of a topless woman lying beside Mezamir. He put a hand over his brow and looked at the floor.

Csaba cleared his throat, "you wanted to see me?"

"You didn't come celebrate with us last night," said Mezamir. "You are a guest in my tribe, Lukas. Did I offend you in some way?"

Csaba bit his tongue. "No, not at all. Forgive me for not attending. I am…unaware of your customs here."

Mezamir smirked and waved his hand to the young woman beside him. She got up slowly from the floor and sauntered off. Csaba didn't lift his eyes but saw her leave out of his peripheral vision. The young blonde woman returned with another woman just the same as her.

She had long blonde braided locks that rested just above her narrow hips. She removed the sash around her loosely fitted dress. The gown dropped to her ankles and she waltzed over to Csaba, smiling at Mezamir.

Csaba's body tensed and he turned the other way, shutting his eyes tightly.

The Chieftain chuckled, sipping some tea from last night. "I'm giving you a gift and you refuse?"

"Ah, I am quite alright, thank you," Csaba insisted nervously.

He felt the woman's fingers trail up his arm. All he could think about was Farah. He envisioned her face the entire time this woman continued to touch him. Farah is my wife, he reminded himself. Farah is carrying his child. Farah is the mother of his children. _Farah is going to kill me_.

"You aren't even going to look at her?"

Csaba swallowed and took in a deep breath. He slowly turned to face the naked blonde woman. He immediately averted his eyes and gaped at Mezamir with a tight mouth. He looked away so quickly that he barely got a good glance at the woman.

"She's very…she looks _nice_," he choked out.

Mezamir snuffed a laugh. "Nice? I can send for another woman," he offered and flicked his wrist for the young blonde to leave. "What kind of a woman do you like? I take it you aren't fond of blondes."

Csaba's tongue rolled around his arid mouth. He definitely wasn't going to tell Farah about any of this. If she ever found out that he looked at a naked woman he was sure he'd receive more than just a mouthful.

Another woman entered the tent wearing a burgundy dress. Csaba's eyes widened at the tan skinned woman with untamed curly black hair. She had large brown eyes that settled in between her narrow nose. Her face was much too petite for her striking features.

"This one is from Persia. She just arrived a few days ago."

Csaba could barely look at the woman. She looked younger than Cera. He already refused one woman and didn't know what would happen if he refused another.

"It's very kind of you but…I don't need nor want any woman to…_entertain_ me."

"You are a very odd Roman," Mezamir sighed and finished off the tea in one large gulp. "You're either a religious man or you have a woman back home."

Csaba smiled nervously and chose to keep his answers locked away.

"The least you could do is sit with me."

Wine was poured and shared. Csaba eyed the young Persian woman. She looked horrified. He couldn't even imagine what she felt right now. Mezamir referred to this woman as an _item_. Csaba wanted nothing more than to free her and maybe he could but not yet.

"You're skilled in blacksmithing and bow-making but I'd like to ask if you're also skilled in the battlefield."

Csaba drank some of the wine. "I've had my fair share in the field, yes."

"Excellent," the redhead warrior grinned. "I'd like some advice on my upcoming attack in Pannonia."

* * *

She had all her focus on Gabrielle and it wasn't helping. Three days later and her mind was split in half; focusing on the battle in the south and Gabrielle in the infirmary. She had no choice but to delve into her work to keep her busy.

So far Ernak and Navaz were fighting the Lombards in the south alone with the army. Eksama was recovering from a gnarly wound to the leg and abdomen. Xena didn't really care too much for Eksama but she was still worried for her, only for Eksama's daughter's sake.

Shamaness Cemre did her job for the last three days. She made a salve of herbs to smother the poison seeping out of the wound. Gabrielle was barely conscious so talking was out of the question. It was noted that the poison hadn't spread into the bloodstream so Cemre concluded thus far.

Xena sat beside the bed by the end of the day. She hardly got any sleep and was nodding off while holding onto her wife's hand for the last few hours. The room was incredibly quiet and she requested to be left alone after a certain time of the day.

Even though Gabrielle wasn't fully aware, she could feel Xena's presence these last few days. She woke to her stomach churning and a burning sensation sprawled inside her chest. Her eyes fluttered open to a fuzzy dark candlelit room and moaned softly.

Her head lolled over and her grip firmed which stirred Xena awake. She met her gaze and smiled weakly.

"Gabrielle," she whispered, inching closer on the bed. She kissed her wife's hand. "I was so worried about you. How do you feel?"

She swallowed the lump in her throat. "I…thank you…for being here," she breathed in sharply.

Xena kissed her hand again and couldn't wipe the smile off her lips. She leaned in closer and caressed Gabrielle's warm cheek. She pressed a hand to her forehead and frowned.

"You have a fever."

Sweat streamed down her back and Gabrielle stretched her legs outward. She tried to remove the hot blankets off her body. There was a pool of sweat beneath her. For the first time in a long while she heard Xena muttering in her mother tongue.

"Xena…Xena," she whined, "stop fussing."

"That blade was laced with poison so I _will_ worry."

Gabrielle, choked up, was barely able to speak, "poison? I…I didn't…"

Xena pressed her finger to her spouse's lips. "As much as I hate shamans, Cemre did a good job. I'm going to bring her back here to examine you."

She tried to leave and Gabrielle snatched her wrist. She turned with an apologetic smile and lowered herself to sit back down.

"You'll come back and stay here…"

Xena's smile enlarged and kissed Gabrielle's knuckles. "I won't go anywhere."

"Promise?"

"I promise," Xena nodded.

Gabrielle released a sigh of relief and refused to let go of her wife's wrist. "I…I'm not keeping you from your duties, am I?" she said with a light cough, rubbing her sore and dry throat.

"Always worrying about _other_ people instead of yourself," Xena chided, laughing quietly. "I'll be right back. Just a few minutes, I swear!"

* * *

_Baltic Region_

Everything that Csaba suspected was true. Mezamir organized an entire fleet to be sent to Pannonia for a full-on attack. Csaba did his best to explain how Huns attacked but he left a lot of details out. He didn't want to rouse suspicion and have it directly pointed at him.

A couple of days after the initial meeting in the tent, Csaba sent one of the soldiers who accompanied him, as a messenger. He instructed the soldier to leave after dark and ride out beyond the Antes camp so he wasn't seen by anybody. Since he gave Mezamir explicit details on Hun strategies, he wanted his people to be ready.

He was left in the dark here and had no choice but to keep placating the Antes Chieftain. He'd never been on a spy mission for this long and wondered how and when he was going to leave. Arielle promised he'd return before the birth of his child but as the weeks passed, he had doubts.

The start of spring was just a month away. His time here was limited and he desperately needed to go home –he wanted to go home –to see his family.

After sundown, everyone gathered around large fires, drinking and playing games. Csaba kept to himself and strung a bow he was working on. Radogost sat beside Mezamir in front of the tent, keeping an eye on their guest.

Radogost rubbed his chin and turned to his superior. "I don't trust that man. I don't believe he is who he says he is."

Mezamir smiled, waving at the soldiers passing by. "Yes," he agreed, drinking the tea, "he is very smart and knew a lot about Hun warfare."

"It doesn't strike odd to you?"

"I never said that," Mezamir frowned at the blond officer. "He isn't Roman. I knew that from the moment he arrived."

"Then why have you allowed him to stay?" asked Radogost. "He could be a spy for the Huns. Italia is overrun by those barbarians."

The Chieftain clicked his tongue against his cheek. "If he is a spy then I want to keep him here for awhile longer. Aleksander has one of our spies sent to Pannonia already. I trust we will receive enough information about the clan soon."

"He is a fool if he's a Hun spy. He came alone with two men. I could easily kill him in his sleep."

"Radogost, that isn't any way to treat our _guest_," he chuckled. "Bring him over here."

Csaba jaunted over to the campfire after he was flagged down. He smiled, bowed his head, greeting the amused Chieftain and annoyed officer. He was offered a seat and a cup of wine. He took a generous sip and coughed at the bitter taste. The wine was warmer than usual which was nice in this frigid weather.

Mezamir's lips turned upward into a delicious satisfied smile. Earlier, he requested that the wine be mixed with the brewed tea. If he was to find out that Csaba was a Hun spy, he was going to get to know this man quite well. Radogost might be overly cautious but Mezamir had intentions of his own.

"Are you a man of the cloth?"

Csaba drank more of the odd tasting wine and choked. "Sorry?"

"You refused every single woman I offered. Do you belong to the church?"

"Ah, no."

Mezamir smirked. "Then you must have a good reason why you keep refusing my gifts."

Csaba's vision blurred and he shook his head, trying to keep focus on his surroundings. He wrapped a hand on the back of his neck to keep himself focused and attentive.

"Um, I…" he stuttered, "my wife. I have a wife."

"Ah, a wife. She must be something special."

"Yes…"

Mezamir noticed the slurring of the words and Csaba's eyes glossing over. He casually sipped the tea-wine concoction, amused by the display before him. It wouldn't be long until all senses were lost and Csaba was either going to pass out or dive into his sixth sense and lose himself completely, giving his mind and body to the herb.

"What did you give me?" asked Csaba.

"A little something to help you relax." Mezamir chuckled and nudged Radogost's arm.

Csaba groaned and slapped a hand over his forehead. "I can't feel my face," he mumbled.

"Just give it awhile. You'll feel like a _new_ man," he sat, smiling and drinking the wine.

* * *

On the bed she lay beside Gabrielle, running her fingers through the blonde strands. Gabrielle's chest rose and fell slowly. There were muscles that twitched underneath the bandages. The medicine given to her must've helped but she was hardly able to talk during the short time she was awake and semi-coherent.

Arielle entered the room and quietly tiptoed over to the bed. She peered down at Gabrielle and then smiled at her grandmother. She could see that sleep didn't come easily for her. Arielle sighed and knew this was a horrible time to talk of war but it needed to be said.

She whispered, "Ernak is still with my father in the south. Our northern borders are secured now. I was able to detain one of the Antes soldiers."

Xena nodded and rested her palm on her cheek, staring at her sleeping spouse.

"What do you want me to do?"

She raised her chin, staring at Arielle's wide determined eyes in the dimly-lit room.

"I could go to the south and help –"

"No. I want you here," Xena whispered. "It would be foolish to have all three of you away from the center of the tribe. Csaba is gone, Eksama is wounded, your mother is incapable of commanding the army and I'm here."

Arielle sighed and understood but she was worried about her father fighting the Lombards in the south. She was able to kill all of the Antes who attempted to invade. She wasn't used to waiting around but she learned it was best not to go against orders anymore especially since there was so much to consider.

"I was going to ask if you wanted to interrogate the captive," she hinted and Xena smiled weakly.

"You go ahead."

Arielle grinned, already plotting her torture techniques she planned to use. She hadn't interrogated someone in a while. At least there was something to do to cure her boredom for the time being.

"How is she?" she asked of Gabrielle.

"I'm not sure," Xena furrowed her brows and brushed her finger along Gabrielle's flushed cheek. "Cemre gave her a serum earlier. She said we have to wait a few days to see if her fever breaks."

Arielle rubbed her lips together. "She'll be alright. But you should really get some sleep. I'll have Ku watch her."

"I want to stay here."

"Grandma," she protested and folded her arms. "You look like a corpse."

Xena raised an eyebrow. "_Thanks_…"

"I'm just saying you need sleep!" she leaned over and placed a hand on Xena's shoulder. "I'll have Ku come get you if anything changes. Go to sleep. I'm ordering you."

Xena smirked. "You aren't the boss of me, Arielle."

"Actually, I am," she playfully said and Xena's smile flipped upside down. "Ah…well, just go get some sleep. Gabrielle would want you to take care of yourself first. I'll go get mother if you don't leave."

A lecture from her granddaughter was one thing. A lecture from her daughter was another. Two lectures in one night was not on her agenda and she didn't feel up to hearing her daughter's sassy mouth. She got enough of that from Arielle daily.

"Fine, fine. I'm going."

She rose from the bed, groaning under her breath. Her entire body ached and eyes burned from being awake for so long.

* * *

_Baltic Region_

Csaba awoke with a blazing headache. He turned over onto his side and retched onto the floor. Grunting, he sat up and looked down to see himself shirtless. He ran his fingers through his hair and glanced around his tent and saw the young Persian woman sitting on the opposite side of his tent.

He gasped and immediately covered his chest with his muscular arms. The woman, or he should say girl, was staring at him with fear in her eyes.

"I…I, how did you get in here?" he asked.

He couldn't remember what happened last night. The last thing he remembered was drinking that herbal wine. The pieces slowly came together and he was absolutely mortified. He snatched the tunic and slipped it over his head.

"Did…did I…" a knot formed in his stomach. He couldn't bring himself to say it.

She shook her head.

Csaba felt instant relief. He didn't think he could forgive himself if he slept with this girl. She was around his little sister's age. Not to mention he wouldn't be able to face Farah if it happened. He wouldn't leave his home alive or at least without a few pertinent body parts.

"I'm sorry," he said.

"You didn't do anything," she spoke timidly and brushed her curly strands behind her ears.

"I still feel the need to apologize." He rubbed his throbbing head. "I have a wife."

She smiled. "I know. You spoke about her many times."

"Oh," his cheeks reddened. "What…_else_ did I say?"

"Nothing. You seem to really love her."

Csaba grinned, thinking of Farah. He wondered how she was doing during his absence. She never liked to be separated from him for long periods of time. At least she wasn't alone but she was very distraught when he left that day.

"I do."

He reached for the pitcher of water and chugged a cup to quench his insatiable thirst. He wiped his mouth and stared at the girl. This was a very uncomfortable situation for them. More so for him than her. This girl was young enough to be his daughter.

"How did you come here?" he asked.

She rubbed her arm nervously. "The Chieftain bought me. I was from Shehzade Kawus' harem."

"That motherfucker," he drank another full cup of water. "Why were you dismissed from the harem?"

"The Shehzade is dead."

Csaba's jaw dropped. "Kawus is _dead_?" he asked and she confirmed with a head nod. "That bastard got what he deserved especially after he murdered his brother."

She grinned brightly and clasped her hands together. "God spared Shehzade Xerxes! He is very much alive! We all thought he was dead but it turns out the Shah was protecting him."

Suddenly, Csaba had the urge to drink a large helping of wine. This was a lot for him to handle all at once. Xerxes is alive and Kawus is dead. He thought of Arielle and wondered if she knew. He couldn't do anything since he was trapped here. But he could do _something_ for this girl.

"Um, what is your name?"

"Nasrin."

"_Nasrin_," he rubbed his chin. "How would you like to come back home with me?" he asked and saw the hesitation in her eyes. "Oh, no, no, not as a slave. You'll be free."

She was apprehensive and untrusting to take him up on his offer. She didn't know this man and he was offering to buy her but so far, he seemed like a nice man. He didn't even try to touch her even after she entered his tent last night.

"Do you have any skills?"

"I was given an education while in the harem. I can read and write in Persian. I also know how to sew and play a variety of instruments."

Csaba grinned. "You could come work for my wife. She's been searching for a trustworthy chambermaid."

Nasrin quirked her mouth to the side and twiddled her thumbs in her lap.

"I'll pay you a salary and you can have your own room too. I have a very large home."

The offer was very tempting and she wanted to agree. She didn't know this man or his wife that he talked about endlessly for hours. She also had never lived anywhere else but the harem. She was born there and groomed to be a servant for Kawus. The idea of being free or being paid for her services had never occurred to her.

"I…I would like to go with you," she sighed, "but I am the Chieftain's property now."

Csaba stood up and almost lost his footing. "I will take care of that. Stay here. There's some food in that chest over there." He grabbed his boots and cloak then went on his way.

As soon as he stepped outside, he was accosted by Radogost and two more blond men. Csaba stood frozen in place.

Radogost parted a path for him and then Csaba's messenger was thrown onto the ground. The poor soldier was stabbed and gutted from within.

"Friend of yours?" he asked. "I knew there was something fucking wrong with you."

The two Antes men grabbed Csaba by the arms and dragged him off to Mezamir's tent. He didn't bother to put up a fight and complied. He was escorted to the tent and forced to his knees once inside.

Mezamir turned around, holding a blade in his palm.

"Roman, you are _not_," he waltzed over and pointed the blade to Csaba's throat. "You're a Hun spy which means you're one of them."

He pulled out the message that he confiscated from the Hun messenger. He smiled when he saw the realization of the Hun's failure.

"You were wise to warn your people of my attack but your message won't reach them."

He crumpled the message and tossed it over his shoulder. He pressed the blade to Csaba's throat.

"You must live in Pannonia with the rest of the Huns," he concluded.

Csaba's jaw tensed. If he was going to die this was not the way he wanted it to happen. He was a soldier first and foremost. He was a king second. A soldier's death was supposed to be honorable and this was anything but honorable.

"If you're going to kill me at least challenge me to a duel."

Mezamir stepped back, retracting the blade. "A _duel_?" he snorted.

"Survival of the fittest. If you're _man_ enough…" Csaba sneered.

"Ah, the arrogance of the Huns is displayed before me."

In less than a second, Csaba demonstrated his skills as the fine warrior he was, by freeing himself from the men who held him down. He elbowed one man in the gut and grabbed the other man by his hair and kneed his nose.

He jumped up off the floor and kicked Mezamir in the stomach twice. His fist went flying and gave Mezamir a sharp uppercut to the jaw which sent him staggering backwards into the tent's wall. Csaba grabbed a sword that hung on the weapon rack and darted outside.

Mezamir groaned and wrapped an arm over his sore midsection. He struggled to get to his feet and gripped his sword, charging after the Hun who got away.

Csaba ran through the sleeping camp, barefoot and in minimal clothing. Nasrin exited the tent for a brief moment. She gasped when Csaba took her arm and forced her to run with him. He went directly for the first available horse which so happened to belong to Radogost.

He scooped up Nasrin and threw her onto the horse. Mezamir and his men ran towards them at great speed. Csaba panicked and soared in the air, jumping onto the saddle. He kicked the hind legs of the horse and galloped out of the camp.

Nasrin wrapped her arms around his waist and looked over her shoulder. While the Chieftain stayed behind, many of his men mounted their steeds and began chasing them.

"What…where are you taking me?!" she shouted in his ear.

Csaba smiled, weaving through the rocky terrain. "I'm taking you to my homeland!" he said loudly, steering the horse wildly through the unfamiliar terrain.

"I'm King Csaba!" he shouted with a smile. "Hun King of Pannonia!"

Nasrin gasped.

"Hang on tight! Don't ever let go!" he felt her grip tighten around him. "Don't worry! I am a skilled horseman!" he snickered.

* * *

Xena had checked on her wife for the last few days. She tried to focus on her work but it was becoming such a chore. Navaz and Ernak were still fighting in the south. The Lombards had more than enough men and weapons.

She knew Arielle wanted to be involved in the war but the fact was that she needed Arielle here. She also wanted to be in the field, overseeing the chaos in the south but she couldn't leave Gabrielle. She couldn't leave until she knew Gabrielle was going to be alright and make it through the night.

After yet another sleepless night, Xena went to the infirmary for the daily checkup. The moment she entered the room she saw Ku and several other maids surrounding the bed. They were whispering to one another.

She rushed over and pushed the maids out of the way. Gabrielle's body was drenched in sweat and though her clothes had been changed, the sweat soaked through the new clothes too. She cupped Gabrielle's warm cheeks and panic set in.

Her heart thumped rapidly. "What's happening? She was fine yesterday."

Ku-Ilm hesitated to answer. "Her –her fever did break last night. I sent someone to find Shamaness Cemre."

Xena could hear Ku talking but was unable to comprehend the words. She lifted the blankets and there was a rash spreading from Gabrielle's abdomen and down to her thighs. Her breathing heightened and she examined the rash on Gabrielle's arms as well.

She placed a hand over Gabrielle's chest and couldn't feel a heartbeat. She leaned in close and pressed her ear to Gabrielle's chest.

"Gabrielle," she cupped her cheeks. "Gabrielle!" she shook her lightly.

Just to check again, she listened for a heartbeat and couldn't hear anything. Xena widened her eyes and fear coursed through her body. She immediately clasped her hands together and began to resuscitate.

She gave mouth to mouth and continued to resuscitate. She pinched Gabrielle's nose and inhaled heavily and blew several gusts of air into the lungs.

"Come on," she muttered.

Cemre ran inside and halted at the end of the bed, watching Xena perform aggressive resuscitation. She grabbed one of the maids by the arm to prevent her from assisting.

"Gabrielle!" she shouted and slammed her fist onto her spouse's chest.

With a sharp inhale, Gabrielle's eyes shot open and she coughed violently. Xena burst into smiles and wrapped her arms around Gabrielle. She squeezed so tightly that Gabrielle couldn't breathe.

"Gabrielle, you're alright," she whispered and kissed her forehead and cheeks. She pressed their foreheads together. "I almost lost you."

Gabrielle coughed and clutched a handful of Xena's hair and slowly lowered herself to the pillows. She could see her wife's shimmering eyes and took in deep breaths.

"What…happened?"

"You were dead, Gabrielle."

"Dead?" she blinked rapidly and Xena smiled sadly. "I was dead?"

Xena kissed her wife's hand, "don't you ever do that again."

Gabrielle chuckled in between soft coughs. "Only _you_…would…scold me for _dying_," she jested.

Cemre interrupted the tender moment. "Khanum, I need to examine her."

Xena nodded and pressed her lips to her wife's forehead. "I love you," she whispered.

"Love you too," Gabrielle cast a frail grin and coughed. She mouthed a silent 'thank you' as her hand slipped from Xena's grasp.

* * *

Xena left the infirmary to allow the shamaness to do her task. She wandered through the hallways and wished to be alone. So, she went outside in the back of the Adame. She sat on a bench that overlooked the snowy mountains and held her face in her palms.

For the first time in a long time she released a loud wail and hot tears rushed down her cheeks like flowing rivers. She lost many people whom she loved over the years and she couldn't handle losing the one person she grew to love from practically the first time she met her.

Their first encounter was something she always wished she could change and redo. But if they hadn't met when they did, she probably would be six feet under right now. She wouldn't have a good relationship with Anastasia. She wouldn't have allowed to open her heart the way she did.

Gabrielle was more than a spouse or a partner. She was also a friend. She affected everyone aside from Xena. She was involved in everybody's life in a special way. The thought of losing her broke Xena inside.

She felt her stomach ripping apart from within. Being alone was the best thing for her right now. She couldn't allow Gabrielle to see her so frazzled. She couldn't allow that fear to be shown. The feeling of vulnerability was always a feeling that she hated.

Lingering in the background, Aurora walked with Kazem, talking about their studies for the week. They stopped when Aurora saw Xena sitting outside. Snow flurries rained onto Xena's fur coat. Aurora scrunched her face and whispered to Kazem that they'd catch up another time.

She ran outside and pulled the hood of her cloak over her head. She came around and stood in front of Xena, tilting her head to the side.

"Grandma khanum."

Xena's head shot up and she sniveled, wiping her cheeks and nose. "Aurora," she didn't realize it was snowing. "What are you doing out here?"

"Were you crying?" the princess asked.

Xena smiled and opened her arms. Aurora waltzed over and sat in her lap with her legs draped over Xena's knees.

"Are you sad?"

"No, I'm happy."

Aurora turned her head, staring confusedly at Xena. "Then why're you crying?"

"Sometimes people cry when they're happy too," she poked Aurora's nose.

"Oh. Everyone is crying around here!"

Xena frowned. "What do you mean?"

Aurora sighed and counted on her fingers, "you, mom, Teyze Farah, Austraia."

"Ah, well, there are many reasons why people cry," she kissed Aurora's temple. "We should go inside." She lifted the princess off her lap and set her on the ground.

"Yeah, it's cold!" she grabbed Xena's hand and led them to the Adame.

* * *

While everyone was out on the battlefield and devising plans, Farah was busy balancing the budget. For hours she calculated the amount they were going to pay off the Persians. With all the funds needed to be spread across the tribes Farah was worried that they weren't going to be able to pay back the Shah within the necessary time.

She went through several pages in the journal, going over numbers. For someone who loved working with numbers, Farah was frustrated looking at them all day long. She requested solace and told her sons to leave her alone until it was time for dinner.

Arielle came into the room unannounced and cautiously walked over to the desk. Farah scribbled down some more numbers and worked out a long math problem without lifting the pen from the parchment.

"Hey beauty queen…" Arielle grinned cheekily.

Farah sighed, "do you need something?"

"I just wanted to put in a request."

Farah tapped her pen on her hand and sat back in the chair. She knew this was going to be a long-winded conversation. She was already super busy and the more she was interrupted, the longer this was going to take.

She took the journal from beneath the desk and set it on the table. Opening it up she flipped through the pages and wrote down Arielle's name and cleared her throat.

"What do you need the funds for and how much?"

Arielle took a seat and propped her boots on the desk. "I would like about 500 dinari, give or take, to send to Soran and Cera."

Farah furrowed her eyebrows. "Why?"

"Actually, make that 1000 dinari. You can split that between Cera and Soran," she said.

Arielle noticed that Farah wasn't writing down anything and she tapped the journal several times.

"Go ahead, write down the amount."

Farah puckered her lips. "You haven't told me _why_ you want to send money to them."

"My nieces' birthdays are coming up soon and I want to make sure they are given plenty of gifts. Cera and Pamira can also use the money to buy fabric for some new dresses."

Farah closed the journal and set it aside. She laced her fingers on the tabletop. "Arielle, that's too much money and those are not necessities. We are in the middle of a double campaign. I'm not approving your request."

"Ah, come on Farah! What about 500 then? You can put in another 500 towards your senlik," she reached over and slapped Farah's hand lightly.

At the mention of the senlik Farah broke down in tears. Her cheeks were soiled with tears streaming down them. She rested her forehead on her folded arms and sobbed uncontrollably. Arielle's smile faded and she swung her boots off the desk and came around to a kneeling position beside her brother's wife.

"Hey," she whispered, caressing Farah's back, "don't cry. Csaba will be back soon."

Farah sat back and exhaled deeply, wiping her nose. She peered down at the child inside her and began to weep again.

Arielle crookedly smiled and rested a hand on Farah's belly. "You're upsetting yourself too much. In a few months you'll have a baby in your arms! I know the boys are very excited about their new sibling."

Farah smiled softly and released a shaky exhale.

"All this crying you're doing is affecting your baby too," Arielle advised and Farah curled her lips into a frown. "You don't want to upset little _kuş,_" she teased.

Farah arched an eyebrow. "Don't call my child that."

"Well, what else am I going to call it?" Arielle sprung to her feet. "Little _kuşum_."

"Arielle, stop it."

"So, can I have the 1000 dinari?"

"No."

"Worth a shot," Arielle sighed. "Are you sure you can't just..."

"My answer is no!"

* * *

Gabrielle was able to sit up in bed but not without Xena by her side every waking moment of the day. She felt like she couldn't do anything by herself which also included getting dressed. The bath yesterday was an event on its own. The wound wasn't healing as quickly as she hoped but at least she didn't wake up soiled in buckets of her own sweat.

"Xena, I can feed myself," she laughed lightly and pushed the hand away from her spoon. She sipped the soup gingerly and hissed.

"What's the matter?" Xena asked, inspecting the food.

Gabrielle swallowed and shook her head. "Nothing," she wiped the corners of her mouth. "It's just a little hot that's all."

Xena sat back in the chair and crossed a leg over her knee. She tried to occupy her rabid mind by looking around the room. She'd been by Gabrielle's side for the last few days and had no intention of leaving but she knew her presence was beginning to irritate Gabrielle.

"Don't you have somewhere to be?" she hinted, slurping the soup.

"I cleared my schedule to be with you." Xena grinned.

Gabrielle sighed and set the spoon in the bowl. "I appreciate you looking after me but I'm fine now. I don't need you to watch my every move."

She leaned over and rested her elbows on her knees. "Gabrielle, I almost lost you. If I wasn't here...if I...you would've..." she trailed off.

Gabrielle grasped her wife's hand. "I'm here now. I promise I won't die again without your _permission_," she joked and then felt her hand being squeezed to death. "Xena!"

"That isn't funny."

"Let go!"

Xena loosened her grip and Gabrielle released a hefty sigh of relief. "All _jokes_ aside...how are you feeling?"

"Better but I can't really move my shoulder. I hope I'm not stuck like this for a long time."

"If you are out for awhile then I'll be here with you."

Gabrielle rolled her eyes. "I don't want you to ignore your duties for me, Xena. How is it looking out there? You said Navaz and Ernak are still in the south. Are you going to go out there?"

Xena slouched in the chair and was hesitant on responding.

"You aren't going. Because of me." She stated. "Xena!"

"You can't blame me! You mean the world to me, Gabrielle. I don't know what I would've done if you slipped away from me. I don't want to be left alone in this world without you. I can't lose someone else close to me in my life."

Maybe she was being too hard on Xena. She never realized how this affected her so much. Now she could say that _she_ was the one who was being too insensitive. Xena often had a tough time expressing her feelings but when she said those words, they flowed off her tongue so smoothly. The words were sincere.

"I'm sorry," whispered Gabrielle. "I guess I'm downplaying this entire situation," she muttered. "Thank you for being there for me. It means a lot."

"I'll always be here," Xena smiled.

In rushed Arielle, sprinting across the room, interrupting their quiet moment together. She jumped onto the bed much like an excited child. Xena groaned and folded her arms, scowling. She crawled across the bed and sat beside Gabrielle.

"How are you doing?" she asked.

"Pretty okay," Gabrielle said with a light chuckle, eyeing a very annoyed Xena sitting off to the side.

"I have great news!" Arielle clapped her hands. "We're winning against the Lombards."

"That's good, right Xena?"

Xena grumbled and flashed a brief smile.

"But I also have bad news," Arielle lamented. "We need more catapults. That crazy bitch, Rodelinda destroyed all of ours! I was thinking of asking Farah to give me some funds so I can retrieve some catapults from Assyria. I think Bayan has some stored in Harran."

"Is she going to give you the money?" asked Gabrielle.

"I hope so. This is a _necessity_," she mocked, recalling the meeting she had with her sister in law just a couple of days ago. "Oh, I'm taking bets to see if _kuşum _is a boy or a girl."

"What is a _kuşum?_"

"Csaba's baby!" she cheered. "So, what are your guesses?"

Xena pinched the bridge of her nose. "Arielle, does Farah know you're doing this?"

"No and she doesn't need to know. So far I have three guesses for a boy and two for a girl. What are your bets?" she wiggled her eyebrows.

"I'm not playing this game," said Xena.

"What about you, Gabrielle?"

She played along, "a girl."

Arielle grinned and held out her palm. "Alright; three for a boy and three for a girl. I'm collecting five dinari from everyone."

Xena gasped. "Arielle, get out of here." She pointed to the doors.

"Oh, come on! Mother placed a bet."

Xena let out an exasperated lengthy sigh.

Gabrielle pinched her spouse's arm teasingly. "Come on, Xena, just play along."

She waved her hand dismissively, "fine. A boy."

Arielle nodded, tallying the numbers in her head. She held out her palm, expecting money to be handed to her. She kept the smug grin on her face. Xena rolled her eyes and reached into her pocket and dropped the coins into Arielle's palm.

"Your weigh-ins are greatly appreciated," she winked and tucked the coin into her coat pocket.

"I don't think Farah is going to be very amused when she finds out you're taking bets on her baby," Xena mused.

"It's just a fun game. There's no harm in it," Arielle shrugged. "Besides, she's been very depressed since Csaba left. I just want to cheer her up."

"That's very kind of you," Gabrielle said. "You'll let us know when you have everyone's votes, won't you?"

Arielle nodded then jumped off the bed. She ran out of the room so quickly that Xena couldn't get a last word in.

"That girl is nothing but trouble," Xena grumbled.

"Just wait until Xerxes gets here."


	51. Chapter 51

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Csaba escapes from the Antes territory but knows he won't make it in time to warn his family of the attack. Xena focuses on pushing out the enemies in the south while Arielle is daydreaming about seeing Xerxes again. Farah has a panic attack when she finds out her son is missing in the middle of an invasion. Xena leads the army with Arielle by her side, trying desperately to save the tribe from being ravaged.

**I'm sorry this took so long for me to update. I forgot to tell everyone that I started grad school, and my life has been consumed with lots of homework over the last two weeks. I've been writing this chapter over the course of 9 days.**

**Thank you for being patient with me and thank you for reading and enjoy!**

Chapter 51

Csaba didn't want to, but he had to ride to Scythia to keep him and Nasrin safe from the Antes. They were hot on their trail for two days straight. With Csaba's excellent horseman skills, he was able to deter Mezamir's men and lead them down a winding path. Since he didn't tell Bayan that he was arriving, he was met with very confused guards in front of the Scythian palace.

Khagan Bayan came to greet Csaba and the young Persian girl. He put on his best smile and welcomed them both into the palace. He wasn't brave enough to hold a decent conversation with Csaba, mostly since they had talked with their fists instead of their mouths in the past.

Nasrin was given a room, bath, food, and fresh clothes. Given the journey she just endured, she was exhausted and opted to rest for the next few days until the departure to Pannonia.

Csaba, on the other hand, joined Bayan in the large sitting room. Reclined on a sofa set on the floor, he rested his arm over his bent knee, casually sipping sherbet and glared at Bayan. Sarnai, Bayan's wife, brought food for everyone to share.

Sarnai smiled nervously at the men and spread out the bowls of food. Csaba tapped his fingers on the cup and eyed the anxious Mongolian woman.

"It is very kind of Arielle to _allow_ you and your son to stay here," he said.

Sarnai froze at the mention of Arielle. She flipped the tray over and clutched it to her chest. Without making eye contact, she trailed off, leaving the two men to talk among themselves.

This wasn't getting off to a great start, and Bayan dreaded any sort of interaction with Csaba. He knew very well that Csaba wished him dead.

"I don't mean to be rude, but –"

"But you're about to be," Csaba interrupted.

Bayan pursed his mouth and continued on to say, "you're supposed to be spying on the Antes. Care to share what happened?"

"Mezamir figured out I was a spy, but he doesn't know who I am. I'd love to sit and chat with you, Bayan, but I have to leave for Pannonia in a couple of days."

"I'm not that horrible of a host."

"I don't like you, and I never will. You're only alive because of your daughter."

Bayan rolled his eyes and drank the remainder of the sherbet, wishing it was wine. There was definitely a reason why Arielle wanted him here in Scythia. He was too far away from the family, and he deduced that was Arielle's way of distancing themselves from each other.

"There's going to be an attack soon. Mezamir is sending his army to Pannonia. I won't make it in time to warn them all," Csaba scratched his beard, groaning lowly.

Bayan sneered, "oh, I'm sure Xerxes will be in Pannonia soon. He should be able to help."

It came as a shock when Nasrin told him that Xerxes was alive. A part of him was happy for Arielle, but another part was skeptical. Csaba never trusted the Sassanians. They had a horrible track record, and that proved to be true several times over as the years passed by. Xerxes was by far the sanest out of the famous Sassan family, but Csaba had his reservations about the Shehzade.

"It's amazing to me that your family accepts Xerxes. He is a _Sassan,_ after all."

Csaba tapered his eyes and rose from the floor to excuse himself. He had no desire to continue this conversation with Bayan and needed to leave before he said something he would come to regret later.

* * *

Xerxes' meeting with his father didn't go very well. Initially, he wasn't supposed to transport the army to Pannonia. Xerxes' little brother, Khosrow, was going to be in charge of transportation, but Xerxes was able to convince his father to put him in Khosrow's place. Persia only had two princes heir to the throne now, which put a considerable strain on the brothers.

Khosrow was a better choice for Shah. Xerxes knew that his father favored him out of all the siblings, but Khosrow had more training to be a ruler. He wanted to continue to be General of the army despite his father's concerns.

He also desperately wanted to get out of Persia because of his mother. Xerxes did not have any desire to discuss his new wife, Mera. He was not happy that his life was already planned out. He was married to a woman he hadn't seen since adolescence. Divorce in Persia wasn't highly talked about and was looked down upon.

If he wanted to marry Arielle, he was going to have to tell her about Mera. He owed Arielle a huge apology for the pain he caused, even if it wasn't his fault. He was also going to owe her an explanation as to why he was already a married man. This reunification with Arielle wasn't going to go well at all.

Transporting an army this size wasn't easy, and it was downright irresponsible. Xerxes guided the army across Persia, Armenia, and now they were in old Khazar territory. Another couple of weeks and they'd finally reach Pannonia, but they made camp in the desolate Steppes.

He took the utmost precaution and sent scouts to scan the perimeters of the unfamiliar area. Xerxes waited for the soldiers' return. So far, he hadn't had a lick of sleep since the departure. His eyes burned from being awake for days on end.

Trying not to nod off, he slapped his cheek to keep himself alert. Waiting for hours while sleep deprived wasn't the wisest choice.

The soldiers galloped back into camp, and Xerxes walked forward to greet the scouts. One of the soldiers dismounted and approached the prince, bowing his head.

"There is an army in the lower plains of this territory."

Xerxes frowned, crossing his arms. "Are they Huns?"

"Doubtful, Shehzade," he said. "They look to be Mezamir's men."

"We're going to need to leave by first light," said Xerxes.

He walked back to his tent and sat down inside, rubbing his face. Dawn was approaching soon. Sleep was out of the question, but he could at least try to close his eyes for a couple of hours.

* * *

Xena walked into Ernak's Adame, welcomed by a stare from Ernak's son. Utighur smiled and immediately ran over to her, hugging her legs. She attempted to keep walking with the child wrapped around her leg.

"Get off me," she tapped the boy's head.

Utighur slid off and looked up at her. "Xena Khanum, what're you doing here? Are you busy with war stuff? Is my father still fighting the Lombards?"

"Uh-huh," she bypassed the talkative prince and headed down the hallway. She heard little footsteps trailing behind her and sighed.

She spun around, and Utighur bumped into her. He nervously giggled and cheekily grinned.

"I have a lot of things to do today, so why don't you go play somewhere?" she suggested.

Utighur groaned and stalked off. Xena wagged her head and continued to walk the halls of the large home. She came to Eksama's room and found Austraia sitting outside on a bench, weeping quietly.

Austraia lifted her head when she saw a pair of boots a foot away from her. Lifting her eyes, she gasped and jumped up from the bench, wiping her tear-stained cheeks.

"I heard your mother was severely wounded on the field. I came to see her."

Austraia tried her best to put on a brave face, but Xena could see right through her façade. It was painfully evident that Austraia wanted a better relationship with her mother. Everyone knew the relationship was stilted, and that was due to many factors, one being how Austraia came into the world.

"She has a broken leg and a few broken ribs," she said with an unsteady exhale. "She had a fever for a few days."

Xena nodded and set a hand on the princess's shoulder. She made sure to ensure that she shared compassion for Eksama despite the horrible start they had in the beginning. Smiling gently, she pinched Austraia's chin, then entered the room.

Closing the doors behind her, she stared at Eksama, propped up by a mountain of pillows. She walked around the bed, hidden behind a veil of curtains. Xena parted the sheer curtains, alarming the wounded queen.

Eksama shifted and sat up. She was surprised to see anyone come into the room, aside from her daughter. Nisa came to check on her every now and then. But other than that, Eksama was alone most of the time.

"How are you feeling?" Xena asked.

"Better now that the fever passed."

Xena faintly smiled. "You're an excellent swordswoman. I'm surprised to see you in this condition."

The corner of Eksama's mouth quirked up. "I didn't expect Rodelinda to send her men to raid my tent." She winced at the pang in her lower ribcage. "I would've stayed to help Ernak, but…" she gestured to her broken leg.

"I've had my fair share of broken bones," Xena mused. "Navaz took your place and has been fighting the Lombards for the last couple of weeks."

She sat on the bed, and Eksama gazed at her, puzzled. Xena crossed a leg over her knee and brushed the veil of her headdress behind a shoulder.

"I want you to tell me everything you know about Rodelinda. Tell me how she operates."

Eksama's lips parted.

"We were winning two weeks ago, but not even catapults could stop them. How are the Lombards so resilient? What is their secret?"

"To tell you the truth…" she took a long pause and inhaled, "I don't know, Xena. I've never seen anyone fight the way they do."

Xena huffed. "There must be _something_. Anything you noticed on the field. I need something, Eksama."

* * *

Forced to stay in bed, Gabrielle was moved to the bedroom and out of the infirmary. She was obligated to continue her duties as governor, but it would be a lot easier if she wasn't confined to her room. It was also challenging to write with one hand as she couldn't use her other arm. Her wounded shoulder was bound and her arm in a sling for the next few months, she assumed.

Arielle paced in front of the bed, giving a lengthy spiel that Gabrielle dictated. She paused, deep in thought, and tapped her fingers on her lips. This War wasn't going the way she hoped. At first, she was thrilled that they were winning, but now that she knew catapults weren't going to stop the Lombards, she was running out of options.

"Should I ask mother for help?" she asked, turning to the governor.

Gabrielle hesitated, "I don't see how your mother would be able to help."

Back to square one, Arielle thought. "She is more experienced than I am. Surely, she should know another way to defeat Rodelinda?"

"If she did, don't you think she would've suggested something already?"

Arielle grumbled, "good point. Maybe we should just wait for the Persian army. 50,000 soldiers is a lot. We could just run the Lombards down with lots of manpower."

Gabrielle tilted her head. There was a thought. Was it a good one? She didn't know. Without being on the field to observe first hand, she couldn't make a fair judgment of how the Lombards operated. But it was clear that Rodelinda was an excellent warrior queen and strategist. Throughout this War, she managed to maintain her army's numbers.

"I wish grandma would let me go help my father and Ernak," she said in disappointment.

Arielle had been sulking over the fact of staying in the heart of the state to protect the tribe. Gabrielle had to give her some credit, though. Arielle was very patient this time around, and not once did she disobey Xena's orders.

"Your work here hasn't gone unnoticed, Arielle."

"I know, but I want to do _more_…" she plopped into a chair and slouched. "I'm nervous to see Xerxes. What if he doesn't love me like he used to? Do you think he's changed? What if he doesn't want to marry me anymore? I know I wasn't too thrilled about the idea at first, but after Kubrat…I…"

Gabrielle blinked at the bombarding questions thrown at her. Most were probably Arielle's thoughts vomited out from pure nerves.

"I don't think you'll have to worry about any of that," she said to ease Arielle's lively mind.

"But Gabrielle, how do you _know_ he loves me? He never told me he loved me!" she clapped a hand to her forehead. "I'm a mess."

Gabrielle chuckled. Despite the playfulness in Arielle's tone, it was amusing to see the girl whom Gabrielle taught for many years, speak so openly about her feelings. A few years ago, Arielle would've bottled up her emotions to let them simmer in a boiling colliery until she imploded.

"I wonder what our wedding will be like," Arielle thought aloud. "Would we incorporate Persian traditions too? They only believe in one deity, you know. I wonder how that works."

"Get your head out of the clouds, girl," Xena emerged, startling both her wife and granddaughter.

Arielle's face paled, and she pulled her curly hair over her shoulders. "Grandma," she cleared her throat, "did you find out any information from Eksama?"

"Unfortunately, no."

Gabrielle asked, "how is she?"

"She's beaten up pretty badly." Xena whipped the Kozak off her head and combed through her bangs. "How are _you_?" she asked Gabrielle.

"You asked me that this morning."

Xena sat down and flicked her wrist, "excuse me for caring," she snidely said with a flippant smile.

She directed her attention to Arielle, who was chewing on her nails. "Arielle, I have something for you to do."

Arielle gasped and clapped her hands to her cheeks. "Can I go onto the field?"

"No, I –"

"I'm in charge, yet you still have control over everything I do when it comes to the military."

"Will you _let_ me finish?"

Arielle grinned cheekily and sat down, anxiously waiting for orders.

Xena let out a breathy sigh before adding, "when the Persians arrive, I want you to split the effort. Half the army will stay in the tribe. I want this place barricaded, do you understand? I don't want anyone coming into the heartland."

Arielle nodded, mentally taking notes.

"The other half will go to the south to help Ernak and your father. Got it?"

"Got it!"

Xena slipped her gloves off and smacked them against her thigh. "And do not, I repeat, do _not_ let Xerxes distract you. You two will have plenty of time to catch up, but I want you to be completely focused."

"That really isn't fair, grandma. I haven't seen him in over a year. My stomach is in knots as it is! You can't expect me to contain myself!"

Gabrielle snorted in the background to which she received a glare from her wife. She settled in the bed and averted her eyes to the ceiling.

"Your people come _first_," Xena raised a finger. "I also have a job for Farah. Your original idea of building a military base in the south should be reinstated. Have Farah draw a print for it."

Arielle sighed, already bored with her task for the day. She already had a mouthful from Farah about spending too much money. She wasn't looking forward to speaking with Farah again.

"_Today_, Arielle," she snapped her fingers.

After Arielle sulked and waltzed out of the room, Gabrielle stared at her wife with an amused smile. She drummed her fingers on her leg and raised an eyebrow. Their eyes met, and Xena cast a worn grin.

"You're doing all of her work for her," she stated.

Xena shrugged, "no, she does all the _boring_ work," she arched an eyebrow. "All she does is write and sign documents and implement laws. Besides, she still needs guidance. She is young. But she's doing a good job despite her scattered mind." She massaged her forehead.

"Give her a break, Xena. She's coping very well, considering," Gabrielle implied the Shehzade. "She never had time to mourn him, and now that he's alive, she's very excited to see him again."

"I know, I know."

"I think she took her time with Xerxes for granted."

Xena sighed, "I know what that feels like," she muttered.

To lighten the mood, Gabrielle said, "you brought me back from the dead, yet you couldn't fix my shoulder."

"That'll be my next mission," Xena winked. "Perhaps, I should learn some of those shamanistic skills," she waggled her fingers.

"I'd pay to see you do that."

* * *

Farah's sleep schedule was terrible as of late. She was given orders from Arielle to draw up new prints for a military base. Balancing the budget and distributing funds was also on her agenda, which she ended up doing that after her sons went to sleep.

During the day, she dedicated her time to drawing the prints. But even she needed a break from that, even though she enjoyed it. She sat in bed, correcting all the errors in her sons' Latin journals.

Her two sons sat on either side of her, watching her correct the mistakes. They waited patiently and silently for her to finish. Farah warned them plenty of times that she needed peace and quiet to read.

Aman peered over at his mother. He raised an eyebrow and scooted closer to Farah. He tapped his fingers on her belly, curious about his new sibling.

Farah felt the prodding and looked over at her guilty son. She was in such a foul mood lately, which made it hard for her to be lenient on her sons. She remembered that they were very young and needed to be more patient with them.

"Can the baby hear us?" Aman asked.

She smiled tiredly, "I think so."

Aman quirked his mouth and tapped his cheek. His hand roved over the entirety of his mother's belly, humming softly. Farah raised an eyebrow, watching her son analyzing. It was amusing, so she tried to keep herself from laughing.

So far, his inspection wasn't as eventful as he thought it would be. He retracted his hand and glanced up at his mother.

"Is the baby sleeping?"

Definitely not, Farah thought. "I think the baby is just a little _shy_."

Aman brought his eyebrows together. He looked a bit hurt and miffed by that news. He leaned up against Farah and narrowed his eyes, zeroing in on his sibling.

Aladar then stood up on the bed with hands on his hips. "Can we help pick out a name for the baby?"

Farah sighed, "you can help, sure. Sit down," she ordered, and he plopped onto the bed, crossing his legs. "Where is Ede? I haven't seen him in two days."

"He went off with Kurt or something," Aladar shrugged, not the least bit concerned. "So, when is dad coming home? Are we gonna have a party?"

Farah slammed the journals shut. "What do you mean, Edemen went off with Kurt? He never asked me for permission to leave the Adame."

She slid off the bed and stalked off, swinging the doors open. Aman groaned and punched his brother in the arm to which Aladar snarled.

"You have a big mouth!"

Aman hopped off the bed to chase after his mother. Aladar griped, rubbed his arm, then followed his other half.

* * *

Anastasia stood at the bottom of the staircase, talking with one of the maids. After their conversation ended, she flicked the long plaited hair behind her and turned to see Farah sprinting down the stairs. Frowning, she blocked the stairs.

She laced her hands in front of her body and smiled. "You're in a hurry. Going somewhere?"

Farah heaved, "where is Edemen?"

"He's hunting with Kurt."

"He's not supposed to leave without telling me first!" Farah tried to pass and grunted. "Move, Anastasia."

Ana grabbed Farah's shoulders with a firm grip. "Edemen asked me for permission. I told him it was okay," she said, studying the queen's sizzling eyes. "Farah, what has you so riled up? He's safe with Kurt."

Farah breathed in sharply, and tears brimmed in her green eyes. "No!" she yelled, "I want him here with me. He has to stay here with _me_!"

Anastasia cinched her eyebrows and cupped Farah's cheeks, wiping the tears away. She could tell this wasn't about Edemen at all. It was about Csaba. All this time spent apart from Csaba was affecting Farah more negatively than she was letting on. On the outside, she seemed so composed and well put together, but that was so far from the truth.

Any other time this would've been a typical reaction of Farah overreacting, but this time, she had good reason to worry.

"I can send someone to bring Edemen back here. Would you like me to do that?" Ana asked.

Farah fervently nodded her head while breathing unsteadily.

"Alright," she grinned, brushing her thumb across Farah's cheek.

Anastasia waved down a soldier standing guard by one of the hallways. She left Farah's side and whispered to him, pointing back at Farah and then to the doors. The soldier eyed the frazzled queen then whistled to one of his cohorts to join him to find the teenage prince.

She spent most of the day in Csaba's Adame only to keep Farah company, but now she was worried about leaving Farah alone indefinitely. Farah had been separated from Csaba before for extended periods, but she always had someone to rely on, and that particular someone was her sister, Rabia.

Rabia was gone, as was Banat. Farah felt very alone, and she was in such a vulnerable state that Anastasia feared leaving her by herself. It was very convenient that all the Adames were close together, and for that reason, Ana wanted to keep Farah close to everybody.

"I think you should come back with me to Arielle's Adame," she suggested.

Farah shook her head and wrapped her hands around both her sons' heads. "No, no…I –I want to stay here and wait for Edemen."

"I'll tell the soldiers to bring him over. Please, Farah, you're worrying me." Ana took a step closer, extending her hand.

Farah pulled her sons close protectively, intent on staying.

"I don't want you to be alone. It would do you some good to be around everybody. You can't sit in your room and wait for Csaba's return."

"You cannot force me to leave, Anastasia."

Ana sighed and crossed her arms. "No, I can't, but I really think you should come with me." She could tell that Farah wasn't willing to bend, so she compromised. "Alright, I will stay here until Edemen returns, and _then_ will you come with me?"

Farah thought over Ana's offer, making a quick decision was not something she was capable of doing at the moment. The more she wracked her brain over the possible outrageous scenarios her son could be in right now, the more she wanted to belt out and cry. Her overactive imagination was getting the best of her, and because of that, she couldn't make a cohesive and sensible decision.

Her mouth parted, waiting for the words to drip off her tongue, but her mind drew a blank. Everything that has happened in her life recently was out of her control. The one constant in her life was her children, and that was taken away from her too.

"I should've told you before I allowed Edemen to leave," Anastasia apologized. "But you don't have any reason to worry. Kurt is very responsible."

"Yeah, mom," Aladar looked up to his teary-eyed mother. "Edemen is safe. Don't be sad."

* * *

Without anyone to come to check on her for a while, Gabrielle slipped out of bed quietly. She repeatedly told her namesake, Arielle, to obey Xena's orders, yet here she was, defying orders directly from her wife's mouth.

Forbidden to get out of bed and wander around, Gabrielle was going stir crazy. She just wanted to at least walk out onto the balcony and breathe some fresh air. That shouldn't be too much of a task, should it?

She grunted, cursing, all while trying to slip on a coat to walk out onto the balcony. It was frigid outside, and the last thing she needed was to catch a cold. The sling strapped over her shoulder was a nuisance. Struggling for several minutes, she gave up and draped the coat over her shoulders.

Embarrassingly, she broke a sweat. Gabrielle began to make her way over to the balcony and then heard the doorknob turn. Her heart palpitated and rang in her ears. She panicked and instantly jaunted back to the bed and tripped over a pair of boots.

She collapsed onto the floor, luckily onto her uninjured shoulder. She grunted and rolled over onto her back and looked up at Xena, staring down at her. Smiling nervously, Gabrielle froze.

"I leave you alone for one hour, and _this_ is what happens." Xena rested her hand on her hip, shaking her head.

"I was bored. You can't expect me to stay in bed all day!"

Xena bent over and extended her hand. She hoisted Gabrielle up off the floor and whipped the coat off her shoulders and threw it onto a chair. Xena, typically, would be angry, but she was having a hard time showing any other emotion aside from worry when it came to Gabrielle.

"Are you hurt?"

Gabrielle adjusted the sling and scowled. "_Obviously_…"

"I meant, _after_ your tumble," Xena said with a sneer.

"No…"

She sat on the end of the bed and felt like a child being scolded by its mother. Xena had a smile on her face the entire time. She was enjoying this a little too much, Gabrielle mused.

"Let me see your wound."

Xena walked over and lifted the sling gently over Gabrielle's head. She peeked beneath the gauze and studied the wound. The stitches provided by the physician were holding up nicely so far, and the surrounding area began to bruise, which was a good sign it was healing properly.

"Very nice," she murmured to herself. "In a few weeks, you should be as good as new!"

Gabrielle sighed. "I doubt my shoulder will ever be able to move the same again. What terrible luck, right? Only me."

"You're normally so optimistic. I'm _shocked_ to hear you talk this way," Xena teased, nudging her wife's cheek with her closed fist.

"Maybe I'd be in a better mood if you let me leave this damn room once in a while!"

"You're letting Arielle's attitude influence you too much."

"Xena, you're being overly cautious."

"I have every right to be."

* * *

Crouched down behind a tree, Edemen studied a deer with a fawn beside her. He held his bow on his thigh and watched Kurt weave in between the trees, coming closer and closer to the deer. Edemen wished that his aunt had more time to teach him how to use a bow correctly. He was nowhere near as good as Arielle.

He was convinced that his aunt was probably the best archer in the entire empire. His cousin, Kurt, was pretty skilled with all weapons and practiced with a bow almost every day. Edemen had a lot to learn. He wanted to be the one to kill the deer but knew that he would miss the animal and probably shoot his cousin due to his poor aim.

Once at a decent distance, Kurt loaded his bow, focusing in on the fawn. He pulled the bow taut and aimed the arrowhead directly at the animal. Before he released the arrow, he heard horses galloping from afar. The two deer scattered and disappeared into the thick of the woods.

"Dammit!"

Edemen threw his bow over his shoulder and ran to his cousin, cold breath escaping his lips. "What happened? You nearly had it!"

Kurt slipped the arrow back into the holster and stood from his crouched position. "The horses spooked them."

He weaved his way through the woods, following the sounds of men shouting and horse hooves digging into the snow. Edemen followed, and then they both watched from behind a thick thorn bush.

On the path that connected West Pannonia to the inner state, there were hundreds upon hundreds of soldiers moving on horseback and foot heading to the tribe ahead. Edemen gasped and grabbed his cousin's arm.

"Who are they?" he whispered.

Kurt frowned and answered, "they must be Lombards or Antes. They're heading to the tribe."

"We have to head back!" Edemen said with urgency. "We need to tell everybody they're coming!"

Kurt yanked his cousin back and clapped a hand over Edemen's mouth. "We didn't bring a horse with us. We wouldn't make it back in time. If we leave now, they will catch us and probably kill us."

Edemen widened his eyes, fear-stricken. He just wanted to go hunting. He didn't plan on dying or getting captured.

"We're going to have to wait here until morning."

Edemen looked over at the soldiers riding on the dirt path ahead. "But my mother, my brothers…"

Kurt tried not to display his fears in front of his little cousin. He also thought of his stepmother, little brother, and infant sisters. Since his father was fighting Rodelinda in the south, the only capable people of fighting were Arielle and Xena. He would be lying if he said he wasn't worried about everyone's safety, but he couldn't express fear in front of Edemen.

"Don't worry, they'll be safe."

Edemen sighed heavily and waltzed over to a large tree. His back hit the trunk of the tree, and he slid down, hitting the ground with a loud thud. He brought his knees close to his chest and wrapped his arms around his legs. Right about now, he truly felt like a child. He wasn't able to help and instead had to stay in the woods until it was safe to leave.

Kurt focused on the soldiers, snarling. There were so many men, and it pained him that he couldn't run out and stop them. This was clearly an ambush. He looked over his shoulder at his cousin when he heard soft snivels and sobs.

"Hey," he knelt down, and Edemen hid his flushed face in the crevice of his knees. "Everything's gonna be alright. Arielle will protect the tribe."

Edemen wiped his nose and gaped at his cousin. "I promised my father that I'd protect my mother and brothers. My mother is going to be so worried about me."

Out of anger and frustration, he threw his bow at the tree across from where he sat. The wooden bow broke in half from the blow.

"Don't beat yourself up over it, Ede. I rather we come back alive than have them find us dead. We're safer if we stay here."

* * *

In the middle of eating dinner, the call of an invasion sounded throughout the entire tribe. Xena lowered the spoon from her mouth and jumped up then ran towards the balcony. Daylight passed, and Xena could barely see beyond the borders up ahead. The horns continued to sound, and soon, everyone emerged from their yurts, while others gathered their belongings and families to retreat.

She leaned over the rails and saw Arielle outside, yelling at the soldiers to gather up the citizens and horde them in Ernak's Adame on the opposite side of the tribe. Of course, the tribe was much too large to house everyone.

Xena raised an eyebrow, observing Arielle orchestrating all of the children and women to be escorted to Ernak's home. For once, she didn't have to shout orders at Arielle to get her to do her job.

Gabrielle joined her on the terrace, and the display of organized chaos caused her heart to race. "Xena…" she grabbed her spouse by the arm. "Why are you still here? Go down there!"

"Look at her go," Xena marveled and turned to Gabrielle. Her smile faded. "_Right_. I'm leaving right now."

She briskly walked back into the bedroom and grabbed her coat, Kozak, and sword on the bed. She expected an attack, but she didn't think it would come so soon. The Persians hadn't arrived yet, which put them at a considerable disadvantage combat-wise.

Gabrielle nervously scratched the back of her neck, watching Xena prepare to leave. She felt so helpless, and it was nearly impossible to convince Xena to allow her to aid in any way.

"Is there something I can do?"

"Yes. You can stay here."

"Xena, I want to help! Give me something to do. I am capable of doing _some_ things."

Xena sheathed her sword and huffed. She might come to regret this later, but sometimes she couldn't argue with Gabrielle, and they did need all the help they could get.

"Crowd control. Gather all the women and children, as many as you can, and bring them here."

It wasn't a task she particularly enjoyed, but she took what was handed to her.

Gabrielle smiled and said, "I can do that. Be careful," she felt the need to remind Xena that continuously.

* * *

"Farah! That was a call of distress! We need to move!"

Anastasia tried desperately to remove Farah from the sofa in the women's quarters downstairs. It took several hours to finally get Farah to calm down, but after the invasion warning was heard, Farah broke down in tears, wailing irrepressibly.

She expressed concern over her son, who hadn't returned and uttered incohesive sentences in between her hysterical crying. Anastasia tried to hoist Farah off the sofa, but she was unresponsive and became like a stone, unable to be moved.

Turning over her shoulder, she saw the twin princes gawking, horrified at the way their mother was reacting. Anastasia took in a deep breath and walked over to the boys.

"Go upstairs and wait for me there, okay?"

They were too concerned and worried about their mother to speak. Anastasia frowned and grabbed both of their chins, and finally, they registered her demands. They quickly darted up the staircase. Two down, one to go, Anastasia thought.

She marched back over to the hysterical queen. The overwhelming urge to slap Farah was unreal. Her fingers fidgeted, and her nostrils flared, breathing heavily as she stared at Farah curled up on the sofa, crying uncontrollably.

"Farah, it is unsafe for you to be downstairs. I need you to cooperate."

She attempted to grab Farah's arm again, and Farah pulled away, wrapping her arms over her chest. Anastasia clapped a hand to her forehead, at a loss of what to do. She looked outside the windows and saw her mother mount her horse and ride out with a group of soldiers.

Arielle rushed into the quarters and gaped at both her mother and Farah. "What are you two doing down here?"

"She won't get off the couch," Ana tiredly admitted.

Arielle marched across the room and frowned down at her sister in law. Without hesitation, she scooped Farah into her arms, groaning loudly as she struggled to lift Farah. She charged up the stairs, holding her breath.

"Put me down!" ordered Farah.

"Shut up!"

Arielle picked up her pace and headed down the hallway towards Farah's bedroom. She kicked the doors open with a hard push of her boot and hurried inside. After she received a slew of curses from Farah, she eased the heavy queen onto the bed.

She blew out a breathy exhale and set her hands on her hips. "You're going to stay in this room. Mother will look after you."

"But –but Edemen!"

Winded, Arielle was barely able to speak, "what about him?"

"He never came home!"

"Fuck," Arielle muttered under her breath. She sighed, staring at her sobbing sister in law. "I'll find him. Don't you _dare_ come out of this room!"

She scurried out and bumped into her mother in the hallway. "Give Farah something to sedate her. She is stressing herself out too much."

Anastasia nodded and grabbed her daughter's arm. "Arielle…" her grip tightened, "please be careful."

"I will."

"And make sure to tell your grandmother to be careful too."

Arielle guffawed, "as if she's gonna listen to me!"

"Arielle, I mean it!"

"I'll tell her, mother."

* * *

Ernak mirrored Navaz's expression of confusion and distrust. They watched as Rodelinda rounded up her men and retreated from the area. Each side fought relentlessly and endlessly over the last few weeks, and Rodelinda made no attempt to stop until tonight. The two kings studied the way the Lombard Queen commanded her army, and neither of them understood how these people fought so well with so little energy.

"Fascinating," Ernak said, rubbing his beard. "She's pulling back."

Navaz furrowed his thick eyebrows and added to that, "but why? She has no reason to stop. She's like a machine with unlimited coal to keep the machine churning."

"There's a reason. She's not pulling back for no reason."

Ernak walked across the camp and watched as Rodelinda stood in the center of the field, shouting out commands to her soldiers. There was something odd about this retreat, and Ernak couldn't put his finger on it. But he'd seen and been in enough wars to know that enemies who fought like Rodelinda, always had a motive.

"This is a distraction," Navaz said.

"Why do you say that?"

"She has more than enough men and weapons to keep fighting, yet she stops. This is _clearly_ a distraction."

Ernak nodded, narrowing his eyes as he collected information during his surveillance. Looking at Rodelinda wasn't going to give him any clues, so he stomped his back to the inner campsite. Their men were exhausted. Even after weeks of warring, Ernak and Navaz were able to come up with a strategy so the army wouldn't tire so quickly.

They attacked in waves. It was a method that Navaz used several times and one that Anastasia taught him when they fought against the Shah brothers many years ago. The strategy wasn't meant to be used long-term, but they had to make do with what they had.

"I just realized something," Ernak said, and Navaz arched a curious brow. "Her husband, Alduin, hasn't been here at all during this battle."

* * *

After the military base construction, Arielle thought to build a physical wall around the entire tribe. Not only would it be safer, but there would be fewer attacks. People were free to come and go through the tribe as they pleased as there weren't any physical borders that were guarding Attila's tribe.

Arielle was forced to use her soldiers as human shields. Unfortunately, it wasn't working very well because most lost their lives in a matter of seconds from the Antes ramming their large scythes and javelins through bodies to push their way through.

She sat on her horse, ordering the archers to consistently fire at the invaders. The archers kept shooting, raining arrows out onto the dark field. Arielle fearfully looked at the hundreds of torches lighting up the outer area.

She kicked the horse's hind leg and galloped her way to Xena, who was waiting by one of the back rows of soldiers. She tried not to sound the least bit afraid, but her eyes said it all.

"I…I don't know what to do. My tactics aren't working. They're pushing through," Arielle said shakily. "If they get through, they're going to raid our entire tribe."

Xena slipped on her leather gloves and tapered her eyes.

"Let them through."

"W-what?" Arielle stammered.

"Let them through!"

Arielle flinched, and she swallowed. She galloped close to the soldiers guarding the borders and gave an order for them to allow the Antes into the tribe. Her head whipped around, staring at her grandmother, confused and wary of this terrible decision.

As if in slow motion, Xena braced herself for the surge of Antes that came pouring in like a rolling river that crashed through a broken dam. She took in a deep inhale and gripped the reins, preparing to fight if needed. They'd have to come through a lot of rows of soldiers to get to her.

Gabrielle wasn't going to like this at all, but she couldn't think about that right now. She had a duty to uphold. She swore to always protect the tribe ever since she met Attila. She had kept her word on that even after his passing. She wasn't going to allow the heartland to be retaken like it had been so many times in the past.

The two armies collided with each other, clashing swords, javelins plunged into bodies, soldiers were run over by stampeding horses. Xena turned to Arielle, who was continuing to command the archers to shoot from afar.

She made a quick decision to employ a Roman strategy that she hadn't used in a long time. She couldn't do it alone, though, and needed Arielle's help. There was one problem. Arielle wasn't very familiar with Roman tactics as Xena didn't focus on teaching those during Arielle's short reign as commander.

"Arielle!" she shouted, waving her arm to grab attention.

The Khagana rode over, leaving her archers to fire freely at the Antes. She wasn't in a position to judge her grandmother's choices and knew that this rash decision must have a good reason behind it, but she had her doubts.

"I'm going to teach you a Roman strategy right now."

Arielle took in a sharp breath, "right now?!" she looked around at the chaos unfolding around them. "Grandma, we are in the middle of a bloodbath!"

"Listen to me carefully," Xena held up two fingers. "Do you remember that technique I used back in Armenia when we fought Shehzade Kawus?"

Arielle panicked and nodded, "the time when we took out the siege towers?"

"That's the one."

"Grandma, that is a perilous strategy. You almost died. I can't let you do that again."

Xena smiled, touched by the concern. "I know, but you're going to do it."

"_Me_?" she thumbed her chest. "But grandma, I…I've never done that before. I don't…I _can't_!"

"I have faith in you," Xena clasped a hand onto Arielle's shoulder. "We don't have a lot of time, so pay attention to every detail I'm going to tell you."

* * *

In the crowded Adame, Gabrielle organized all of the women or as many as she could fit inside. She pushed her way through the women and children, most of which were either crying or talking over each other, very worried about the situation outside.

She had guards posted at every exit. This wasn't going to be a repeat like what happened last time. She peered out one of the windows and could barely see anything due to the lack of light. She felt a tug on her pant leg and spun around.

Aurora gazed up at her with teary eyes. "Gabby, is my mom okay? Did you hear any news?"

"Sorry, no, I haven't," she knelt down and caressed the princess' cheek. "She's going to be fine. Where's Ku? Why aren't you with her?"

Aurora rubbed her eye, "she's helping the women. Gabby, I don't want her to get hurt like last time!" she started to whimper, and Gabrielle grabbed her hand, leading her away from the talkative women closeby.

They sat down on a bench in one of the hallways near the entrance. She brushed a few strands of hair from Aurora's cheek.

"War is scary, I know. I know exactly how you feel."

Aurora sniffled, "you do?"

She nodded, "I've seen your grandmother hurt several times and Xena too, and Ernak, Cera, Csaba, your grandfather too."

Aurora's breath hitched. "I dunno if I want to ever go to war," she wagged her head.

Gabrielle grinned and ran her fingers through the girl's long hair. "You don't have to if you don't want to. I'm sure that'll ease your mother's concerns in the future," she chuckled.

The thought of Arielle parenting a teenage daughter was comical and horrifying at the same time. Out of all the mothers here, Arielle was the most eccentric when it came to parenting. Although Aurora was far easier to discipline than Arielle ever was. Gabrielle guessed that the gods granted Arielle some mercy in that department.

"But I still like learning how to fight and stuff," said Aurora with a gentle smile. "And I like archery too. I'm pretty good, right?"

"Not as good as your mother, though."

"She's the best archer in the world!"

Somehow, Gabrielle was inclined to agree. It was probably true because Arielle exceeded her own father when it came to mastering the bow and arrow.

"Why don't you play a game with Kazem? It should help you get your mind off things."

Aurora shrugged. "I don't think it's gonna help. Thanks anyway, Gabby."

She stifled a laugh, "anytime."

* * *

Given the quick lesson, Arielle managed to do everything that her grandmother said. She rounded up half the able-bodied men she had and circled around the entirety of the tribe, which enclosed the Antes in the center.

The Antes had no idea what was happening around them, thus distracting some of the soldiers, and they ended up dying by a Hun's sword or arrow to the body. Arielle kept riding around the entire tribe, making her way back around from her starting point for the third time. She looked behind her, trying to keep her eye on her grandmother, who had suddenly disappeared.

"What –" she whipped around and craned her neck. "What the hell!"

While Arielle was busy with the spiral tactic, Xena was able to gather the archers and lead them off to the side for a different task. With little light she had to work with, she was able to spot the man in charge; a man with long blond braids chatted with another blond man. They were displeased by the abrupt Roman strategy used.

She asked all the archers to line the outer rim of the tribe with oil. This was going to cause a lot of damage and ultimately destroy hundreds of yurts in the process, but thanks to Gabrielle, everyone was out of harm's way.

"Lite it," she ordered.

Galloping away from the archers, she waited in the distance. The entire circumference drenched in oil was ignited by the flame of the arrows soaring through the air and onto the snowy grass. Xena enlarged her eyes with a luminescent grin, watching the field burst into flames.

She raised her hand, which Arielle caught sight of. Just as she planned, Arielle and the soldiers in the circle dispersed and scattered about the field. This left the Antes trapped in the middle of a blazing ring of fire.

The obstacle didn't deter some of the men, and they ran through the ring, continuing to attack. It only slowed them down for a little while. Xena's eyes darkened two shades and growled. What is wrong with these people? They were just the same as the Lombards. Nothing could stop them. Not even fire would cease their willpower to keep pushing through until every Hun and Avar were dead.

Amid the scattered chaos, Arielle halted in the middle of the circle of fire. Her horse reared on its hind legs, and she fell onto the ground. Rolling over onto her back, she was met with an Antes soldier, ready to strike.

She tumbled across the field and whipped her sword out. With a swift kick to the chest, she sent the soldier flying backward. Then, she charged forward and drove her blade straight through the center of his chest.

She raised her head, looking for her grandmother for aid. Breathing heavily, she heard the sound of hundreds of horses stampeding into the tribe. Arielle jumped to her feet and tried to run after her horse, who since ran away, terrified of the fire.

She pulled back her hair, hanging in front of her face, and her heart stopped as soon as she saw Persian soldiers riding in. She cried out, driving her blade through an Antes who mistakenly tried to attack her head-on.

Arielle ran and jumped over the ring of fire, searching to see if she could find Xerxes in the sea of soldiers. It was nearly pitch-black, and with only the light from the fire illuminating the field, she couldn't make out any faces.

"_Arielle_!"

She turned, and Xena galloped towards her. She hopped onto the horse and kept her eye on the Persians charging in to save them ultimate destruction and maybe even extinction.

"It's about damn time your man showed up," Xena teased.

Once they were in the clear, Arielle hopped off the horse and ran up the hill, searching for the Shehzade. She stepped over bodies and growled, shoving a soldier out of her way. She spotted a man, whom she thought might be Xerxes, wearing a black leather outfit and silver helm with chainmail.

He turned his head, and Arielle was able to make out the features despite the darkness surrounding them. She stopped, dead center, in the middle of the chaos as men fought around her. The horseman dismounted and pulled off his helm. Now, she could see the long dark hair tumbling down his back, and she put a hand over her beating chest.

Xerxes grinned upon seeing her. The way she was looking at him, he might've thought she had just seen a ghost before her.

Tears surfaced, and Arielle ran across the field and collided into Xerxes. She jumped on him, wrapping her legs around his waist. Xerxes nearly fell backward, but he held her, squeezing her tightly. He clutched a mound of curls in his palm and pressed his cheek against the side of her head, smelling her ember-scented hair.

Arielle pulled back and held his face. She gave him a passionate kiss to the lips, inhaling every bit of air within him. Pulling away slowly, they touched foreheads, and tears streamed down Arielle's cheeks.

"You came," she whispered.

"I told you I'd always be there for you." He kissed her forehead.

She lowered her feet to the ground, though she felt like she was walking on air. Her hands roamed over Xerxes' body to ensure he was real and standing in front of her. This was real –he was real.

"I'm here," he assured her with a light laugh.

This was more of a reaction than he expected. Tears flowed down her cheeks, which was very unlike Arielle. She was always so shy to express herself. Perhaps, Xerxes never realized how she felt or how much his _death_ affected her. She never behaved this way around him before.

Pent up rage simmered inside Arielle for over a year. She punched Xerxes in the chest, not once but twice and then a third time.

He spoke too soon. Xerxes grabbed her shaking fists, gazing into fiery eyes.

"You –you left me! How…how could you do that to me?" she said breathlessly.

"I know. I can explain, _please_…"

From afar, Xena whistled, and the two turned their heads. "We aren't finished out here!" she yelled, gesturing to the battlefield.

Arielle wiped her cheeks and glared at Xerxes.

He smiled and tenderly cupped her cheek. "Later, we will talk, I promise."


	52. Chapter 52

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Xena assigns Arielle a dangerous task that could stop the war. Reunited at last, Arielle wants a promise from Xerxes. Csaba returns to Pannonia and is, unsurprisingly, smothered by Farah. Gabrielle continuously tries to evade her wife when it comes to her much needed physical therapy, meanwhile Arielle seeks advice from her grandmother.

**Just straight-up action :D I enjoyed this chapter a lot lol.**

Chapter 52

Well into the evening, Xerxes commanded his men to continue to attack in waves to combat the Antes. He didn't understand why the Antes continued to attack when there were at least three times the Persians to war against them. Still, Xerxes followed suit when he was given orders directly from Xena to keep sending men into the field.

Just as the sun began to rise and the Antes men were slowly trickling out of the field, either retreating or losing their lives, men on horseback rode in from the south. Arielle, busy commanding her archers to continue firing non-stop for the last hour, looked over at the opposite side of the tribe.

She waved her hand to halt the archers from firing and mounted her horse. She trotted over to her grandmother, who was shouting tactics at the soldiers, all while cursing the Persians for getting in the way for not knowing her strategies.

"Hey!" Arielle shouted, and Xena turned to her right. "Men are coming in from the south," she pointed in that direction.

Lining the edge of the outskirts of the tribe, hundreds of horsemen were led by a man who was presumed to be King Alduin of the Lombards. Xena tapered her eyes and grimaced.

Just when she thought the Antes were being weeded out, then comes this obstacle. She was exhausted and was soon to lose her voice by the start of the afternoon for sure. Xena began to have flashbacks of when Emperor Zeno came charging through Pannonia on all sides and cornered everybody. She didn't know how she was able to fight through that chaos, but she was nearly left for dead. This couldn't happen again.

"Send Xerxes to the south. They cannot come in here. They will destroy everything," she said.

Arielle nodded, "I will go too."

"No!" Xena gripped Arielle's arm. "You are staying _here_."

"But –"

Arielle recoiled at the chilling glare. "Okay, I'll stay here and keep commanding the archers. I'm going to tell Xerxes to go south."

* * *

Inside the Adame, Anastasia was finally able to get Farah to sleep with a heavily dosed tea. She pulled the blanket over Farah and released a heavy sigh. She wasn't even outside fighting the war, but she was tired.

The door opened, and in walked the princes. Anastasia quickly ran over to prevent the boys from approaching the bed. She grabbed their shoulders and ushered them aside. Both Aman and Aladar craned their necks, peering back at their slumbering mother.

"Is she feeling better now?" Aman asked.

Anastasia smiled and knelt down, putting a finger to her lips. "Yes, she's sleeping. Don't disturb her," she whispered.

Outside the room, there were loud noises from below. The princes' eyes widened, fearful that the Antes were trying to make their way inside the Adame. Anastasia put her hands on their shoulders and listened for any more sounds, but it was quiet for a few moments.

Relieved, she smiled, and then there was a loud thud heard from down below, and then men were heard shouting. The boys squealed, covering their ears. Anastasia grabbed their hands and led them to a sofa to sit down on. She yanked a staff off the wall and laid it on their laps.

"Don't come out of this room for anybody. Lock the door behind me, understand?"

They nodded their heads, and Ana grabbed a sword inside one of the closets. She cracked the door and poked her head outside in the hallway to see if anyone was near. She eyed the twin princes and gave a curt nod then closed the door quietly behind her.

She briskly walked down the corridor and crept around the corner. She heard swords clashing downstairs and listened to how close they were. Her ears perked up at footsteps approaching from behind her. Furrowing her eyebrows, she turned around and saw men climbing through one of the windows at the end of the hallway.

Anastasia gripped the sword with both hands, ready to strike the intruders. Three of them ran down the corridor as soon as they saw her protecting a large hallway that led to Farah's room. Her heart raced, and her jaw clenched. She would have to rely solely on her other senses to fight everybody off as her eyes deceived her when it came to combat.

"Khatun!" a soldier shouted from below, "leave the Adame!"

He sliced through a soldier who charged towards him. Two more came at him, and he looked above to see Anastasia staying put and refusing to move. Distracted, he was stabbed in the leg and took another blow to his back.

"Khatun!" he pleaded.

"I am _not_ leaving!" she shouted back.

* * *

Outside, Xerxes led his men to the south, and Arielle was focused on the north, protecting the border as much as she could. Meanwhile, Xena was dead center in the field, observing from all sides. She was surrounded by a circle of Persians and Huns, protecting her. She kept her eyes and ears open for any surprise attacks.

From both the east and west sides of the tribe, the call of invasion echoed through the valley. Xena looked on either side of her and saw hundreds upon hundreds of horsemen emerge. Her jaw dropped, and she spun around herself, steering her horse around, gawking at all the armies surrounding the tribe.

They were trapped. This was everything that she wanted to prevent.

The sun had risen now, and it was easier to see, and she didn't know if she wanted to see or be blind to the disaster. This situation was ten times worse than when Emperor Zeno invaded Pannonia all those years ago. This was so much worse.

"Oh god," she muttered.

"Grandma!"

Arielle galloped over, heaving. Her horse came to an abrupt halt, and she grabbed Xena's arm, shaking her lightly.

"I _know_!" Xena barked. "I see them."

"Tell me what to do. I'll do it."

Xena nibbled on her lip, her head darting from left to right, taking mental notes of how many men they were up against. There had to have been just as many as the 50,000 Persians. Maybe there were more. It was hard to judge by just looking at the first rows of horsemen and swordsmen.

"Split the Persian army into quarters. Each side will protect the east, west, north, and south," she instructed, and Arielle nodded her head.

"I'll tell Xerxes, but what do you want me to do? Archery line? Front line?"

Xena smiled, turning to her granddaughter. "No, I have a specific task for you, but it's a little dangerous."

"Tell me."

"I want you to kill King Alduin and every single leader in charge of the Antes army."

Arielle's breath hitched in her throat, and she gaped at the number of men surrounding the tribe. They began riding towards the tribe at such great speed. To get close enough to Alduin, she would need to either be up extremely high in height or near enough, a few feet give or take, to get a clear shot.

"You're the best archer in the empire."

"You have too much confidence in me, grandma."

"You can do it, Arielle," she caressed the Khagana's cheek, "I believe in you."

* * *

Without anyone to come to her aid, Anastasia fought off two of the intruders. She relied on her sensory skills more than anything, which surprisingly served her well. She was left with just one man in the hallway now. Since two of the Antes soldiers were lying dead on the floor, she thought she could handle only _one_ more man.

Below, the soldiers, or what little they had in the Adame, continued to push the intruders back. Anastasia, breathing deeply, gripped the sword, eyeing the man opposite her. He wasn't attacking her, which was strange. Instead, he just kept staring.

She took the initiative and struck first by thrusting her sword forward, which he evaded with a quick side-step. He kept avoiding her attacks, and she was beginning to lose speed and faith in herself to keep him at bay. Frustrated, she completely lost herself and charged at the intruder, and he stepped away, then swiped his blade across her chest.

She hissed and placed a hand over the severe gash. Blood trickled down beneath her tunic, and she huffed, turning around. The more she studied the way he was frozen in place, the more she realized he knew she was partially blind. He knew her weakness. She didn't think it was so obvious, but judging how she missed his body entirely, he caught on quickly.

Anastasia heard men charging up the stairs, and she looked over the railing. Luckily, they were her people, so she was able to escape and leave the area.

"Go!" a soldier yelled.

She raced down the hallway and banged her palm on Farah's door. "Open the door!" she growled.

Aman swung the door open, and Ana hurried inside, closing the door shut and locking it. She pressed her back against the door and wiped the sweat off her brow. All of the commotions outside woke Farah, and she sat up in bed, groggy from the tea.

"You're hurt!" cried Aladar.

Anastasia grabbed the princes' hands and led them away from the doors. She sat on the bed and wiped the blood from her chest, cursing beneath her breath.

Farah rubbed her eye, barely able to make out her blurry surroundings. "What is going on?" she asked.

"Nothing, _tatli kiz_," Ana said, cleaning the gash on her chest.

Farah gasped and quickly crawled across the bed when she saw a man climbing up the wall, attempting to get inside the bedroom. She wrapped her arms around her sons and held them close.

Anastasia whipped her head around and walked over to the window. Her boot met with the intruder's chest, kicking him over the side of the Adame. She leaned over the ledge and spat a glob of saliva.

"_Orospu çocuğu_," she cursed aloud.

Turning around, she saw the look of horror on all three of their faces. She smiled awkwardly and cupped the boys' cheeks.

"Anastasia!" Farah shouted, pointing to the window again.

She twirled the sword around and rammed it into a second intruder's chest then kicked him over the ledge. She squinted, trying her best to see if there were more men around, but so far, she couldn't hear or see anything nearby. She jumped off the sill and closed the shutters, drawing the curtains.

If men were climbing into the building, then that meant that it could be happening over in the other Adames as well. Either way, she couldn't leave Farah and the boys here by themselves. She certainly couldn't transport them somewhere else either. Farah's pregnancy was such a hindrance at this moment that Anastasia didn't know what else to do but pray.

"Are we gonna get attacked in here?" asked Aladar.

"No, _tatli_ _coçuk_," Ana caressed his cheek, "don't be scared. I'll protect you."

Farah clapped a hand over her eyes, weeping quietly. She sat on the floor, leaning her back against the bed, sobbing uncontrollably. Her sons sat on either side of her, resting their heads on her shoulders.

* * *

In the other Adame, there was unrest among the tribe's women and children. Many of the small children were crying non-stop, and the women wouldn't stop talking about the war outside, which caused more tension between everybody.

Gabrielle was only one woman, and she couldn't do much but keep a lookout for anything suspicious. On the second floor, she peered out one of the balconies but made sure her position wouldn't be compromised. She was able to spot Xena on the center field, commanding the Persians to her every will.

The entire tribe was now full of so many soldiers that it was difficult to decipher who was who. The Persians were easy to spot in the sea of soldiers as they wore black armor and turbans on their heads.

As she stood, observing from the balcony, she felt the raging horses stampeding across the field beneath her boots. She looked at the chandeliers on the ceiling, rattling and swaying gently back and forth. She backed away from the balcony and scurried down the corridor.

She halted in the middle of the hallway and backtracked when she saw someone climbing the wall outside. With a raised eyebrow, she approached the window and looked down to see Arielle scaling the wall.

"What the hell..." she mumbled. "Arielle, what are you doing?!"

Arielle hooked her boot on the wooden totem and gripped onto one of the roof's shingles. Grunting, she swung her right leg over one of the rooftops and pulled herself up.

"Following grandma's orders!" she answered.

"She asked you to _climb_ the Adame?" Gabrielle asked, confused.

"She _said_," she grunted, continuing to climb, "to kill King Alduin, so..." she kept grunting, swinging her body to gain momentum, "that's _what_ I'm doing!"

Gabrielle's face contorted in confusion, "okay, well...be careful!"

"Noted!" Arielle groaned, jumping onto the next rooftop.

Gabrielle continued down the hallway and found Aurora and Kazem standing by the grand staircase. She frowned, resting a hand on her hip.

"What are you two doing up here? I thought I told you to stay downstairs with everybody else."

Aurora pointed to the window, "who were you talking to?"

"Ah," her eyes danced around, trying to think up an excuse, "come on, let's go downstairs."

She grabbed Aurora's hand and led the children towards the stairs. Arielle, outside, shouted a loud curse phrase in her mother tongue, and then there was a loud thud against the side of the Adame. The princess let go of Gabrielle's hand and ran to the window, sure that she heard a familiar voice.

Aurora poked her head outside and gasped. "Mom!"

Arielle held onto the rooftop's edge, dangling mid-air, and looked down at her daughter. Trying not to cause alarm, she smiled uneasily while she held onto the roof for dear life.

"_Baharim_," panting, she said, "go inside."

"Why're you up there?"

"Go inside!" Arielle felt the sweat dripping down her back. She was slowly losing grip as she was too focused on her daughter. "Please, just do as I say."

* * *

Xerxes pushed his men through on the south side, while he fended off a few Lombards as well. After driving his blade through a man's chest cavity, he swiftly turned around himself. He saw Xena in the most dangerous area of the field. He shook his head. Xena looked so comfortable being in the center of the chaos, sitting atop her horse, shouting various commands.

She was lucky that a circle of twenty men was guarding her. So much for staying off the field, Xerxes thought. He tried to scan the area in search of Arielle and began to panic when he couldn't find her. The sun blinded him for a second, and he stepped back, splaying a hand over his browline.

His heart palpitated at the sight of Arielle sprinting across the Adame's rooftop. He wanted to run to her, but he also didn't want to thwart her plans and give her position away. On the roof, Arielle took her bow strapped to her back and loaded it with a long arrow.

Xerxes arched his eyebrow and saw Arielle stand up, pulling the arrow back close to her cheek. His eyes followed her aim and slowly directed his stance to King Alduin, who was visible from where he stood.

If she missed this shot, then this would be not only bad for her, but for Xerxes as well since he was so close to the Lombard army. He would be surprised if Arielle was able to kill Alduin from that distance.

Xerxes watched as Arielle released the arrow, and his eyes followed the arrow soaring through the air. His jaw dropped as soon as the arrow struck King Alduin in the center of his forehead. Xerxes smiled, lifting his sword, instructing his men to charge into the Lombard area.

Alduin collapsed onto his backside, and several of the soldiers crowded around his body. He looked up to the sky with lifeless eyes. The deceased king was soon left behind when the Lombards began to scatter after the Persians invaded the territory.

Xena heard cheering from the south and glanced over her shoulder, seeing Xerxes waving his arm to push his men to attack the Lombards. Her chin lifted, and she spotted Arielle running across the Adame's roof.

She lopsidedly smiled, "crazy girl."

* * *

Anastasia tried to comfort Farah as best as she could, but so far, nothing she said was easing the queen at all. She held Farah's face in her palms and forced her to meet her gaze.

"Farah, please stop crying. Everything will be alright."

Farah's chin wobbled, and tears stained her hot cheeks.

"You're worrying your sons," she said, hoping that'd stop Farah. "You're worrying _me_."

Loud footsteps scurried across the roof, and Farah's sobs ceased instantly, probably out of fear. Anastasia looked up at the ceiling, watching the chandelier rattle. She left Farah's side and approached the terrace with caution.

Holding the sword, she stepped out onto the terrace, and her stomach dropped. "_Arielle_!" she screeched.

The Khagana skid across the roof's shingles and smiled. "Don't mind me, mother, just following grandma's orders!"

"I beg your pardon?!" Ana lowered the sword, now infuriated.

The boys ran out onto the terrace and grinned, pointing up at their aunt. "What's Teyze Arielle doing on the roof?" Aman asked, giggling.

"Mother, you're a dead woman."

Arielle stopped on the last rooftop of her brother's home and gazed at the Antes leaders down below. She recognized one of the blond men from when Scythia was attacked and raided. She crouched down and loaded her bow with two arrows.

She had used multiple arrows in the past, but they weren't usually directed to kill various targets. They were meant for one person only. She wanted to kill two birds with one stone since she didn't want to give herself away. If she calculated this correctly, then they'd both be dead with one single shot. But if she failed, then her position would be compromised, and she'd have to make a run for it.

It was a long way down, so jumping was out of the question. She stood up, pulling the bowstring tautly, and aimed the two arrows at Aleksander and Radogost. She closed her eyes, listening to her body, and hoped for the best.

While keeping her eyes closed, she relied on sheer faith to guide the arrows. She let go of the string and opened her eyes. The gods were obviously in her favor, and she cheered victoriously when she saw both blonds collapse onto the ground.

She raised her bow in the air and turned around, seeing the terror in her mother's eyes.

"I killed them!" she shouted, waving her arms. "They're dead!"

The twin princes cheered with her, shaking their closed fists in the air. Anastasia cast a tired smile and set her hands on the boys' shoulders.

Arielle darted across the roof and came to Farah's terrace. She strapped the bow to her back and bent her knees, ready to make an enormous leap.

"Heavens, Arielle, _no_!" Ana cried out.

Arielle smiled and leaped forward onto the terrace. She embraced her mother, kissing her cheeks and then bent down, ruffling her nephews' hair. On an adrenaline high, she marched into the bedroom and tilted her head, gazing at Farah sobbing on the floor.

"Hey, you," she took a knee. "I'll find Edemen. What did I tell you about crying? Stop stressing yourself out!" she lightly punched Farah's arm.

Anastasia approached her daughter, pulling her aside. "Arielle, what is happening out there?"

"Oh, mother, it's a fucking mess. We're cornered by all of Justinian's minions, but fear not!" she raised her finger, "I killed the Antes generals and Lombard king."

"And your _grandmother_ put you up to this dangerous task?" Ana pried, narrowing her eyes.

"No, that was _my_ idea to get on the roof," Arielle said with a wide grin. "She said to kill the leaders. She didn't say _how_ she wanted me to kill them..." she lamely said.

Aman ran up to them and tugged on his aunt's arm. "That was awesome!" he cheered. "You just climbed the Adame like a mountain lion!"

"Pretty neat, huh?" she pinched his cheek. "I have to go back out there. Take care of your mother," she whispered.

* * *

Near nightfall, they had no problem pushing the remainder of Lombards and Antes out of Pannonia. Most left willingly while others continued to fight, despite their king and generals being dead. Xerxes stationed his army to guard the perimeter of the tribe to ensure that there would be no more attacks.

Xena, barely able to stay awake, returned to the Adame. Slowly, now that it was safe, the women and children trickled out and went back to their yurts with Persians escorting them personally. She walked into the Adame and smiled, seeing Gabrielle standing beside Ku, Aurora, and Kazem.

Aurora ran forth and grabbed onto Xena's hand, leading her through the foyer. "Grandma Khanum, my mom was on the roof! What was she doing up there?"

"I don't know. Your mother is pretty crazy," said Xena with a worn smile.

"Yeah, and is it true?"

"Hm?"

"Xerxes! Is he really here? I thought he was dead!" Aurora said, scrunching up her face.

Xena sighed, "yes, he's _really_ here."

The princess continued to pester her, "how is he alive? Is he gonna live here with us now? Will my mom marry him like back in Scythia?"

Gabrielle intervened upon seeing the impatient look on her wife's face. "Aurora, maybe you should go to your room and get ready for bed. Ku will take you," she looked at the chambermaid.

Ku-Ilm took the children by their hands, leading them up the stairs. Aurora continued to babble on, and Gabrielle chuckled, shaking her head. She now turned her focus to Xena and smiled, grasping her arm.

"Did you _actually_ send Arielle to climb the Adame?" she wondered, snuffing a chortle.

"I told her to kill Alduin and the Antes generals. She took that upon herself to scale the Adame."

"Ah, adventurous, just like her grandmother. I see where she gets it from." She winked. "I wish I could've helped more."

"You were great, Gabrielle. You're _always_ great."

Gabrielle's cheeks tinged crimson. "So, we won," she hooked arms with her spouse, heading up the stairs to their room.

"We won _this_ time. I know that Mezamir will be back. This isn't over, but for now, I just want to focus on getting some sleep," she let out a big huff.

"And a bath," Gabrielle teased. "you smell like stale blood and soot. Now, it's not my favorite scents, but I prefer the cinnamon oil. We still have some of that left, right?"

"Are you _offering_ to wash my hair?"

"Are you opposed to the idea?"

Xena shook her head, "so, you're going to wash my hair with _one_ hand?"

"It will be a good recovery therapy for me!"

* * *

Being out in the wilderness wasn't exactly what Edemen had in mind when he originally planned this hunting trip. He and Kurt were found by Arielle's soldiers and escorted back to the tribe the following morning after the quick but fierce battle ended.

Edemen tiredly strolled into his home, thankful that he was brought back because he could only eat so much deer bait, which was only bread and fruit. First thing, he wanted to take a bath, and second, he needed regular food.

As he made his way towards the stairs, he saw his mother walkout from her bedroom. Farah smiled and picked up the hem of her dress, running down the stairs. Edemen knew that his mother was probably worried sick about him.

"Edemen!" she cupped his cheeks, kissing his forehead, "why didn't you tell me where you were going? What if something happened to you? I thought you were dead!"

The prince flinched at his mother's kisses planted across every inch of his face. He sighed and allowed her to show affection towards him just this once. Naturally, he would've stopped her by now, but after what she just went through, he didn't want to upset her further.

"I'm okay, mother," he kissed her hands. "How are you? Have you been taking care of yourself?"

"I feel much better now that you're here." Farah smiled, cupping her son's cheeks, kissing him once more.

"Mother!" he whined, "stop it."

* * *

Her day never seemed to end, and after she was notified of Edemen and Kurt's return, she went back to the Adame and took a quick bath. She was able to slip in a few hours of sleep but was too anxious to rest, knowing that Xerxes was nearby. Judging by the stillness in the home, everyone was asleep.

Arielle made her way out to the lower floor and saw Xerxes talking with one of his soldiers in the foyer. They halted conversing, and Xerxes sent away the soldier. He cast a brief smile as Arielle waltzed over nervously.

It was almost like they were meeting for the first time. Arielle could hardly believe that she knew this prince for three years. Well, two since he disappeared for a year. She wasn't able to process their first meeting and still couldn't believe that he was standing before her in the flesh.

"You haven't gone to sleep yet?" she asked.

"I did sleep for a few hours," he said, "I'm wearing different clothes today."

"Oh, so you are," she scanned his attire.

Silence passed between them, and Xerxes extended his hand, touching her cheek. "I'm sorry," he uttered just above a whisper. "I wanted to tell you, I really did, but I couldn't."

"I wouldn't have told anyone," she laid her hand over his. "I'm very good at keeping secrets from people."

Xerxes snorted, "so I've noticed. I couldn't even contact my mother while I was hiding at my aunt's home."

"But at least she knew you were alive!" she barked, tears surfacing. "When my father came to Scythia to give me the news...I didn't expect to receive a letter of your death, Xerxes!"

He sighed and pulled her close, holding her tightly. It felt so good to keep her close again. He missed the way her body fit perfectly against his. But Xerxes knew that he wasn't in the clear with Arielle. He was going to have to work extra hard to gain her trust back. She was never an easy woman to please, and after he was to tell her about Mera, she might not even want to be with him anymore.

"I could apologize to the moon and back, but it wouldn't make a difference."

Arielle lifted her head off his chest and wiped her nose. She tried to hide her face, embarrassed of the amount of emotion she was expressing. Xerxes noticed her shy demur and smiled, wiping her cheeks with swipes of his thumbs. The corner of her mouth quirked up, and she smacked his hand.

"I don't want an apology. I want a promise."

He tilted his head to the side.

"I want you to promise you won't leave. That you'll stay with me."

Xerxes nodded, "I think I can do that."

"Promise!" she gripped his hand.

"I promise, I promise," he relented and kissed her forehead.

She pecked his hand, grinning giddily. "You remember when you asked my parents for permission to court me?" she asked, and he gave a slow head nod. "I don't want you to court me again."

His stomach flipped, and he swallowed a large lump situated in his throat.

"I want you to marry me," she said and punched his shoulder, "had you goin' there for a second, didn't I?"

"Oh, yes," he chuckled. "You certainly did. What happened to taking time to get to know one another?" he asked. While he was thrilled that Arielle was letting her wall down, his mind was focused on Mera.

"I'm not letting you slip away from me _again_," she jabbed her finger into his chest. "You do want to marry me, don't you?"

He gripped her hands firmly, "yes, of course, I do. I'm just a little shocked. You were so guarded before."

"Well, I'm trying this new thing. It's called _trusting_ people," she bit her lower lip, "and I do...love you," she choked out.

Xerxes' eyebrows lifted, "you do?"

Her face drained of color.

"I mean..." he grinned, "I love you too. You continue to surprise me, khagana." He playfully said. "But you know...I can't tell my father about this."

"We can talk about that later," she said, dismissing the topic. She rubbed her lower back and winced. "I think I pulled a muscle."

"I can imagine. I saw you scaling the Adame."

Arielle smirked, "no, not from _that_. I carried Farah up the stairs."

Xerxes emit a bemused look, "Queen Farah?" he asked.

He remembered the queen to be very thin the last time he saw her, though he wouldn't bring up her weight, or _any_ woman's weight. He knew better than that.

"Yeah," she arched her back, stretching it out, "I think she's heavier than me now," she joked.

He refrained from commenting and kept his lips sealed.

"Oh, right, you don't know," she grumbled, "Farah is pregnant."

"Ah," he said with a smile, "I should congratulate her and your brother. I am looking forward to getting to know King Csaba better this time around."

Arielle nodded, "well, you'll have to wait on that. He's on a spy mission, but I'm sure he'll be back soon."

Xerxes swayed back and forth on the heels of his boots, unsure how to continue the conversation. He kept gazing at Arielle, smiling from ear to ear. He was more than ecstatic to see her after being apart for so long, but he didn't want to be too forward and force himself on her if she wasn't ready. She was a woman who liked to take things slowly, but after she proposed marriage to him, he didn't know how to proceed.

"I...should go outside to see that the perimeters are being guarded," he suggested, thumbing the exit.

She grasped his arm, "I want to spend time with you," she asserted herself, hoping he'd reciprocate the same. "Please," she begged, "you just got here."

"I'm not going anywhere," he reminded her. He took her hands and said, "let me ensure that the tribe is safe, and then I promise I'm all yours. Deal?"

Arielle sighed, nodding her head. Her people did come first, and if she wasn't so exhausted, she would be the one to oversee the scout division right now.

* * *

Anastasia sat opposite of her mother and Gabrielle, inside the women's quarters. She finally convinced Farah to come to stay with her in Arielle's home just for a few days, so Farah's mind could be at ease.

While they sat together, drinking mint tea, the children were off in the corner, playing a game of chess. Aurora was the only girl out of her cousins, aside from Ernak's two daughters, but they weren't old enough to talk or engage with Aurora at all. She was in the same position as Arielle was once until Cera came along.

"I'm proud of you," Xena praised her daughter. "Defending Farah and the boys."

"It was difficult, I have to say," said Ana with a soft sigh. "But I didn't leave unscathed. I have a nasty gash across my chest."

Gabrielle set the cup on the saucer. "You didn't say anything about that."

Xena attempted to reach for her daughter's tunic, and Anastasia immediately put a protective hand over her breast.

"Let me see."

"Mom, no. I'm fine. Ku dressed the wound for me."

Xena eyed her daughter, skeptically. "Hmm."

Gabrielle rolled her eyes and turned her attention to Farah, sitting on the opposite side of the room. She sat with Nisa, whispering while watching over the two infant princesses. Poor Nisa looked like she was doing a lot of consoling while conversing with Farah.

"Have you started planning Farah's senlik?" Gabrielle asked, interrupting the argument between mother and daughter.

Anastasia frowned sadly and said, "she told me she doesn't want one."

"Wow. She is so unlike herself lately. I'm not used to seeing her like this."

"It's understandable," Xena said. "She lost her sister, Csaba's been gone for months, and she was worried about Edemen. Not to mention, she had a huge dispute with Csaba before he left."

"Which I'm _still_ going to talk to him about," Anastasia brought her lips to a subtle snarl.

Gabrielle understood the way the Khatun felt about the situation, but given Farah's unstable nature at the moment, she didn't know if reprimanding Csaba was the best choice. There were so many other things to worry about right now, and Csaba's safety was the most important.

"Maybe you should lay off him, Ana. He _did_ apologize to Farah."

"I'm not going to let him get away with what he said, Gabrielle. I'm embarrassed that my son, of all people, would say something like that to his own wife! I didn't raise him like that. He should know better."

"I _agree_ with you," Gabrielle clapped a hand over Ana's knee. "Sometimes you have to pick your battles, and this is one that you might have to stay out of. Xena already gave him a mouthful anyway."

Anastasia turned to her mother, who showed a guilty smile.

"Gabrielle's right, Ana. I think Csaba learned his lesson," Xena said, squeezing her daughter's arm. "I think you should focus your attention on Arielle and Xerxes now."

"Why? What is going on between those two now?"

Xena rubbed her lips together and looked at her wife, who was definitely not emitting the least bit of empathy concerning Arielle and the Persian.

"Arielle wants to marry Xerxes as soon as possible."

Ana scoffed and threw her hands up. "Why am I always the last to know everything around here? Arielle doesn't tell me anything!"

Both Xena and Gabrielle sipped their tea in silence.

"I _swear_ I did not give birth to her. She and I are nothing alike. She is irrational, impulsive, outspoken, demanding," she paused, "oh, right, she's _you_," she sneered at her mother.

Xena puckered her lips, drawing her eyebrows together. "Very funny."

"If my father were alive to see this, I'm sure he'd be inclined to agree with me."

Gabrielle snorted, spewing a small portion of the tea back into the cup. She wiped the corners of her lips, chuckling continuously.

"Oh yeah?" Xena immediately guarded herself, "well, _if_ your father was alive, I'm sure he would've knocked some sense into Arielle, and _maybe_ she wouldn't have turned into a brat. And _what_ are you laughing at, _Gabrielle_?"

"_Me_? Nothing..."

* * *

A week after the battle, Csaba finally returned to Pannonia with Nasrin in tow. He didn't expect to arrive in the middle of the night, but they had to make a few stops along the way. Bayan was kind enough to allow a few of his Mongolian soldiers to accompany them.

Csaba entered the camp quietly with Nasrin, and he hoped that his arrival wouldn't cause alarm. He was briefly told about the Lombard and Antes invasion, which he knew was going to happen. He was disappointed that his messenger wasn't able to warn them, but it looked like Arielle and the rest of the army handled themselves quite well with little preparation.

He entered his home, guiding Nasrin with a gentle hand. A few maids, who were assigned the night shift, immediately greeted them in the foyer. He felt very welcomed by the looks on the maids' faces. They looked relieved that he finally came home. No doubt that some of the relief stemmed from them now free of servicing Farah and meeting her needs regularly.

"This is Nasrin," he whispered, "she will be Farah's new chambermaid."

The young women nodded and grabbed Nasrin's coat and took her hands, leading her through the foyer. She nervously glanced back at Csaba.

"I will introduce you to my wife in the morning," he said, assuring her that she'd be safe here.

He sighed, took off his coat, and flung it onto a bench. He was too tired to talk to anyone else, so he was a little grateful that nobody was awake yet. Indeed, his sons would've charged at him, questioning him endlessly. He just didn't have the energy to deal with his talkative sons right now.

Csaba lingered at the foot of the staircase, nearly nodding off. He set a hand on the banister and heard a door open on the second floor. Apparently, he wasn't quiet enough, and he inwardly cursed. He looked upward and saw Farah emerge from the bedroom.

Their eyes met, and Farah let out an audible gasp. Csaba raised his hand and started to walk up the stairs, then paused. Before he could make his way up to greet his wife, Farah sprinted down the hallway.

Csaba held his breath and watched, horrified, as his heavily pregnant wife charged down the stairs.

He tried not to express panic. "Easy, easy, easy!"

He stretched out his arms, more concerned that she would trip or fall, and grabbed just below her breast, lifting her off the last few steps. Farah collapsed into his arms, embracing him tightly. She nestled her head in the crevice of his neck, soaking his tunic with hot tears.

Csaba smiled and kissed the top of her head. He felt her fingers dig into his back, refusing to let go.

"Farah," he mumbled, trying to pry her off, "Farah, Farah…" he grabbed her arms and forcefully pulled her off him.

It saddened him to see how upset she was. He lopsidedly grinned, holding her tear-stained cheeks in the meat of his palms.

"I'm sorry if I woke you up."

She sniffled and hiccuped, "I was…already awake anyway," she wiped her nose.

He took a step away and peered down at the impressive size of her belly. The last time he saw Farah, she was as slim as ever. It was undoubtedly a shock to see her body change so drastically, and without him to witness it, the sight shocked him. He wasn't able to be by her side and watch their child grow within her.

He set his hand on the rise of her stomach apprehensively. Farah placed a hand on top of his, and they smiled, staring into each other's eyes.

"Wow," he uttered softly. "I missed everything."

Farah lifted his chin, "but you're here now. The boys will be so happy to see you!"

"I'm very anxious to see them. Is…is my mother here?" he whispered, suddenly feeling a wave of anxiety swell inside him.

"Yes."

Csaba closed his eyes and groaned gruffly.

She laughed, biting her lower lip. "Don't worry, Csaba. I don't think she's going to lay into you. She's been helping me with the boys while you were gone. But anyway, you must be tired. I can have a bath warmed for you. Oh, and I'll have food sent to the room."

She grabbed his hand, leading them towards the stairs. Csaba's eyes widened, noting the look in her eyes.

"Sounds very nice," he said, raising his eyebrows.

"I can…take a bath _with_ you," she implied with a devious grin.

"Oh…okay, alright," he followed her up the stairs, gripping her hand. "Farah, Farah!" he whispered, and she looked over her shoulder. "Don't ever run down the stairs like that again. You nearly gave me a heart attack."

* * *

Arielle entered her grandmother's room, hoping to confide in her and Gabrielle about her plans with Xerxes. She had a bit of a skip in her step so early in the morning. She strolled in, hoping to find the two eating breakfast, but saw the tray was untouched.

She halted at Gabrielle, belting out a loud scream from the adjoining room. Arielle's mouth soured, eyes enlarged with fear, she approached the room and leaned herself against the wall. She listened to the bickering.

"Hold still," Xena chastised.

"I _am_ holding still! Stop it, you're going to tear a muscle!" Gabrielle whined then let out a yelp. "Goddammit, Xena!"

Arielle covered her mouth, chortling. She was almost afraid to see what was going on in there. But she poked her head around the corner to spy. Xena sat on the floor, sitting behind Gabrielle, doing things that Arielle was probably thankful she couldn't see with her own eyes.

"This will be good for you in the long run!" Xena growled.

Gabrielle hissed and slapped her wife's hand. "Stop, stop! I can't take it anymore!"

"You had two breaks already. Stop being a baby. It doesn't hurt _that_ bad."

"Easy for you to say. You're the one torturing me. I think you get some kind of sick enjoyment out of this."

Xena snickered, "I am merely trying to help you, but you keep resisting. The more you resist, the more it will hurt."

Gabrielle mocked her wife, mouthing the words in silence. She inhaled sharply as her arm was being maneuvered in a way that she never thought would hurt in the past. This therapy was going to be the death of her. But deep inside, she knew the treatment would help her recover quicker, but the process was so painful it was almost unbearable.

"Alright, I think I've put you through enough," said Xena, getting to her feet.

She spun around and snarled when she saw Arielle eavesdropping. The Khagana revealed herself, chuckling. Xena wagged her head and snatched a silk robe, slipping her arms through the sleeves and folded her arms over her breasts.

"Don't you have manners? You can't just walk into my room."

"Sorry, I just wanted to talk to you two. Good news! I was notified that Csaba returned late last night. I'm sure we won't see him for a while. No doubt, Farah is going to hoard him."

Gabrielle struggled to stand. She rolled her shoulder back, still sore from the brutal treatment from her wife. She endured the torturing for the last three days, and she hoped this wouldn't last for months. Gabrielle went easy on Xena. She did save her life, after all.

"That's a relief. I know that made Farah happy to finally see him again," Gabrielle said while glaring at her smug spouse.

"I need a full report from him soon. Make sure you write it up for me, Gabrielle." Arielle pointed her finger at the governor.

Xena brushed by her granddaughter, entering the main bedroom. She sat down on the floor, brushing her long mane behind her shoulders. Leisurely, she set a plate down for herself and Gabrielle. She also set a plate for Arielle.

"Oh, no thanks, I'm not hungry, grandma."

Xena gazed up, scanning her granddaughter's frame. "You're too thin, Arielle. Eat with us."

Arielle smiled, placing hands on her hips. "Thank you for noticing. I've been working on my form," she wiggled her eyebrows.

Gabrielle sat down next to her wife, wincing in slight pain. "You don't need to work out, Arielle. You have a great physique."

"Hey, we can't all have perfect bodies like Cera and Farah," she sat down, crossing her legs. "Anyway, I want to discuss some things with you."

Xena poured rice onto her plate. "Me too. I think we should begin a campaign against Mezamir. He's going to go ballistic when he finds out that his generals are dead. Don't even get me started on Rodelinda."

Arielle blinked rapidly, surprised by the intrusive conversation. This wasn't what she had in mind to talk about so early in the morning. For once, she didn't want to talk about war and campaigns.

"I went ahead and sent a messenger to your father and Ernak. I told them to come back. I will send Xerxes' men to keep an eye on the border of Dalmatia and Pannonia."

"Oh…that's great. Thank you for doing that, grandma. Now, back to what I was saying –"

Xena pointed her spoon in the Khagana's face and interrupted, "Justinian is going to deploy more soldiers, so you should be prepared for that. Mezamir lost a lot of men. It will take a while to gather another large army, so we must be ready," she waved the utensil around.

Arielle flinched. "Uh-huh…I'll write it in my journal."

"You wanted to say something?"

"Yeah, um, I wanted to talk about…" she paused, staring at the women, "my wedding."

Xena stopped chewing and tapered her eyes. "You came to my room to talk about your _wedding_?" she clarified.

Arielle gave a slow head bob.

Sighing, she asked, "are you sure you aren't rushing this? Before, you didn't even want to marry Xerxes. You were so hesitant to court him in the first place. Now, you're ready to tie the knot with him."

"But I love him!"

Gabrielle sat with her mouth open with a spoon full of rice, gaping at Arielle. Xena, with an arched eyebrow, tapped her spoon on the edge of the plate, studying Arielle with the utmost suspicion.

"Are you sure about that?" she asked.

"I'm sure."

"And Xerxes isn't pressuring you to do this?"

"No, grandma, I want to do this. I admit I've made a few mistakes in the past –"

"A few?"

"Okay, I made a lot of mistakes. One, marrying Bayan and two, having a child when I wasn't ready, but I swear I am ready this time."

Xena hummed and looked over at Gabrielle, who was still frozen. She smirked and began eating again casually while her wife was frozen in shock.

"You won't be marrying a regular Persian, Arielle. You're marrying a prince –a Sassanian prince. You're going to bind our families together forever. Every decision you make affects your people. Do you understand that?"

Arielle nodded, smiling. "I understand. Xerxes makes me happy, and I should be with someone who makes me happy, shouldn't I?"

Xena shared a smile with Gabrielle.

"Yes, you should. I just want you to realize that you're going to have to deal with the Sassanians. You're marrying the Persian Empire, not just Xerxes."

"I completely understand where you're coming from, grandma. I am prepared to deal with the backlash from the Sassanians, but we're already allies with them now."

Gabrielle swallowed, finally able to voice her opinion, "you know, Arielle…Xerxes mentioned that he risked his opportunities to obtain the throne to court you. He could lose his entire family by marrying you."

At that, Arielle felt her stomach sink. The warm smile she had quickly wiped clear off her face. She didn't know that. Apparently, it was such a hassle to court her, and he was willing to give up everything to be with her.

"You mean…his family would…_disown_ him?" she asked.

Xena drank the juice silently, and Gabrielle's gaze lowered to the floor.

"Looks like you have a lot to discuss with Xerxes," said Xena. "I suggest you get everything squared away before you promise yourself to him."

"Right," Arielle stood up, smiling frailly. "Thanks for listening."

Xena lifted the glass, then Arielle left the room defeated and broken. It was definitely a stark difference than when she first came into the room with a chipper attitude.

"I did the right thing by telling her, right?" Gabrielle asked, feeling unsure of herself.

"She had the right to know. Xerxes should've told her that from the very beginning. You did the right thing, Gabrielle."

"Then why do I feel so bad? Did you see her face?" she huffed, slapping a hand to her cheek.

"You're always absorbing everyone's emotions and feelings," Xena chided. "I don't suppose I'm going to have to deal with this mood for the rest of the day, am I?"

"Well, I can't just turn off my feelings!" Gabrielle reached over, slapping her wife's arm. "I'm not you."

Xena took offense to that and pinched her spouse's thigh. "I don't _shut_ _off_ my feelings. I'm just honest. Aren't you supposed to love your partners for the way that they are?"

"I never said I didn't love you. Just stating a fact."

Xena sneered, then threw a piece of her bread at Gabrielle's face.

* * *

It was early in the afternoon when Csaba finally awoke. He didn't know if he felt refreshed, given that he barely got a lick of sleep. Farah couldn't keep her hands off of him since he arrived. He was relieved that he was missed, but he was so exhausted he couldn't fight to stay awake and talk to Farah.

He pinched the bridge of his nose and let out a heavy exhale. He tried to get up and found himself trapped by his wife. Farah had her arm sprawled across his chest, leg draped over his thigh, ankle wrapped around his calf, and her head resting on his shoulder. She was using him as a human pillow.

Csaba tried to slip out from beneath her, and then Farah dug her nails into his chest.

"Stay," she murmured, "stay with me."

He smiled, running his fingers through her hair. "I would love to, but I want to see our sons."

He grabbed her arm and gently removed it from off his chest. He was finally able to sit up, and he groaned at the aching muscles. Csaba reached for his tunic that was on the floor and then felt an arm wrap around his neck and shoulders.

It wasn't going to be easy to get away from her. Csaba grabbed her fingers on his chest and almost protested until he felt her lips traveling from the nape of his neck, shoulder, and then make their way up to his jaw.

"Farah…"

Closing his eyes, he tried to remain focused, but it was challenging to do. Without given a chance to refuse, he was pushed onto his back, and Farah climbed on top of him.

"Farah!" he said, widening his eyes, staring up at her. "What…w-what…"

She pinned him to the bed with hands pressed to his shoulders. She smiled mischievously. "I've been without you for months, Csaba! I just want you all to myself."

Farah slipped the straps off her shoulders, then lifted the dress over her head and threw it on the ground. She leaned down and pressed her lips to his chest, making her way up to his neck. Csaba lay in the bed, frozen.

Irritated by his lack of response, Farah sat up, frowning. "You don't want me?"

"No, no! I do!" he grabbed her hips. "I'm just…a little surprised. Are you _sure_?"

"I think I know what I want when I want it," Farah grinned with hooded eyes.

Csaba snorted, "alright, well, let me know if you feel any discomfort."

* * *

"Your brother tried to _kill_ you?"

Xerxes nodded, affirming Aurora's question. She sat on his lap, agast by the news. He tried not to laugh at the look upon her face. Kazem sat on the floor, listening to the story as well, eating a dessert he stole from the kitchen earlier.

"What a mean brother," said Aurora. "I would never kill my brother! He's just a baby."

Xerxes chuckled, "that's good to hear, princess. Your brother is fortunate to have a big sister like you."

"I hope he can come to Pannonia one day to meet all my cousins!"

That was a subject that Xerxes wanted to steer clear of. He had no desire to see Bayan nor his wife. It also wasn't any of his business, and the little interaction he had with Bayan wasn't fruitful. Neither one of them were fond of one another. But it was evident that Aurora was utterly oblivious to the ongoing strain between her parents.

He lifted his eyes and saw Arielle lingering in the doorway. They shared a smile, and then Aurora turned around, gasping.

"Mom!" she jumped off the Shehzade's lap and ran over to greet her mother. "Did you know Xerxes' brother tried to kill him? That is so rude."

Arielle smiled, "yes, very rude. I want to talk to Xerxes alone if you don't mind."

The princess sighed and waved over to Kazem. The boy picked up the bowl of sweets, grinning sheepishly at Arielle with sugar lining his lips. He grabbed Aurora's hand and scurried out of the room. Arielle rolled her eyes and waltzed over to meet Xerxes halfway.

"Hello," he said casually.

She gestured for him to sit back down, and Xerxes nervously sat on the sofa again. She took a seat beside him, toying with a strand of her hair.

"Something on your mind?" he asked, holding his breath.

"I…" she turned, briefly smiling, "I was talking with my grandmother. She brought up something, and I just…wanted clarification from you."

"You can ask me anything," he grabbed her hand.

"Well…" she scratched the back of her head, "I…it's just…" she huffed, "is it true that your family would disown you if you married me? Did you really give up your right to the throne to court me?"

Xerxes' heart raced, "oh…yes, it's true, Arielle."

She gave his chest a hard slap.

"Why didn't you tell me?!"

"Because then you wouldn't have agreed to court me," he coughed, rubbing his chest. "This doesn't change anything. I still want to marry you, Arielle."

"I don't like being lied to. I told you this before."

"I know," he raised a surrendering hand. "I have something to tell you, and you're going to be upset."

The anticipation was killing her. She squeezed Xerxes' hand, imagining the worst possible scenarios spinning in her head.

"I…while I was in hiding, my mother…arranged a marriage for me," he began slowly, watching her eyes enlarge by the second, "I'm legally married to Mera Varaz. I haven't seen her since we were children. She doesn't mean anything to me, I swear," he quickly added. "I don't love her. I didn't even get a chance to see her before I left."

Arielle found it hard to breathe. She snatched her hand away from him, breathing in sharply. Putting a hand over her chest, she stood up and began to pace back and forth. This was far worse than she imagined. This was happening to her for a second time, but this was a little bit different.

"Arielle, please, I didn't know! My mother did this behind my back."

She growled, pointing her finger in his face, "your mother is a demon."

He frowned at the insult.

"You _will_ divorce this woman."

"It's not that simple, Arielle," he stated. "Divorce isn't common in Persia. Not to mention, my father has a contract with the House of Varaz."

"Will you always bend to your family's will, Xerxes? I don't do everything my family asks of me. I am a bigger bargaining tool and prize than this…this Varaz woman," she scoffed.

Xerxes sighed, "you are a Hun."

"And?"

"I'm sure you know our families' histories very well by now. My father is your ally, but I don't think he would like it very much if I married you."

"I am the _ruler_ of this empire!" she spread her arms outward. "Your father would be a fool to pass up an opportunity to marry his son to the Hun Khagana."

Xerxes understood her frustration, but he was wedged into a tight spot. He was caught in between his mother, father, empire, and Arielle. He put off the discussion with his father for so long that he realized he couldn't keep this a secret anymore. This was going to tarnish every bit of pride that his father held of him. If he was lucky, he'd still remain heir to the throne.

"I will write a letter and tell my father to dissolve the marriage."

Her jaw dropped. "You –you will?"

He smiled, nodding his head.

She flung her arms around him. For once, she had everything falling in place, even if their choices will have minor consequences, she was happy about the outcome. She always knew that their relationship was going to have obstacles, but at least Xerxes was willing to work with her, be beside her, and compromise.

"Thank you," she whispered, holding back tears. "Your mother is terrible."

Xerxes pulled away. "She's…difficult. I'm sorry you'll have to have her as an in-law."

"Do you think she will like me _eventually_?"

He was reluctant to answer and pursed his lips.

"What if I give her a grandchild? Will she like me then?" she traced her fingers along the collar of his robe.

Xerxes rubbed his forehead, breaking a sweat. He laughed nervously, "oh, umm…"

She cackled, lightly slapping his chest. "I made you uncomfortable, I see! A topic for a later discussion."

"Yes, we'll definitely need to talk about _that_." He tried to hide his blushing face, "I'm going to write the letter and hope for the best."


	53. Chapter 53

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shahbanu Sambice finds an indirect way to get back at Nousha. Arielle is feeling very generous lately and decides to do something nice for her brother's wife. Xena can't get her mind off war, all while seemingly enjoying torturing her wife. Nousha makes a deal with Sambice, only to receive a taste of her own medicine.

Chapter 53

_Estakhr, Persia_

Sambice strolled through the gardens outside of the women's wing of the palace. She had her maids following behind as she breathed in the much needed fresh air. It'd been many months since she left her quarters. After her son was executed by Shah Kavad, she couldn't look anyone in the eye. Sambice was incensed when she saw Xerxes walk into the palace to see Kawus' execution.

Humiliated is what she felt. She couldn't bear to talk to any of the women, especially Nousha. She didn't dare see her husband, either. Their relationship had been strained for many years now, but after her son's death, she wanted nothing to do with Shah Kavad.

As she passed by a row of rose bushes, a messenger hurried down the rock path. She flipped the veil over her face. The messenger huffed and puffed, scurrying along. Sambice stepped into the middle of the trail, and the messenger bowed.

"Shahbanu," he greeted.

She laced her fingers together, eyeing the metal canister in the messenger's hands. "Is that for the Shah?" she inquired.

"Yes, your highness," he lifted his eyes briefly, staring at her veiled face. "It is urgent. I must pass, Shahbanu."

"Who is it from?"

"Sh...Shehzade Xerxes."

Sambice's lip twitched. She held out her hand, wiggling her fingers, and said, "give it to me."

"But, your highness…" he hesitated and immediately lowered his head, handing over the metal canister encased with the message.

She snatched the tube from the messenger and popped the top open. The letter slid out into her hand, and she gave the empty canister back to the anxious young man. She read over Xerxes' request, and a devious smile formed on her lips. She rolled the parchment up quickly and clutched it to her chest.

"I will _personally_ deliver the message to the Shah," she said.

"I…I was given direct orders from the Shehzade to deliver it myself, Shahbanu."

"Don't make me repeat myself," she flicked her wrist. "I will deliver it. You may go now."

The messenger looked up at the queen and scurried off. Sambice turned around and flipped the veil over her head, tapping the letter against her palm. There were so many options that were before her now. She could take the message to Kavad, or she could keep it to herself for a little while, and use it as a tool against Nousha. She wanted to go with the latter.

Heading right in her direction was the Shah's older sister, Esther. She tucked the message beneath her black robes and put on a face for the unexpected guest.

Esther stopped a few feet from Sambice, eyeing her suspiciously.

"Shehzada," she inclined her head, smiling.

"Sambice," she noticed the queen's change of mood. Earlier, Sambice looked like she was going to keel over from the weight of the dark cloud she carried with her everywhere.

"I didn't know you were still here. Will you be staying a while longer before you head back to Babylon?"

Esther raised an eyebrow. "I have some more things to discuss with my brother before I leave. I shouldn't stay too long, perhaps three days or so."

"Oh, that's too bad. We don't nearly spend enough time together. You should come to my room, and we can have tea," said Sambice, a little too enthusiastic.

"I might take you up on your offer," Esther said with a crinkled brow. "Excuse me for saying this, but you looked like you were knocking on death's door yesterday, yet this morning you look positively…_glowing_. What changed?"

Sambice shrugged, "it is a very lovely day, Esther. The _flowers_ are finally in bloom."

She studied the Shahbanu's exuberant expression, suspicious as to what was the cause of that dishonest smirk.

"Enjoy the flowers," Esther said, slipping a wary smile. "Perhaps, I will come to your room later this evening." She said her final word and sauntered off on the garden's trail.

* * *

In the few short weeks that Nasrin had been living in Pannonia, she was kept very busy tending to Farah's needs. Back in the harem, she would hardly do anything but sew, read, and attend school. But despite her busy schedule, she did enjoy living here, and she was glad to have Shehzade Xerxes here. At least there was a small bit of familiarity around her.

Nasrin hurried into the queen's bedroom, carrying a long flat box beneath her arm. She closed the door behind her, running towards the side of the bed, smiling at the queen.

Farah yawned, tired from being awake for most of the night. She wearily smiled at her youthful chambermaid, running a hand over her large abdomen.

"Good afternoon, your highness, did you have a nice rest?" Nasrin asked.

"As nice as it could be," Farah eyed the box. "What's that?"

"The king asked me to give this to you." Nasrin opened the box and pulled out a black gown with red lace trim. "He wants you to wear it tonight."

Farah straightened her posture, rubbing her aching lower back. She extended her arm, touching the fabric of the dress. She was surprised that Csaba had a dress made for her and wondered what the reason behind it was. It was probably the most extravagant dress she had seen in a while.

"_Güzel_," she mumbled, admiring the gift. "What is tonight?"

"He said it is a surprise, your highness. Would you like to try it on now?"

Farah nodded and stood up slowly. She stripped off her nightgown, and Nasrin pulled the dress over her head. She stood in front of the mirror while the laces were tied on the back of the gown. Farah smiled, grazing her fingers over the beautifully etched lace on the collar. She felt like a very spoiled wife, and that was saying a lot coming from her.

Her yearning for materialistic items withered away as she grew older, but she still enjoyed receiving lavish gifts, especially if Csaba gave them to her. After Nasrin finished lacing the dress, she couldn't stop looking at her reflection. Ogling the new dress, she saw Csaba come into the room, and she spun around.

Csaba smiled, seeing the dress on Farah. He came around the bed and kissed his wife's forehead.

"Do you like it?" he asked.

"It's a gorgeous dress, Csaba. Thank you," Farah pecked his lips. "But what is it for?"

"Didn't Nasrin tell you? It's a surprise."

Farah pursed her mouth. She wasn't sure if she wanted another surprise. She's had enough surprises this last year. Wrapped in her husband's arms, she felt a heavy twinge in her lower abdomen. She pulled away from Csaba and peered down at her stomach.

Csaba took notice of her perplexed face. "Something wrong?"

She shook her head, cupping her belly, "no, I'm alright."

"Good," he grasped her shoulders. "Nasrin is going to help you get ready for your _surprise_. I think you're really going to like it."

"You aren't going to tell me what it is, are you?"

"Be patient," he kissed Farah's forehead. "I'll come back in a few hours."

* * *

Gabrielle thought she could avoid therapy today, and she managed to for the first few hours of the day, but she ultimately was trapped by Xena's rough hands in the end. Once she finished her painful physical therapy, she was getting ready for tonight's festivities. She was anxious to celebrate something joyous instead of talking about battles or wounds.

She picked out a dress to wear, and she knew better than to pick her wife's attire. She did try to coax Xena into wearing a dress, but after spending years trying to force her wife to wear dresses, she finally gave up this time.

While Gabrielle sat in front of the mirror, combing her hair, she caught a shimmer from her peripheral view. She turned and gasped at her wife, wearing a black and gold robe over pants and a tunic.

"You look great," she said.

Xena turned around, brushing her hand over her backside, examining herself in the mirror. "I would've thought you'd say something about me _not_ wearing a dress."

"That looks equally as good as a dress," Gabrielle teased.

"Well, that means a lot coming from _you_."

Xena lightly kicked her spouse's leg and went to grab her Kozak. She jumped at the doors swinging open and frowned at Arielle waltzing in uninvited. She sat down, dressing her head with the Kozak.

"What do you want, Arielle?" she asked.

"I am freaking out!" the Khagana collapsed onto the bed, gawking at the ceiling.

"What's troubling you now?" asked Gabrielle. "Is it the party preparations?"

"No, I have everything handled," Arielle said, rolling onto her stomach. "It's about this wedding."

Xena grumbled, tired of hearing about her granddaughter's endless worries and concerns about this impending wedding. She pinned her hair beneath the elaborate headdress, combing the veil with her fingers.

"You've been worried about that for over a month. What else is new?" Xena mumbled.

"Xerxes explained that there are tons of special rules I have to abide by before we get married. Oh, but it doesn't stop there!" she scoffed and added, "there are rules _after_ the marriage too!"

She let out an exasperated sigh, causing the pair to chuckle around her.

"For example, I have to go through like…_seven_ rituals before the marriage! And afterward, there are rules about sex too."

Xena's face contorted in disgust, "I don't want to hear it."

Gabrielle chuckled and chimed in, "you're putting too much pressure on yourself, Arielle. Just relax. Have you received a response from the Shah yet?"

"Not yet," she sighed. "What if he really does exile Xerxes? What if I can't marry him? What if he doesn't let Xerxes divorce his…_wife_?" she growled. "What if –"

"Enough with the "what-if's," girl," Xena barked. "Shah Kavad is very reasonable. I don't think you'll have any issues. So, stop worrying. You're giving me a headache."

Arielle sat up, gnawing her lip.

"Alright, I'll stop for now. I have to make sure everything is in order for tonight. I hope Farah loves her surprise party!"

Gabrielle swiveled around in the chair. "She's going to love it. You're very kind to do this for her."

* * *

That evening, Csaba escorted Farah towards the front of their home, holding her hand. Farah nervously fidgeted her fingers as they approached the foyer. When they abruptly stopped in front of the doors, she turned to Csaba, who held a scarf in his hand.

"What are you doing?" she asked.

He wrapped the scarf over her eyes and tied it behind her head. "Don't worry."

"Csaba, what's going on?"

Farah gripped his hand tightly as she was led blindly through the foyer. She heard the doors open, and she hooked her arm around Csaba, clinging to him. They walked outside, and she flinched at the eruption of clapping and women calling a native chant. Her heart raced, and she hesitantly stepped forward, clasping a hand over Csaba's chest.

"I'm not going to let you fall," he chuckled.

"What…what is going on? Dammit, Csaba!"

He pulled the blindfold off her eyes, and she blinked rapidly, staring at the entire tribe surrounding their home. She furrowed her eyebrows and eyed her husband, searching for answers.

"What…what's this?"

"You said there weren't enough funds for a senlik, so Arielle gathered money from the entire tribe and threw you one."

Farah's jaw dropped. Overwhelmed by the attention and gratitude, she sobbed, clapping her hands over her face. Everyone below stared at her with bemused looks, and Csaba smiled nervously. He wrapped an arm around her tenderly.

"What's the matter?" he whispered. "Are you not happy?"

She lifted her head from her hands, wiping her eyes. A warm and big smile encompassed her face, relieving Csaba's anxiety.

"I am very happy! I am just…a little surprised that _Arielle_ would do this for _me_."

"Ah," he nodded, "my sister has moments of kindness. Come, I'll help you down the stairs."

* * *

Hours into the evening, Farah was given several gifts from the citizens, which she accepted graciously. As the night went on, Farah felt the twinges of pain in her pelvis and lower back become more prevalent. She sat underneath a canopy, observing the tribe singing, dancing, and playing games.

Anastasia sat beside her, clapping her hands to the music, and glanced over at Farah, noting the disgruntled expression. She stopped clapping and reached over, grabbing Farah's arm.

"Everything alright?" she asked.

Farah smiled apprehensively, massaging her lower abdomen. "Yes…"

"You're sure?"

Farah nodded.

Anastasia frowned, not convinced that her daughter-in-law was telling the truth. She kept a watchful eye on her and smiled at a few women who came by to greet her. Her hand was kissed by many women who came by. Farah greeted the women with a simple head nod, and each pecked her hand, bestowing gifts.

A half-hour passed by, and Ana kept looking over at Farah, who looked very preoccupied. She tried not to call attention to it, keeping her mind focused on the celebration. Throughout the evening, she had yet to see her mother or Arielle. Somehow, she knew those two were up to no good.

Farah curled her lips back, trying to ignore the lingering pain. She wiped the sweat off her brow, trying to enjoy herself, but that proved increasingly difficult as the hours passed by. She looked down at her belly, cursing inwardly. There was no way she could sit here for the rest of the night. Her child wasn't going to wait that long.

"Where are the boys? I haven't seen them since this party began," said Anastasia, searching the field. "Farah?"

She looked over and heard Farah hissing under her breath. She crawled across the rug and cupped Farah's cheek, then placed her hand on Farah's belly and gasped.

"_Farah_!" she griped, "you're in labor? Why didn't you say anything?"

"I didn't know it was going to progress so quickly," she admitted modestly, "I'm fine, really."

Anastasia rolled her eyes and called out, "Navaz!"

He ran over immediately, halting his conversation with a soldier, and stood in front of his wife and Farah.

"Can you carry Farah to her room?"

"Oh, no, I can walk. I am–"

Navaz didn't hesitate and scooped Farah into his arms. She yelped and wrapped her arms around his neck, peering at all the prying eyes. She sighed as she was being carried back to the Adame.

"I'll have someone find Csaba," said Anastasia, walking briskly back to the field.

* * *

"So, what you're saying is that you have machines that can project javelins?"

Xerxes nodded, taking a swig of wine.

"And you brought some of these siege weapons with you?" Xena asked.

"I could show them to you tomorrow if you'd like," he wriggled his eyebrows.

She smiled, drinking a large helping of wine. An arm wrapped around her neck from behind, and she peered upward to see none other than Gabrielle. She grabbed Gabrielle's arm and brought her around to sit down on the grass.

"Xerxes has siege weapons that can shoot six javelins at a time," she said, barely able to contain her enthusiasm. "He said he will demonstrate how to use them tomorrow."

Gabrielle sighed, stealing her wife's cup of wine. "You shouldn't have told her that, Xerxes. Now, she's going to have new toys to play with."

"You're invited to the showing too, Gabrielle."

Xerxes chuckled, amused by the banter. As he took another sip of the wine, Xena slapped his knee, and he spewed some wine onto his robes. Wiping the wine off his robe, he looked at the odd glint in her eye.

"Arielle tells me that she has a lot of rules to follow before the wedding. I assume _you_ also have similar rules?" Xena asked, not even trying to hide her smug grin.

"Um," his eyes darted back and forth between the women. "No, I, um, the rules are for women only."

"Did you _hear_ that, Gabrielle?"

"I did."

Xerxes had an urge to scratch every inch of his body. "Don't take it the wrong way," he said, almost pleading. "My culture is _different_ than yours, after all. I don't make the rules."

"And you wouldn't mind telling us these _rules_?" Gabrielle asked.

"Spare us the details about the sex rules," Xena quickly added, raising her hand.

Xerxes' face drained of all color. There was no place to run or hide. He had no choice but to answer their questions. There wasn't a way for him to slyly evade the questions either as he was pretty sure Xena could disarm and immobilize him.

Just as he was about to pour his soul out, Aurora saved him from further embarrassment and interrupted their conversation. She came running from across the field, waving her arm.

Xena groaned, "go away, child. We're having a conversation that you don't need to hear."

"But, I have news!"

Gabrielle placated the princess, "what's the news?"

"Farah's having the baby!" she cheered. "I'm excited."

Xerxes lifted his cup with what little wine he had left. "That is outstanding news, princess." He finished off the alcohol. "I need more wine."

He attempted to get up, and Xena pulled a short sword on him. He slowly lowered himself to the grass, and Xena smiled. Gabrielle casually sipped the wine while Aurora watched, shaking her head.

"Grandma Khanum," the princess said in a calm, yet firm tenor.

"_Yes_?"

"That's not nice to point weapons at people."

"I'm interrogating right now, Aurora. Run along."

Aurora gasped, "you can't do that. He's Xerxes!"

"Go. Away."

Gabrielle smirked and grabbed the princess's arm. "You better do as she says," she whispered.

"Okay, but you're not going to hurt him, right?"

"_Maybe_," Xena muttered, then eyed the nervous girl. "No, I won't hurt him, I promise. Now, please leave," she said through a clenched smile.

* * *

Mid-morning rolled in, and Farah was confined to her bedroom, missing the entirety of her party. This wasn't the first time this happened, though. She wasn't expecting to go into labor so soon. She thought for sure she had a couple more weeks.

Enduring the waves of contractions, Farah lay on her side in bed, inhaling and exhaling slowly. Csaba sat behind her, trying to be as helpful as possible. He continuously rubbed her back and kissed her shoulder occasionally. He quickly realized that his talking wasn't helping at all, so he stayed by her side in silence for several hours.

After a few more hours passed, the midwife came to check the progress, and so far, nothing was progressing quickly like either of them hoped. Farah moved from the bed and walked from one end of the room to the other. She focused on taking in deep, steady breaths.

Csaba sat on the bed, watching his wife pace back and forth. "You're doing great so far, Farah."

She let out a long exhale, groaning shortly afterward.

Anastasia entered the room, smiling briefly at her son. "How's it going?" she asked.

Csaba rushed over to his mother, pulling her aside. "Nowhere. Mother, is there something wrong? This is taking a very long time."

"I was told there was nothing wrong. Not all deliveries are the same," she said, grazing Csaba's cheek. "Farah, how are you feeling right now?"

Farah clapped a hand over her eyes. "I don't want to do this anymore," she said, beginning to weep.

Ana crinkled her eyebrows at the cracking in Farah's tired voice. That wasn't a response she wanted to hear, and it definitely wasn't Farah being overdramatic either. Those weren't tears of panic but of exhaustion.

"It'll be over soon, _tatli kiz_."

Farah continued her ritual of pacing across the floor. She wiped her nose, trying to stop herself from shedding any more tears. In less than a minute, tears surfaced, and she sobbed, placing a hand to her forehead. Her reaction caused Csaba to panic, and he instantly turned to his mother to intervene.

Anastasia rubbed her lips together. "Ah, Farah, why don't I warm a bath for you?"

"A _bath_? Mother, what…"

"It will help relax her. She's a ball of nerves, Csaba!" she whispered. "Farah, come with me," she extended her hand.

* * *

"Remind me to slap Xerxes today," said Xena, buttoning the cufflinks of her blouse.

Gabrielle rolled over in bed, moaning from the small headache she acquired from staying up too late last night. She didn't even know what time they went to bed, but it had to have been really late because she thought she remembered seeing sunrise before her head hit the pillows.

Xena turned, grabbing her headdress, gawking at the half-awake blonde. "Are you coming or what?"

"Where?"

"To the field," Xena motioned to get out of bed. "Xerxes is going to show me how the siege weapons work. I was thinking we could definitely use those against Mezamir, but I need to make sure they're not just fancy trinkets, and that they actually work."

Gabrielle slammed her face back onto the pillow, turning the other way. "Do you ever stop thinking about war?"

"Sure, I do, but I just really want to see how these weapons work. Persians have all of these ballistic machines, yet they hardly use them! So, are you coming or are you going to wallow in bed all day?"

"I think…I'm going to wallow for a 'lil longer."

Xena rolled her eyes, hurrying out of the room. She held her Kozak beneath her arm and exited the Adame quickly. She saw that nearly the entire tribe was still reeling from last night. She imagined that many were either passed out or retching outside their yurts right about now. Either way, it was late afternoon, and she saw Xerxes on the field with Ernak.

As she strolled towards the training field, she saw Arielle sprinting like a gazelle. She halted, waiting until Arielle passed by.

"Where are you going?" she called out.

Arielle yelled back, "gonna go see Farah!"

"I need to talk to you later!" Xena said, and she received a nonverbal response but a wave instead. "God help me," she muttered, placing the Kozak on her head.

* * *

Arielle, dressed in her nightgown and silk robe, ran into her brother's home. She found her mother sitting on the floor with the princes. She ran into the women's quarters with disheveled hair from last night. All four of them stared at her in shock.

"Did Farah give birth yet?" she asked excitedly.

"Not yet."

"Can I go see her?"

"Sure, but don't say anything snarky," Anastasia said. "I mean it, Arielle!"

Arielle charged up the stairs, rounding two hallways, and finally entered Farah's bedroom. She walked in and saw her brother and Farah on the bed together. It definitely wasn't as tranquil as she thought as Farah was balling her eyes out. Arielle came to sit on the edge of the bed, taking Farah's hand.

"Wow, she's either in a lot of pain, or she's being dramatic."

Csaba raised an eyebrow at his sister. "She had a bath earlier, and that seemed to help, but now she won't even talk to me."

Arielle snapped her fingers in front of Farah's face. By the looks of it, Farah seemed almost incoherent. Arielle furrowed her eyebrows and took it upon herself to look underneath Farah's dress, which shocked and horrified her brother at the same time.

Her eyes widened, nodding her head. "_Oh_…"

"Oh? What does 'oh' mean?" asked Csaba.

Arielle looked around the room and saw a basin filled with water. She quickly grabbed the basin, cleansing her hands. Mumbling to herself, she searched for clean linens, then sat back onto the bed. She rolled up her sleeves and pulled her hair back, twisting it into a loose braid.

Csaba panicked, "_what_ are you doing?"

Arielle smiled, "I'm going to deliver your baby," she said casually.

"Pardon me? I'm going to get the midwife."

"No!" she yelled, "it's too late for that. Just talk Farah through the process." She saw he was hesitant. "Csaba, I've had a baby before, I think I know what I'm doing, just a _little_ bit. Do as I say, please?"

Csaba was wary of accepting his sister's help, but he didn't really have any choice. He was able to grab Farah's attention just enough so she could listen to what he told her. After he explained what was about to happen, she seemed calmer, or maybe she was panicking inside, he couldn't tell.

Arielle smiled. "Can you hear me?" she asked, and Farah nodded slowly. "Great, just do everything Csaba says. If you could give me three big pushes, then this will all be over. Can you do that for me?"

Farah raised her eyebrows, terrified. Csaba hid his smile and gripped her hand tightly. While she had Csaba talking to her softly, she periodically stared at Arielle, who kept smiling at her when their eyes met. Having her husband's sister deliver her child wasn't exactly what she planned for.

"You're doing a good job, Farah," said Arielle, raising her hand. "You're almost there!"

Farah glared at Csaba, "why is your _sister_ delivering our baby?" she hissed.

He smiled nervously. "Just focus on the baby," he kissed her temple.

A few short minutes later, a loud cry echoed in the bedroom. Arielle grinned, cradling the small newborn in her hands. She set the baby down on the fresh linen and poured water along the new skin.

"Oh, Farah, you're going to be _very_ happy," she said.

She placed the baby onto Farah's chest, and Csaba leaned over, grazing his fingertips on the baby's soft head. Csaba looked to Arielle for confirmation, and she kept smiling in a way he didn't like.

"_Ailesine __hoşgeldiniz_…princess," she said aloud, and Csaba's jaw dropped. "Oh, I see much fear in your eyes, brother. I'm going to get the midwife now."

Farah smiled up at her husband, "Csaba, Csaba, we have a daughter!"

"I heard…"

Just as Arielle opened the door, a group of maids and the midwife hurried inside. Anastasia trailed in shortly after and gaped at Farah in the bed with a baby in her arms, and Arielle's robe covered in blood. She raised an eyebrow, watching the maids cleaning furiously.

"Did you deliver the baby all by yourself?"

Arielle said proudly, "yes, I did. Why didn't you have the midwife here? It's a girl, by the way. Csaba looks horrified. They should name their baby after me," she said, raising her eyebrows.

Anastasia folded her arms, clearly unimpressed.

"It's a joke!" she laughed, pinching her mother's arm. "But, _Ariela_ does sound nice."

"Arielle."

"I'm just kidding, mother. You really need to lighten up. I'm going to change out of these clothes."

She trailed down the stairs and bumped into her two eager nephews. She guessed that they all heard the sound of the baby crying from downstairs. That explained the gaggle of women that stormed into the room.

"Is the baby here?" Aman asked.

"Yes, congratulations to you both on your new sister," she ruffled both their hair.

Aladar gasped and leaned over the railing. "Edemen, it's a girl!" he shouted below to his elder brother.

* * *

Several rounds were fired from the siege weapon in the training field, as Ernak stood alongside Xena, examining the Persian machine. They both had the same perplexed look on their faces, while Xerxes stood, waiting for instruction. So far, he was ordered to fire more than six rounds. It took the strength of four men to load and fire the weapon.

"Again," said Xena.

Ernak rubbed his chin and said, "should we move the target? He said it only goes as far as forty yards. That isn't a great distance."

"It wouldn't make a difference if the target was moved. The shots aren't super accurate."

Xerxes yelled at his soldiers to reload the machine for the seventh time in a row. He was worried that his men were wearing out and wondered when Xena was going to give them a break. He wasn't as hard on his men as she was with hers. This is probably why the Huns remained unbeatable for several years. The Persian army was large in number but usually had poor execution in battle.

He turned to the King and Lieutenant General. "Ready to fire."

Xena raised her hand, giving a curt nod.

"Clear the field!" Ernak shouted.

Arielle walked up behind them, smiling at Xerxes. She eyed the peculiar machine. "What's going on?"

The Persians released the javelins, causing a loud bang and Arielle yelped, covering her ears. She wasn't expecting that to happen and nearly fell over from the jarring noise.

"Holy fuck!" she screeched.

Xena turned around, flashing a quick grin. "So good of you to join us," she frowned at the blood spatter on Arielle's clothes. "Did you murder someone by chance?"

Arielle rubbed her ears, not quite registering her grandmother's words right away. "Oh, no, I delivered Farah's baby!"

"Wow, look at you. Is there anything you can't do?" Xena teased. "Well, don't keep us in suspense. Is it a boy or a girl?"

"A girl," she groaned, scratching her ringing ears. "Say, what are you doing out here? And what in god's name is _that _contraption?" she pointed to the siege weapon.

"Maybe if you're good, your fiancé will let you use it," Xena said, winking. "We're going to use this in the campaign against the Antes. What do you think?"

Arielle sighed, "it'll definitely scare the shit out of them."

* * *

_Estakhr, Persia_

Nousha walked back from the gardens with a few women from the harem. Entering the main hall towards the harem, all laughed, telling jokes with each other. They stopped laughing and composed themselves when Shahbanu Sambice stood at the opposite end of the hall.

They continued walking the rest of the way in silence. Nousha made a point to keep her gaze low, and she was heading towards the harem wing when Sambice halted her, blocking the path with an extended arm. Nousha's jaw clenched, watching the other women continue on without her.

"Shahbanu," she greeted.

Taking a step back, she bowed only to show that she was at least civil. Her eyes lifted, meeting the woman's wily gaze. Nousha noted the bit of mirth in the queen's eyes, which instantly aroused her suspicion that something was on Sambice's mind, and it couldn't be good.

"Nousha, did you enjoy your walk in the gardens?"

"Yes, it's a beautiful day."

"Indeed, it is. I hear that Mera Varaz is making the long trek to the palace. I'm sure you're eager to greet her as her new mother-in-law."

Nousha grinned apprehensively. "I am looking forward to hosting her, yes."

"And what an _excellent_ host you are," Sambice hummed a laugh.

Nousha nodded her head then continued down the hall, desperately trying to get away from Sambice. She had no desire or need to keep conversing with her superior. Their relationship hadn't been the best from the start, and over the years, it increasingly worsened. She was told by the Shah to avoid Sambice as much as possible, and who was she to disobey him?

"Oh, Nousha."

The petite concubine stopped mid-way, turning around cautiously.

"I had no idea your son was so lovesick over the Hun Khagana," she said, watching Nousha's eyes expand.

Nousha played dumb, smiling worriedly, and responded to the unsubtle attack. "I don't know what you're talking about, Shahbanu. Where did you hear that?"

Sambice pulled Xerxes' letter out from beneath her robe. She smiled, waving the message in the air as Nousha's eyes followed the motion like a cat being taunted by a string of yarn.

"Oh, I'm so glad you asked, Nousha," she unrolled the scroll. "It just so happens that I have a letter from your son. It says," and she read, "he would like to dissolve his marriage with Mera Varaz so he can be granted permission to marry Khagana Arielle."

Nousha's heart sank to her stomach. All this time, she hoped her son would've long forgotten about Arielle. Being locked away for so long, she was confident that Xerxes would drift further away from Arielle. She had a lingering doubt in the back of her mind about this when Shah Kavad allowed their son to make the trip to Pannonia. It seems that her gut intuition was correct and the worst of it all was that Sambice knew.

"Now I understand why you wanted to marry him off so quickly. You knew he loved this Hun woman, and apparently, not even you can stop this from happening. I wonder what the Shah would have to say about this?"

"Sambice…" she walked forward, her heart racing with every step. "Do not show the Shah that letter."

"I won't."

Relief crossed Nousha's face for a brief moment.

"_You_ will." She tucked the letter back into her robes. "But I will keep this with me. I will gladly escort you to meet with the Shah."

"Sambice, please."

The Shahbanu raised her hand, "ah, no, no. According to our law, letters from all princes must go directly to the Shah. Withholding information could lead to your imprisonment. You wouldn't want to be put in prison _again_, would you?"

Nousha's lip twitched.

"Do not direct your envy and anger towards me, Sambice. It is not _my_ fault that your son is dead," she hissed.

"As if I could ever be _jealous_ of a simple concubine like you."

* * *

It took a lot of effort for Eksama to rise from bed, and an even greater effort to make short trips to the bath chamber. She usually had help from the maids and her daughter, which she found utterly embarrassing. She didn't like relying on others for support as she'd been alone for the majority of her life.

After her bath, which took a lot of energy out of her, she made it back to her bed with Austraia's help. She sat on the bed and lifted her splinted leg over the edge of the bed, grunting in the process. Eksama moaned softly at the slightest movement and tried to sit still while her daughter combed her wet hair.

"Austraia, go do something else. You don't have to stay with me," she chided, frustrated by her immobilization.

"I want to help, mother."

As she combed through her mother's hair, she turned at the door opening. She gasped and stood up immediately when Anastasia entered the room. Eksama sighed, thinking that more maids were coming in to help her.

Eksama was about to spit a slur of nasty words and was surprised to see Anastasia. She swallowed and straightened her posture as best as she could, wrapping an arm around her sore ribs.

"Anastasia," she greeted.

"I'd like to speak with your mother alone," Ana addressed the princess.

Austraia nodded, leaving the comb on the bedside table, then scurried out of the room. Now that the two were alone, Eksama was worried that something was awry. She hadn't expected Anastasia, of all people, to come to pay her a visit.

"How are you? Recovering well?" she asked.

Eksama wavered for a moment, then slowly bobbed her head.

"I never thanked you for helping with the war effort, and I'm sorry you were injured so severely."

"I will recover eventually."

Anastasia briefly grinned. "I will be leaving for Balaam soon. I don't know when I will come back. I just wanted to check on the status of your injuries and see that you are being cared for properly."

Eksama peered down at her leg, "everyone has been very helpful, especially my daughter."

"She's a sweet girl."

Anastasia said her final words and made her way to the exit.

"Anastasia."

"Yes?"

"I'm sorry for what I did to you. I'm sorry, for…everything, for the pain I caused you and your family."

Ana said sincerely, "thank you, but I don't hate you, Eksama. I am more forgiving than my mother. I stopped hating you a long time ago, and it's _our_ family. You are a part of the family, lest you not forget that."

Eksama felt a weight lifted off her shoulders, and she smiled genuinely for the first time in a while.

* * *

Xena sat behind her spouse, massaging the shoulder blade, upper arm, and collar bone. Gabrielle kept flinching, fidgeting, and whining the entire time. While Gabrielle felt like she was being tortured, Arielle sat opposite them, going over the list of rules and regulations given to her by Xerxes.

Gabrielle's eye twitched at the twinges in her upper shoulder blade, cursing inwardly. She had enough of Xena digging her knuckles into her body where they didn't belong. As a finger pinched one of her hard-to-reach nerves, she let out a loud gasp.

Arielle raised her chin, perplexed by the odd noises coming out of Gabrielle's mouth. She smirked, then went back to reading the long list. She had a spread of parchments scattered around her, unsure which list to focus on first.

"So, according to this, the mother-in-law is supposed to be in charge of most of the rituals. That means I'll be spending a lot of time with…Nousha."

Xena snorted, "good luck with that. Are you okay with the fact that Xerxes doesn't have any rules to abide by?"

Arielle shrugged and said, "I'm just trying to respect his culture and traditions. At least I don't have to convert to his religion," she spat, thinking of Kubrat. The threat left a sour taste in her mouth.

"Besides, he _does_ have rules!" she added. "He can't have sex with me for seven days during the rituals."

Xena stuck her tongue out. "I told you I didn't want to know about those details."

"Right, I forgot," Arielle chortled. "There is one thing that I did ask of Xerxes. Usually, we're supposed to get married in Persia, but I asked if his family could come to Pannonia instead. He agreed."

Gabrielle winced, chiming in, "it's good that you're both compromising."

"Um, shouldn't Gabrielle see a physician for that? It looks like you're doing more harm than good."

Xena raised an eyebrow, "she's doing fine. She'll be able to move her shoulder properly in a month. Just wait."

"Uh-huh…" Arielle warily said. "I haven't talked about the subject of children with Xerxes yet. I can't read him well. He clams up every time I try to bring it up."

Gabrielle grabbed her wife's wrist firmly, gritting her teeth. "He's probably just nervous. It seems like a normal reaction. Xena, I've had enough. You're killing me."

"Alright, I'll stop." Xena snickered, popping her knuckles back into place. "My hands were cramping up anyway."

"I'll bet they were…"

Arielle huffed, crossing her arms. "Grandma, what did you do?"

"What?" Xena widened her eyes.

"When you told my grandfather about your pregnancy. What happened? Did he react badly?"

Xena's cheeks reddened. "Oh," she averted her eyes elsewhere. "No, he didn't react horribly. To tell you the truth, Arielle, I didn't plan on having your mother. Children were not on my mind at all."

"I know how that feels," she mumbled. "I was so stupid."

"You're not stupid," said Gabrielle, smiling warmly. "Bayan should've never forced you to do that, but I think it'll be different this time. But, I do think you and Xerxes need to reach an agreement."

Arielle rubbed her chin. "Hmm, yes. I think he's afraid of what his family will do. They seem to be the root of all of our issues."

"And you thought your family had problems," Xena said and winked.

Arielle emits a chagrin. "I always knew that Xerxes could possibly give up his right to the throne, but I didn't know he could be exiled. I hope that doesn't happen. Shah Kavad hasn't responded to his letter yet!" she growled.

Gabrielle tried to rotate her shoulder and winced. "What if…he says 'no'?"

"I don't think Xerxes cares."

"Then, you better hope the Shah approves; otherwise, you might gain an unwarranted enemy out of this."

Arielle grumbled, picking at her nails. "This is all your fault, grandma."

Xena gasped, "my fault? What did I do?"

"You told me to talk to Xerxes! Now, look what happened!"

"Oh, right. It's my fault entirely. I _made_ you have sex with him. I put a spell on you to fall in love. Yes, it's all _my_ fault."

* * *

_Estakhr, Persia_

Shah Kavad sat on his dais, reading over a few budget adjustments. Even with his loan that he provided to his neighbors, he was doing well money-wise. He had his accountant draw up a new budget for the upcoming summer and fall seasons. After he came to an agreement to disburse the funds equally among his two sons, the three harems, and the public, he dismissed the accountant.

Tegin Irkin opened the door for the elderly accountant to leave. He approached the dais, bowing his head.

"Your highness, Banu Nousha, is outside. She wishes to speak with you."

Instantly, Kavad's face lit up. "Nousha? Send her in."

Tegin raised his eyebrows and opened the door. Nousha smiled briefly, then trailed inside. She looked to Tegin Irkin, who lingered by the doorway. The Shah noticed her perplexity and dismissed him so the two could be alone to talk together.

"Shah," she bowed, lowering her gaze.

"Nousha," he smiled, "what brings you in here today? I hope you aren't here to discuss harem issues. If you have an issue, you should speak to Sambice."

She tried to hold back the sheer disgust she felt for the Shahbanu. "No, nothing is wrong. I came to discuss Xerxes. There is something you…should know." She recalled the deal she made with Sambice, which she now regretted.

"Was he injured in Pannonia? I heard Chieftain Mezamir invaded."

"No…no, I," she pulled the letter out from her blouse. "He sent this letter."

Kavad took the message from her hand, noting her nervousness. He opened the letter, reading it over quickly. His eyebrows furrowed and eyed Nousha's pale complexion, then he crumpled the letter in his hand.

"What is this?" he asked of her. "He knows he is already married to Mera Varaz. Why the sudden interest in marrying the Khagana?"

Nousha took in a deep breath. "It is not sudden."

"What does that mean?"

"Xerxes…before he went into protection, was courting Khagana Arielle. He told me, but I never…told you because I knew you would disapprove."

Kavad jumped up from the sofa. "How dare you keep this from me?"

She slowly backed away, and he gripped her arms. She yelped, "Kavad!"

"He is my son! A Shehzade! And you kept this from me? Why would you do that?"

"I thought he would forget about her!"

"That changes nothing! You _lied_ to me," he said in a low growl.

Nousha swallowed, gazing into his fierce dark eyes, standing many feet below his towering figure. She flinched when he raised his hands, but he took a few steps away, turning his back to her, which he had never done before.

"He wants to marry the Khagana," the Shah stated aloud. "A Hun and Sassanian."

"See, I knew you wouldn't approve."

"Silence!" he spat. "I see _why_ you married him off so quickly. You feared that he would go right back to the Khagana. You've put me in quite a difficult position, Nousha."

She laced her fingers together, breathing heavily. It was evident that he was upset with her, but by his tone, she could tell he wasn't totally against the idea. This, in of itself, infuriated her.

"You can't honestly be _considering_ it," she said, laughing awkwardly. "Kavad…this is the fate of the empire we are talking about here."

The Shah turned around, frowning down at Nousha.

"I am already allied with the Huns. This marriage would only strengthen the bond. It is a good political move, although I doubt _our_ son sees it that way."

Her jaw dropped. "But…but, what about Mera?"

"If this is truly what Xerxes wants, then I will…break the marriage contract with the House of Varaz."

"This is going to cause an uproar in the empire," she snarled.

"You forget I am still your Shah, Nousha. Don't forget who you're speaking to. I suggest you make arrangements to travel to Pannonia. You should teach the Khagana about our customs."

**Finally, right? aha**


	54. Chapter 54

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Byzantine army is closing in on their enemy, so Xena further prepares for the campaign and is interrupted by the arrival of Xerxes' family members. While everyone helps prepare for the upcoming wedding, Shahbanu Sambice covertly expresses her status as superior ruler to Arielle and Nousha.

Chapter 54

_Balaam_

From the moment that Emese could connect hand and eye coordination, Cera taught her how to sign a few words or at least a few that she knew her daughter could recognize. It was a tedious task to teach a baby of almost two years old how to sign, but Cera was determined. Every chance she got, Cera drilled the signs into her daughter's head repeatedly.

In the women's quarters, Cera sat with her daughter, playing a game. She snapped her fingers to grab Emese's attention. The toddler lifted her chin, widening her eyes at her mother. Cera smiled, tapping her own nose to which her daughter copied the gesture.

She continued to sign very slowly, and Emese's mouth parted, watching intently. After a few moments, her daughter responded with a smile, copying the hand motions sloppily. Cera clapped her hands and, as a reward, gifted her daughter a piece of dessert.

Ursula sat a few feet away, holding Soran and Pamira's daughter, Mahfiruze, in her lap. She combed the girl's thick raven hair, then placed the tiny veil on the princess's head. Smoothing out Mahfiruze's dress, Ursula smiled.

"She looks very respectable now," she said, lifting Mahfiruze to her feet.

Pamira chuckled, sipping tea. "Very lady-like," she agreed. "We'll see how long it takes for her to rip the veil off."

Ursula raised an eyebrow and grabbed the toddler before she took off running.

"I must say, I have enjoyed staying here while Anastasia is away. I am outnumbered by my grandsons back home."

Pamira nodded and said, "Cera and I are very grateful for your help. I'm going to be sad to see you go."

Ursula was touched by Pamira's sincerity. "The palace isn't that far from here. You should come by some time. I'm sure Mahfiruze would love to play with Tespar again."

She seemed wary of the offer. "Soran is not really…fond of Yeter," she said politely.

"Nobody is _fond_ of that woman," Ursula whispered. "I almost feel sorry for myself that I have to go back home soon. I have to put up with her, you know. She is my son's wife."

Pamira snuffed a laugh, clapping a hand over her mouth. While the shamaness was preoccupied with the princess, Pamira lifted her head and saw Ebnedzar standing in the doorway, clearly trying to get his wife's attention. She tapped Ursula's knee, then pointed to the entrance.

Ursula eyed her husband and lifted the toddler off her lap. She excused herself from the women's area, then met her husband, who pulled her outside. Already, she sensed trouble since he pulled her aside so no one could hear their conversation.

"There is some suspicious activity on the outskirts of Armenia," Ebnedzar whispered.

"What kind of suspicious activity?"

Ebnedzar gripped his wife's arms. "I have to go scout the area. Zolten will stay here to protect the Adame in case something happens. Make sure you keep everyone safe."

She put a hand over her chest, "you are scaring me. Is there something you're not telling me? Are the Antes nearby?"

"Ursula," he growled, "do as I say."

"You make it sound like we're going to be invaded. You _tell_ me if there is more that I need to know," she narrowed her eyes.

"Just for precaution, relocate the women and children to a safer area." He said, but his wife doubted his orders. "Just until I get back, alright?"

Ursula sighed, nodding her head.

"I'll be back in a few days," he kissed her forehead. "Soran is coming with me since he knows the area better than I do."

There was a pit in her stomach when she heard that. Allowing Navaz's son to go on a scouting mission was a dangerous thing to do during Navaz's absence. If anything happened to Soran, she had the feeling that all the blame would be put on Ebnedzar.

"You be _very_ careful," she advised her husband, jabbing his chest.

He snorted.

"I mean it, Ebnedzar."

* * *

Working minimally, Gabrielle took over Farah's role as treasurer for the time being. She was also enacted as an inadequate architect with Farah's guidance. Today was one of the days when she sat in Farah's bedroom, receiving tips and pointers on constructing the military base needed in the south.

Farah sat on the bed, nursing her daughter while talking to Gabrielle. She was already frustrated that she couldn't convey everything she wanted for the prints. She was almost ready to rip the parchment out from Gabrielle and draw it herself.

"If we build this military base, how long do you think it will take to construct it?" asked Gabrielle.

Farah peered down at her daughter, suckling her breast, and sighed, disappointed by her temporary confinement. She looked at the print and grabbed it to inspect Gabrielle's work. It wasn't terrible, but it wasn't great either. This was almost as difficult as teaching her two sons math.

"Maybe it's best if you just leave this here. I can redraw everything and have it finished by tomorrow evening."

Gabrielle cringed and said, "I don't know, Farah…" she hesitated. "Xena told me not to let you take on a lot of work. She'd kill me if I _allowed_ you to do this."

"No offense, Gabrielle, but you're terrible at drawing prints. It's alright. You can tell Xena that you were against the idea. I can let Nasrin take care of Aracsilla for a few hours while I work."

Gabrielle was more than apprehensive about this. She didn't want to receive a lecture from her wife. Xena was already all over her about the injury that she barely convinced Xena to let her take on a light workload.

Farah finished feeding her daughter and looked around, unsure what to do. She eyed Gabrielle, apologetically smiling. Instantly, Gabrielle obliged, holding out her arms and took the baby while Farah readjusted her dress.

"Hello there," said Gabrielle, touching the baby's cheek. "Princess Aracsilla," she cooed. "She's so gorgeous, Farah. I know Csaba will have his hands full with her."

"He is already planning interrogations for her future suitors, I'm sure," Farah joked. "Alright, I will work on this and let you know when I'm finished. You can take the baby to Nasrin."

"Or _I_ can watch her for a while," Gabrielle said a bit too eagerly.

Farah quirked her mouth upward.

* * *

In charge of the military, Xena ordered all soldiers to run drills all day for the last week. She didn't want to be unprepared like last time when the Antes surrounded them. Speaking with Arielle was challenging this past week, but they finally reached an agreement. Xena ordered Ernak to send a spy to Kubrat's tribe nearby to see what he was up to.

Xena had an itch that Mezamir and Alduin were working alongside Kubrat during that invasion. Kubrat was probably back in Emperor Justinian's good graces and offered to gift a vast army. Slowly, her frustration watching the drills rose as she watched from afar.

Arielle galloped on her horse, stampeding across the field, encouraging the soldiers to keep working. She made her way back to her grandmother, smiling brightly, then hopped off her steed.

"Where's Gabrielle?" asked Xena, chewing on her nail.

"Last I heard, she was still with Farah working on the prints."

"Still?" Xena groaned. "I need her out here to record the drills."

Arielle nodded and nudged the Khanum's arm. "You've been a little on edge since mother left. Are you worried about her or something?"

"I always worry about your mother. She is my daughter, after all," Xena flashed a brief smile.

"Don't worry. My father will take excellent care of her."

"I know," Xena sighed, patting Arielle's shoulder, "he _always_ takes good care of your mother."

Beyond the training field, a slew of caravans crossed the border. Xena held up her hand, halting the exercises. In a few short moments, Xerxes galloped his way over to Xena and Arielle. He yanked the turban off his head and wiped the sweat off his brow. He dismounted the horse and looked at the four caravans entering Pannonia. There was also a trail of soldiers and women accompanying them on foot.

Xerxes recognized the ornate caravans instantly. Panic began to settle in, and he loosened the collar around his neck, eyeing Xena, who was very mystified. He smiled at her to which caused a frown on her end.

"_Friends_ of yours?" Xena asked.

That wasn't the word he would use. Once the four caravans came to a halt, one of the soldiers ran forward. A long black sleeve-covered arm emerged outward, grabbing the soldier's hand. Xerxes held his breath as he witnessed each woman step out of the carriages.

"Oh god," he mumbled.

He didn't have to see her face to know who she was. Sambice walked forward, revealing only her eyes to the Huns. An evident smile graced her face, given the wrinkles around her eyes. It was insincere, no doubt, Xerxes thought.

"Shahbanu," he took her hand, pecking it gently.

Disdain for his father's wife was concealed, but everyone knew that the two were never good allies. Xerxes smiled when he saw his aunt walk forward. He kissed her hand with a big grin this time around. His face then paled when his mother, the smallest of the women, emerged from the carriage. Nousha shot him a nasty glare, then glanced over at Arielle, who slightly hid behind Xena.

"How can he tell who is who? You can't see their faces," Xena whispered, snickering.

Arielle grabbed onto her grandmother's arm, gripping firmly. She slowly backed away, step by step, hiding from all the Persian women.

"Nousha looks like she wants to rip out my innards and roast them on a spit!" she whispered in between labored breaths.

"Oh, come on, Arielle. Get a grip. She's like two feet tall."

"Then, you go talk to her!"

Xena scoffed, "she's _your_ mother-in-law!"

The two kept bickering back and forth, then ceased their whispers when Nousha approached. Xena slapped Arielle in the middle of her back, pushing her forward. Nousha's upper lip quivered slightly. She wasn't even trying to hide her dissatisfaction for the Hun women.

Arielle nervously said, "_Hoşgeldiniz_."

Nousha remained unimpressed by the greeting. She didn't expect anything less coming from the Huns. Unfamiliar with the word, she assumed that Arielle was trying to welcome her into the territory, and failed miserably, noting the sweat dripping down Arielle's face.

"It means 'welcome to my home.'" she added.

Nousha hummed, "I gathered."

Xena leaned forward and whispered into Arielle's ear. "Invite them inside..."

"Oh, right!" Arielle motioned towards the Adame. "You're all welcome to stay with me. I hope you don't mind sharing a room for a while. I didn't know you were all coming, so...I didn't have time to make preparations."

Xerxes smiled at her, delighted that she was trying so hard to please his family. But he, too, had no idea that his mother, aunt, and stepmother, were all arriving today either. This spelled trouble. He didn't know what was going on and was intrigued as to why Sambice was here.

* * *

Gabrielle lost track of time, spending time with Farah's daughter that she didn't even make it out onto the field as she promised. Happily, she strolled into the Adame in search of Xena. Nothing was going to ruin her mood, she felt. As she whistled through the hallway, she greeted the maids passing by, who all gave her odd stares and solemn expressions.

She rounded the corner, and her whistle faded in pitch to a slow, long whisper. The Persian women turned their heads, silencing everyone around them. Gabrielle nervously smiled, and then fear struck when Xena marched towards her.

Xena forcefully grabbed her spouse's arm, ushering her into the room. She felt like she was pulling Gabrielle along, but she wasn't going to endure this painful discussion alone.

"How dare you leave me alone with these women," she hissed. "Where the hell were you?"

Gabrielle was pushed forward and now stood before the Persians. Her eyes widened at Nousha, who sat on the sofa, twirling the veil around her finger, smiling tersely. Suddenly, Gabrielle wished she had stayed at Farah's place indefinitely.

"Hello, welcome to Pannonia," she said to the unfamiliar faces. "Nice to see you again, Nousha."

"_Likewise_, governor," she said, twirling her wrist.

Shahbanu Sambice reclined on the pillows, tapping the empty tea glass on the saucer in her lap. She smirked, sizing up Gabrielle. Since there were no men in the room, she was able to reveal her face, so there was no way she could hide her emotions nor facial expressions.

"_Governor_," she mused. "A white woman works for the Huns? You people continue to shock me."

Given the puzzlement crossing Gabrielle's face, Xena decided to intervene. She leaned down, whispering into her ear, "that's Kavad's wife, Shahbanu Sambice."

Gabrielle's mouth parted, embarrassed. "Shahbanu," she greeted formally, "it's nice to finally meet you in person. I've heard so much about you."

"Too eager, Gabrielle," said Xena, adding a loud cough, drawing attention from Arielle's pleading eyes. "_What_?" she mouthed silently, raising her open palms to the ceiling.

Arielle slapped a hand to her forehead, cursing the entirety of this situation.

Sambice hummed a laugh, obviously amused by the silent rigidity in the room.

Esther chiseled away at the ice by interrupting, "where is Anastasia Khatun? Nousha and I would love to talk about this wedding with her."

"She had to leave. You just missed her," Xena quickly replied.

"Oh, that's a _real_ shame," said Sambice. "It is a custom for both mothers to discuss the wedding, but you should know that _I_ will be paying for it," she flashed a smile up at Arielle. "But since the Khatun isn't _here_, then...the next best person would have to be," she pointed to Xena, "_you_, Khanum."

Xena was about to reply with a rebuttal, but she looked at Arielle, who had her hands clasped together, mouthing 'please,' several times over. She bit her tongue and gave a toothy grin for Sambice.

"Of course, I would _love_ to."

* * *

After the disastrous interrogation, or meeting, concluded, Xena stormed into her room. She ripped the Kozak off her head and threw it at the nearby wall. Gabrielle paused at the door, taking in a deep breath to prepare herself for the storm that Xena was about to unleash unto her.

"This _would_ happen the minute Ana leaves!" she shouted, throwing her hands up. "Who do they think they are to come into our home and act like they own the place?"

Gabrielle allowed her spouse to have a small tantrum. She disrobed and casually walked over to grab fresh linens to head towards the bath.

"I did not sign up for this," Xena folded her arms. "I have done so much for that girl. She should be grateful that I love her."

Gabrielle sighed, "I know Arielle will be very grateful that you're doing this for her."

"Did you see the look on Sambice's face? She is just relishing in this. I think we should keep an eye on her. I don't think we can trust her."

"She should definitely be watched."

Xena grumbled and sat down on the bed, running her hands down her face. She felt a hand come to rest on her shoulder, and she looked up at Gabrielle, who smiled tenderly.

"You want to know what I think?"

Xena rolled her eyes, "spare me the wisdom, Gabrielle. I'm not in the mood."

"I was going to _say_...that you're too worked up about this," she snickered. "You're not the one getting married. Try to put yourself in Arielle's shoes. Just do your duty and be a _good_ _grandmother_," she teased with a light slap to Xena's shoulder.

"I should get paid for _that_ too."

Gabrielle chuckled, making her way to the bath chamber. "I'll make sure to bring it up with Farah."

"What were you doing over there for so long anyway? I wanted you on the field with me."

"Oh, you know...just going over the prints," Gabrielle slyly slipped away, avoiding the topic.

"You're doing it again."

Gabrielle paused, "doing _what_?"

"That sound your voice makes when you're lying. The little crack in your tone gives it away. What were you doing over there, _really_?"

Xena heard the rippling of the water and leaned over to see Gabrielle already settled in the bath. She waltzed her way into the chamber and sat down on the floor, taking the wet cloth, massaging the soap along Gabrielle's skin.

"How's your shoulder doing?"

Gabrielle was very cautious of her wife being in such close proximity to her. She anxiously replied, "a lot better, thanks to you."

"Ah, extra points for compliments. You're avoiding my question."

Gabrielle relented and finally revealed the truth. "Alright, you caught me. I was spending time with Aracsilla. I couldn't resist! She's just so adorable," she said, clenching her hands, smiling.

"I knew it. Did you finish the prints, at least?"

There was a long pause, and Xena frowned.

"Gabrielle."

"Ya?"

"Where are the prints I asked for?"

"Funny story. They'll be finished by tomorrow evening."

Xena dug her fingers into the blonde's neck, causing a loud yelp. Gabrielle inhaled, grabbing onto the fingers, digging into her neck.

"I asked you not to let Farah take on any work!"

"I tried to tell her! She wouldn't let me do anything! Xena, I'm in pain!"

Growling, Xena released her hold and squeezed the soapy water onto Gabrielle's hair. "What am I going to do with you women? First, Arielle, and now _you_," she shook her head, pouring water onto Gabrielle's head. "Nobody listens to a damn thing I say around here."

"I listen to you..." she looked up, grinning at Xena.

A saucer of warm water was dunked onto Gabrielle's face, and she coughed, spurting out a stream of water. She wiped her eyes and scowled up at Xena.

* * *

Locked away for three days, Cera was infuriated when she found out her husband was out with Soran and Ebnedzar. She ignored Ursula during confinement and wouldn't acknowledge Pamira. After a while, Pamira stopped trying to engage and chose to focus on her daughter.

Ursula waltzed over to the furious princess, holding a tray of food. "I brought some food for you. You've hardly eaten."

Cera continued brushing her daughter's hair, snubbing the shamaness.

"There's no reason to be upset with me. I have no control over this," said Ursula. "I'll leave this here for you."

She set down the tray on the table and hurried back to Pamira. Cera turned her head, glaring at them, whispering to each other from across the room. She smiled as Emese played with the bristles of the brush in her lap. She set the veil on her daughter's head and pinned it to her hair.

Everyone turned their heads when they heard the door unlocking from the other side. The guards opened the doors, and Anastasia walked in. Thankful to see her mother, Cera scooped the toddler into her arms and rushed over.

Anastasia smiled, cupping her granddaughter's cheeks. "_Sevgili_ _prensesim_," she cooed. Then she caressed Cera's cheek, "_tatli_ _kiz_, you don't have anything to worry about. Mirac is outside. They just arrived."

Ursula overheard the news and let out a sigh of relief. "I wasn't expecting you to come back so soon, Anastasia."

"I had to, but I'm sure I will be returning to Pannonia in a few months," she said, noting the look of disappointment on Cera's face. "I'll take you and Pamira with me this time."

Cera grinned, turning to Pamira standing beside her. Pamira passed off her daughter to Anastasia and nervously twiddled her thumbs.

"Is Soran alright? Did anyone get hurt?" she asked.

Ana grinned, holding Mahfiruze on her hip, instantly distracted. She turned to the anxious Persian and said, "nobody was hurt. Navaz is gathering information. I'm sure I'll hear all about it later. There's a lot of things we all need to discuss, especially with you, Cera."

* * *

"I thought that the men along the border were Mezamir's soldiers, but it turns out they are Justinian's," said Ebnedzar.

Navaz scratched his beard, groaning. "The Byzantines are too close to us. Justinian has become so brazen. He is so arrogant to think he can overpower us."

"Doesn't Arielle have most of the Persian army now?" Soran asked his father.

"Yes, and the Shah is more than obligated to help us now that Xerxes will marry her."

Soran gasped, then scrunched his face, seething with anger. He hadn't had much contact with his sister since they lived so far apart, but he would've thought she'd at least send a letter about this marriage. When he found out Xerxes was alive, he didn't actually believe that Xerxes would go through with the union at all, considering his family was so opposed to it.

"I will have a Sassanian as a brother-in-law," he stated, beyond annoyed.

Navaz rolled his eyes. "Your mother was also a Persian, you know."

"But she wasn't a Sassanian!"

Ebnedzar grew tired of the tangent from the prince and intervened, "anyway, so what are we going to do? Should we ask Xerxes to send some soldiers over?"

"Pannonia is too far from here. I was thinking of asking Oran to send some of his soldiers." Navaz said, nodding his head, thinking ahead. "Ebnedzar, you can be in charge of that. Soran, Mirac, and I will strategize a plan to combat the Byzantines if they decide to invade."

Soran looked at his father, cautiously. "Shouldn't you talk to Ömma first?" he spoke of his stepmother.

Navaz dreaded that impending conversation with his wife. After what happened in Pannonia, he didn't want another surprise attack like that again. Also, the stress of protecting everyone and not being able to defend her home and family caused Anastasia such distress that he didn't want to exacerbate the fragility of her state.

* * *

There were many things that Xena did throughout her life. She commanded several armies, fought many battles, held political meetings with monarchs, chieftains, emperors, but there was one thing she wasn't good at. And, that was talking with women, especially those who didn't like her.

She had Gabrielle's annoying voice running through her head as she walked into the suite that Esther and Nousha shared. In a way, she was almost thankful that Anastasia wasn't here orchestrating this meeting with Nousha. Those two despised one another. But Xena was constantly reminded that she was no longer a commander anymore. She had a reputation to uphold. A higher status position warranted more responsibility.

She wasn't prepared for this level of responsibility and almost wished Kreka was here. If the late Khatun were here, this meeting would've gone so differently. Today, she was filling in for Anastasia, but she inwardly channeled all of Kreka's old negotiation skills. She desperately needed some guidance to deal with these Persian women, and unfortunately, she had to get it from the dead.

Xena was stunned when she walked into the room to see several parchments and journals scattered on the floor. Nousha and Esther definitely were prepared for this meeting. She briefly acknowledged Nousha before sitting down on the floor, then smiled at Esther.

"Good morning," she said.

Esther grinned, "morning. This meeting is going to take a very long time. I hope you've cleared your schedule."

Not exactly, Xena thought. "I'm happy to help Arielle. So, what are we here to talk about? Not sex, I hope," she snorted.

Both women's eyes enlarged, and Xena bit her lip, realizing she might've offended them somehow. Xena puckered her lips, drawing back instantly. She had a bad case of word vomit that she somehow picked up from Arielle. Maybe she was channeling Arielle today instead of Kreka. This wasn't getting off to a good start.

"We're going to talk about the various rituals that Arielle must learn and abide by," said Nousha.

"Oh, great, alright," Xena grasped her knees, smiling uneasily. "Where is Arielle? Shouldn't she be here for this?"

Nousha smiled smugly, "she's talking with Shahbanu Sambice about the finances. The treasurer should also be there."

Xena's face paled. Oh, poor Gabrielle. She's going to be subjected to the arrogance of the Shahbanu and also quell Arielle's temper all at once. Xena was now thanking the gods that she only had to deal with Nousha and Esther.

"I heard Queen Farah is an excellent mathematician. I'm sure their meeting will be over shortly," Esther said, hoping to ease the Khanum's nerves.

"Um, Farah just had a baby a few weeks ago, so Gabrielle is filling in for her..."

Esther smiled and clasped her hands together. "_Basyar khoob_," she said. "My congratulations to her. So, we will discuss the rituals now?"

_May the gods be with you, Gabrielle._

* * *

For several minutes, the three women sat in awkward silence. Gabrielle didn't know she would be put into this position of talking with the Shah's wife. It was apparent that Arielle wasn't privy to this information either.

Gabrielle took a taste of her own medicine today. She was so busy poking fun at Xena for having to converse with the Persians, and here she was, doing the exact same thing. Except, this was so much worse. Sambice looked very content and satisfied that she was making both of them feel uncomfortable.

"This wedding will go down in history. It is very unusual for Persians to marry outside of their kind. My husband is very generous to allow this union."

Arielle nodded, "yes, he is. I will send a letter thanking him."

Sambice smirked, "I'm sure you will, but you see, Khagana, the Shah doesn't have any say in the wedding, nor does he involve himself in marital affairs. Every decision regarding marriage with a prince goes through _me_."

Gabrielle's eyebrows lifted while she took down some notes. She begged for this meeting to be done and over with already.

"Oh...I didn't know that."

"I know, child, you don't know anything about our traditions," said Sambice. Clearing her throat, she added, "Nousha is your mother-in-law, but I am the Shah's _wife_, so I will also be like a mother-in-law to you."

Arielle felt her stomach knotting by the second. She didn't know what she was signing up for when she decided to marry Xerxes. This wasn't what she envisioned. She always knew there would be hurdles, but this wasn't what she had in mind. One mother-in-law was bad enough, but _two_?

"I don't know what Hun weddings are like, but Persian weddings are very grand and costly. Since the wedding will be held _here_, you will need to make accommodations for my people."

Gabrielle lifted the pen off the parchment. "How many people will be coming?"

"A minimum of two hundred," said Sambice, grinning. "Do you have any questions or concerns, Arielle?"

"Ah...no, not at the moment..."

"Excellent. Shall we discuss the details of the wedding now?"

* * *

Once both agonizing meetings were over, both Gabrielle and Xena relocated to their room to discuss and compare notes. Xena felt traumatized by the number of rituals Arielle had to go through. She knew she wasn't the one getting married, but in a way, she felt she was marrying Xerxes. There were so many rules Arielle had to follow that Xena wasn't sure if Arielle was going to adhere to all of them.

There was no way Xena would've put up with all these rules if she were Arielle's age. She would've refused and caused a huge fuss, so she had to salute Arielle for being so accomodating for her future husband.

"Wanna switch notes?" Xena asked.

Gabrielle huffed and face-planted onto the bed, causing her wife to snicker. "My head hurts," she mumbled. She raised her head, "this is too much! I didn't sign up for this."

"Whatever happened to being a dutiful member of the family?" Xena teased, pinching her wife's arm. "I'm glad Farah is on leave; otherwise, she would probably throw a fit if she had to sit in with Sambice and Arielle. Thank you for filling in."

"Not like I had a choice in the matter..."

This whole process was very overwhelming. Marrying a Sassanian prince was more complicated than anyone thought. Gabrielle couldn't even imagine how Arielle was feeling throughout all of this.

"Sambice said that the wedding won't happen until _special_ items are brought in from Persia," Gabrielle mocked. "And a chief priest has to come here to perform the ceremony. Can you believe that?"

"Mhm, I believe it," Xena said, looking over the documents. "An astrologist has to come here as well."

Gabrielle rolled over onto her stomach. "What? Why?"

Xena chuckled, "Arielle isn't going to like this. There's a calendar of the days in which she's supposed to conceive a child."

"Oh..." Gabrielle sighed heavily, "I'm so glad that we didn't have any of these rules before we got married."

Xena raised an eyebrow. "Would you have married me if you had to do all of this?"

Gabrielle tapped her chin, contemplating her answer.

Xena reached over with a pillow and smacked Gabrielle with it.

"Hey, I've done so much for you already," she teased. "But, all of this seems a bit excessive. I know Arielle is being very _nice_, but I don't think that's going to last, especially with the bit about conceiving a child on a particular day."

Xena grinned, "oh, I _know_. She's going to crack. It's only a matter of time."

* * *

In the coming weeks, Arielle realized she absolutely loved the women in her family over the women in Xerxes'. Sambice wasn't very open about her opinions, but her horrible facial expressions gave it away each time. She also didn't like Farah nor Nisa.

Esther was the only level-headed one, but she had her moments too. She was the Shah's sister, and so even Sambice had to follow her orders at times. She was a bit demanding sometimes and often had arguments with Nisa, and it was very rare to see Nisa so angry. Eksama, luckily, steered clear of the women as she wanted nothing to do with the cluster of mouths.

Nousha was a category all on her own. Arielle was relieved that her mother wasn't here, but that was soon to change. She had to invite her own mother to the ceremony, and when those two met face to face again, Arielle knew there were going to be many heated arguments.

One morning, Arielle quickly evaded all three women and ran into Xerxes. She grabbed him by the collar and shoved him into the wall.

"_Xerxes_, you didn't tell me that your family was so...so..."

"Terrible?" he completed her thought. "I tried to tell you."

She punched his shoulder and added, "I am not, I repeat, I am _not_, having a child when _the_ _stars_," she mocked, "tell me to. Oh, and, I'm not allowing your mother anywhere near me during the ceremony! She's making my dress. What am I going to do about that?" she growled.

Xerxes rubbed his lips together, trying to hold back laughter.

"You better not laugh, or I'll break your jaw."

He zipped his lips. "yes, ma'am."

"I need to hide," she whispered, looking out into the hallway. "Where's my grandmother? Gabrielle? Eksama?"

He laughed, gripping her shoulders. "Xena should be by the western border with Gabrielle. I'm not sure where Eksama is."

Arielle paused, lifting an eyebrow. "The _western_ border? What are they doing over there? I'm left out of everything these days! My grandma just wants to keep me in the dark. Or maybe she wants me to suffer," she tapped her lips. "I need to leave. Your aunt is looking for me."

"Then maybe you should go talk to her now. She's going to find you eventually."

"The hell I will!" she hissed. "I don't want to talk about stars, babies, and birth! She's scared me out of the idea of having children."

Xerxes snorted.

"Well, not _entirely_," she corrected and saw the fear in his eyes. "Why is it so important to have a child within a certain time after the marriage anyway?"

He sighed. "I don't know—something to do with premonition and good fortune. Also, it would be an heir to the throne."

Arielle gawked at him with wide eyes.

"No pressure or anything," he said, smiling.

* * *

Aurora stood patiently while Sambice's maids fitted her for a black dress. She had her arms stretched outward, peering down at the two women pinning the bottom of the gown. She sighed, growing bored standing for so long. She never really liked dresses, but she received a mouthful from her mother, and ever since then, she had been on her best behavior for the Persian women.

Sambice sat next to Nousha, waiting for the fitting to be complete. Sambice smiled, seeing how furious Nousha was about this entire situation.

"What a long face, Nousha," she mused. "Although, I understand why you are so disturbed. Your son is about to _taint_ our line with Hun blood."

Nousha crossed her arms, slouching, "I'd rather die than see that _woman_ bear my son's child."

"Be careful of what you say in front of me, Nousha. You shouldn't worry. When she gives birth to an heir, I will take it back to Persia with _me_." She flashed a smile to the concubine.

Nousha lifted her eyebrows into her hairline. She slowly turned her head, shocked to hear those words come out of the Shahbanu's mouth. Sambice didn't even skip a beat or hesitate. Nousha knew she couldn't trust Sambice, but now she truly felt she underestimated Sambice's intentions of coming to Pannonia and involving herself in Xerxes' life.

Aurora hopped off the stool and ran to the seated women. "Do I _really_ have to wear this?" she asked, looking down at the unfinished dress.

"You look very pretty," said Sambice, winking. "Like a little Shehzada. Wouldn't you say so, Nousha?"

Nousha could barely register Sambice's words spoken earlier, that she was caught off guard by the question. She gave a faint smile, staring at the princess.

"Yes..."

Aurora went ahead and made herself comfortable and sat in between the women. She smiled and grabbed hold of Nousha's arm, rendering a flinch from the Persian.

* * *

Outside, Farah walked with Nasrin towards the Adame. Farah picked up her pace and looked behind to see Nasrin standing frozen at the bottom of the stairs, holding the infant princess in her arms. Farah sighed and quickly trailed down the stairs, grabbing the girl's arm.

"We need to go inside. I have to talk with Ku-Ilm."

Nasrin refused to budge and held the princess in her arms firmly.

"What are you standing there for?" Farah asked, irritated. "What is the matter?"

"I –I can't go in there," Nasrin whispered, stricken with fear.

"Why not?"

Nasrin swallowed, sweat dripping down her forehead. "Shahbanu Sambice is in there. She knows who I am. Please, don't make me go in there, your highness."

Farah crinkled her eyebrows and stood, towering over the teenager. She smiled, wiping Nasrin's cheeks with her thumbs.

"Don't worry. She can't do anything to you. You live here with me now."

"Please!" Nasrin begged, tears surfacing. As soon as she began to weep, Farah's daughter began whimpering as well.

Farah frowned and folded her arms. "Alright, take Aracsilla back home. I'll talk with Ku by myself. I guess this meeting will be very brief."

There was immediate relief on Nasrin's face. "Thank you, your highness."

"You shouldn't fear Sambice anymore. I'll protect you."

"She is very dangerous, your highness," whispered Nasrin. "You should be wary of her presence. She doesn't like Shehzade Xerxes. She is the one who ordered the assassination."

Farah's mouth parted, spinning around, glaring at the Adame's entrance.

* * *

On the western border, just a few miles away from mainland Pannonia, the army began building a physical wall. This idea was brought on when Ernak told Xena that there were hundreds among hundreds of Byzantines living among Kubrat's tribe. With Farah's help, she was able to submit several drawings of the wall's construction.

Ernak stood beside Gabrielle, making sure the soldiers were adhering to their assigned tasks. He pursed his mouth, shaking his head.

"My parents would hate this wall," he said. "We have never blocked off any part of the land ever before."

Gabrielle sighed, nodding her head. "Your father never had this many enemies. We just had to worry about the Romans and Visigoths back then."

"You are right, Gabrielle. You know, when we are attacked, they're just going to break through the wall."

She scrunched her face up at that. She hadn't really thought about what would happen if they were attacked.

"Well...at least there will be a barrier," she sheepishly insinuated, to which Ernak gave an eye roll.

In a tent not far from the construction site, Xena sat at a desk, writing down several methods that could possibly be used to combat Justinian. She was definitely going to need Arielle's help with this later, but this campaign would take many months, and Justinian wasn't in a hurry.

Eksama hobbled into the tent, drawing Xena's attention away from the scattered documents on the desk. She stood with a hand pressed to her hip, causing Xena to smile.

"Daughter of Attila," Xena mused, swinging her boots to rest on the table. "You really shouldn't be up and walking." She tapped her teeth with the quill pen.

"I can get around just fine."

"Hmm." Xena kept the smug grin on her lips. "What do you need? I am busy."

"I want to help with the campaign," said Eksama.

Xena laughed and kicked her boots off the desk, straightening the documents.

"No."

"Why the hell not? I am fine! I can help strategize."

"Eksama, I can't let you onto the field in your...condition," she gestured to the commander's stilted leg. "We will be using Persian tactics for this campaign. That really isn't your specialty."

"But, I can _learn_."

Xena rolled her eyes. She could tell that Eksama wasn't going to let this go. "Alright, you can help me, but _please_, sit down. I'm putting Arielle as the lead. You two have never worked together on the field and assuming you two can _share_ responsibility, I shouldn't have to worry about anything going wrong, right?"

"I can work alongside Arielle with no problem."

"I sure hope so," she muttered.

* * *

In preparation for the wedding, Arielle did everything that she was told, albeit annoyed by the demanding women surrounding her. She notified her family in Balaam to come back to Pannonia by the end of the month. She hoped that would give them enough time to safely prepare for the journey.

During the practice of all the necessary rituals, Arielle also found out that Byzantines were camped out along Armenia's borders, which unnerved her. She didn't want to rush this agonizing process, but she was too focused on her family alone in Balaam. It was a much smaller territory than Pannonia, and the army was small in number.

One of the last rituals she had to complete was to bathe in a bath of milk. She didn't sound too fond of the idea, but she went along with it, only for the sake of Xerxes. She was escorted to the bath chamber in her room, and Sambice waited for her, holding a towel.

She smiled uneasily at the tall Shahbanu, and instantly, the maids disrobed her. She could see the disdain that Sambice poorly tried to conceal. Her tattoos. Arielle completely forgot about them, so she wrapped her arms around herself.

Sambice gestured for her to step into the large pool. Arielle waltzed over, cautiously, and stepped into the cold milk. She sat down, eyeing the woman standing above her. As she sat, milk was poured atop of her hair, and she shivered slightly.

"What...is the purpose of this milk bath?" she asked quietly.

"It's a purification ritual," Sambice calmly explained, "to rid yourself of all sins. Although this is usually done only for _virgins_."

Arielle felt the sting of that insult on the deepest layer of her skin. She felt very small right about now, and instead of responding with her usual outspoken mouth, she chose to stay silent.

Sambice set aside the bowl, glaring at the back of the Khagana's head. She slowly reached forward, clutching a handful of Arielle's hair, and dunked her underneath the surface of the milk. Arielle flailed her arms around, attempting to grab Sambice's hands.

She pulled Arielle up by her hair, and Arielle gasped for air, spitting out milk. Sambice raised an eyebrow and held Arielle's jaw tightly, rearing her head back.

"Nousha is the least of your worries," she whispered. "You needn't worry about her."

She pushed Arielle's head beneath the surface again and waited for a half a minute. She yanked Arielle up again, firmly gripping the wet curls in between her fingers.

"You forget you aren't just marrying a member of the Sassanian Dynasty, but the _entire_ dynasty itself."

Arielle blinked, milk staining her eyes and dripping off her eyelashes. She stared up at the Persian queen, coughing violently and choking mildly.

"You may be the ruler of your people, but I am, and always, will be above you. Do you understand?"

Arielle frowned, furrowing her eyebrows. Before she could retort, she was forcibly submerged into the pool once more.

* * *

Nousha walked the halls, passing by several members of the Hun family. She frowned, searching every room for her son's soon-to-be bride. She stopped Ku-Ilm, who was overtly trying to avoid her.

"Ku-Ilm!" she called.

The maid groaned inwardly and turned around. "Yes, Banu Nousha?"

"Where is Arielle? I'm supposed to help her with the purification ritual today."

Ku cocked her head to the side. "The milk bath?" she asked, and Nousha nodded. "Shahbanu Sambice is with her performing the ritual right now."

Nousha's eyes widened, and she darted down the hallway, heading for the stairs. Ku quickly followed her, lingering at the bottom of the grand staircase.

"_Nousha_!"

Hurrying as quickly as possible, the towel slipped off her arm as she darted up the stairs. Picking up the hem of her dress, the veil flew off her head, and she ran into Arielle's room, swinging the doors open. Breathing heavily, Nousha saw the door of the bath chamber slightly ajar.

She ran forward and swung the door open to see Sambice standing beside the bath, towel drying her hands. Nousha put a hand to her heaving chest, eyeing the back of Arielle's wet hair.

"Nousha, why are you in such a hurry?" asked Sambice with a smile.

Rushing in, Ku bumped into Nousha and curiously eyed Sambice standing very close to the bath. She placed a hand on Nousha's shoulder, squeezing by, then scurried over to Arielle, all while keeping a watchful eye on Sambice.

Nousha narrowed her eyes, watching her superior approach. "_What_ did you do?" she whispered.

"Always putting the blame on me, aren't you, Nousha?"

She rounded the short concubine, flipping the veil over her face.

Ku sat on the floor, tapping Arielle's shoulder gently, but received no response. Arielle continued to stare with a distant look in her eyes.

"Arielle? Are you okay? Arielle?" she turned the brunette's chin upward.

Finally, she responded to Ku's soft calls. "I...I'm fine."

"You don't seem it. What happened? Nousha ran up here. I...is something wrong?" she asked, caressing Arielle's cheek.

Arielle splayed her hand over Ku's. "I'm okay."

While Ku was consoling Arielle, Nousha approached at a steady pace. She looked around the chamber in search of any weapons, but there were none. She finally locked eyes with Arielle and let a gentle smile slip. Nousha never cared for her son's love interest, but she didn't know if she could live with herself if Sambice had done anything to harm Arielle.

But by the look on Arielle's face, she could tell that something did _happen_ here. Of course, Sambice would try to do something with no witnesses around. She was sure that she was one step ahead of Sambice, but she was too late. Sambice said something disconcerting to Arielle, and she couldn't ask outright since Ku was in the room.

Ku stood, alarmed by Nousha's closeness. "I'm going to get a towel and robe," she said, quickly exiting the chamber.

Nousha knelt down, studying the void of expression in Arielle's eyes.

"What did she say to you?" she whispered, anxiously waiting for Ku's return.

"N...nothing."

"Sambice is very dangerous. If she said something to you, you could tell me."

Arielle was perplexed by the odd and sudden softness coming from a woman who claimed to have hated her.

"You can tell me. I can protect you from her, but I can't protect you if you don't tell me..."

Ku hurried back with a robe. "I'll help her," she said, gesturing for Nousha to leave.

As Arielle was being helped out of the bath, her eyes followed Nousha exiting the chamber. The robe was slipped through her arms, and she stood, with her mouth agape, locking eyes with Xerxes' mother.


	55. Chapter 55

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When you intermarry families, one should always be cautious of who is on your side, and who is not.

Chapter 55 –_Plague of Justinian_

She wanted to be there for her daughter, and she was also thrilled that Arielle was marrying someone she truly loved, but deep inside, she didn't want to endure the painful conversations to come. Anastasia arrived in Pannonia with Navaz, Cera, Mirac, Soran, Pamira, and the two princesses. She expected nothing less when she saw her entire family waiting outside in front of the circle of Adames to greet everybody.

Although she was surprised to see Xerxes' relatives also standing by the clan. She dismounted the horse, flicking her long braid behind her shoulder, and immediately hugged her mother. That was the first and foremost mistake, as her mother crushed every part of her body in the embrace.

"Mom, I was _just_ here not too long ago," she protested, barely able to breathe.

"Just let me do this," said Xena. She released Ana and kissed her cheeks. "You look thin. You've been eating alright, I hope…and not smoking, _you know what_," she whispered.

She was mildly insulted that her mother even asked that question and was _more_ insulted when her mother leaned in to smell her clothing.

"Mother!" she yelped, giving Xena's shoulder a light slap. "I did not smoke opium. Get away from me," she flicked her wrist.

She brushed by her mother and instantly smiled at Gabrielle, whom she gave a much warmer welcome. Kissing both of the governor's cheeks, they rejoiced in holding hands.

"How've you been?" asked Gabrielle.

"Better now that I'm here, but I don't see Arielle," she murmured, scanning the family.

"She's doing some campaign work with Eksama in the west. She should return this evening."

Ana hummed, then turned to see Nisa holding one of her daughters. She smiled, greeting Ernak's little family and spotted Austraia standing lonesome behind everybody. She gently made her way through, and the teenager shyly grinned, instantly bowing her head.

"Don't do that," she said, gripping Austraia's shoulders to stand up straight.

Just as she was about to speak, a loud explosion sounded in the west, causing all of the children to scream loudly. Anastasia lifted her head, eyeing the tops of the trees catch fire from afar. She whipped her head around to her mother, who was smiling.

"What was _that_?"

Xena began to slowly make herself scarce from the family. "Arielle is testing out some…new ballistic weapons…"

Ana rolled her eyes. It was too casual. Every single time she saw her mother make that all-knowing face, nothing good could come from it. While everyone was seemingly worried about the trees catching fire, Anastasia spotted the gaggle of Persian women, dressed all in dark robes.

The only woman she had a clear sight of was Nousha. She smiled, making her way over, and Nousha raised an eyebrow, almost trying to back out. While both Esther and Sambice had their faces covered, Nousha was unable to hide the apparent hatred.

Anastasia extended her hand, glaring at the petite Persian woman. Esther shared a confused glance with Sambice, watching the two women interact. Their silence was worth a thousand words.

Tentatively, Nousha stepped forward and took in a deep breath. She grabbed hold of Ana's hand and kissed the top of her hand, all while making eye contact with Anastasia the entire time.

"It's so _good_ to see you again, Nousha. I do hope we can talk sometime. I hear that we have a lot to discuss."

"Looking forward to it," she said through a clenched smile.

Esther walked forward, smiling beneath the veil, and kissed Ana's cheek. "Khatun, I'm excited to finally meet you. I am Shehzade Xerxes' aunt and the older sister of Shah Kavad."

"Very nice to meet you," said Ana sincerely, then she peered over at Sambice.

Sambice narrowed her eyes and inclined her head. "Shahbanu Sambice," she introduced herself. "We will see a lot more of each other from here on out, Khatun."

* * *

While testing the Persian ballistic weapons, Arielle was held up in her tent, writing down the various ways this weapon could be used in the campaign. Mumbling to herself, she heard someone walk into the tent. Lifting her eyes briefly, she waved at Eksama, then continued writing and shuffling through the documents.

Eksama placed a hand on her hip. "Arielle, what are you still doing here?"

"What do you mean? I'm testing weapons like my grandma told me to."

"It's not like I don't _want_ to work with you, but your parents are arriving today. They're probably already here. You should be with them, not with me, testing weapons."

The last place she wanted to be was with Xerxes' family, and as the weeks passed by, more than a hundred Persians swarmed Pannonia. Arielle was, unfortunately, housing all of the women, and her home was very crowded. With the wedding ceremony approaching very soon, she had no desire to be in the same room as her family and Sambice.

Her avoidance became so evident that even Eksama clued into it. She'd been out on the field for the last week, avoiding all contact with her soon to be in-laws. She even went as far as to avoid Xerxes at times, which she was sure that annoyed him.

"I'm almost finished."

Eksama sighed. "Is something wrong? You don't seem very excited to be marrying the _love_ of your life," she jested.

Arielle shifted awkwardly in the chair. The will to keep writing faded as her mind was focused entirely on the ceremony up ahead. She only had a few days to prepare, and she wasn't sure if she was ready to commit her life to the Sassanians. This would be so much easier if she didn't have to worry about marrying into Xerxes' family.

She also felt trapped. She had nobody to confide in as she would risk losing all trust with Xerxes' family if she told anybody what happened between her and Sambice in the bath chamber. Ku tried to pry information out of her, but Arielle couldn't even talk to her. She felt more alone than ever, despite being surrounded by her entire family.

"Sambice…threatened me a while back."

Eksama's eyes widened, and she sat down in a nearby chair. "Have you told anyone?"

Arielle wagged her head. "I didn't want to cause trouble."

"But if the Shahbanu threatened you, I think you need to tell someone."

"Please don't say anything. My grandmother would have a field day with this."

Eksama rubbed her chin, feeling somewhat wedged into a tight spot. On the one hand, she was glad that Arielle was confiding in her. On the other hand, she didn't like to keep secrets from the family as that never ended well for her.

"What did she say to you?"

Arielle said under her breath, "she said I should know my place and that I'll never be accepted into the family. She also said she'll be watching every step I take."

"I really think you need to tell someone about this. I mean, someone _other_ than me."

"I can't!" she cried. "I want everything to go smoothly!"

Eksama flinched. "I understand, but…you're going to have to be around Sambice for a long time. I think this needs to be addressed." She reached for Arielle's hand. "But I won't say anything if you don't want me to."

She let out a sigh of relief. "I should finish up and head home, huh?"

Eksama nodded, patting Arielle's hand. "I think you've hidden long enough. I can take over from here."

"You aren't coming back with me?"

"Hey, I'm not the one marrying into the Sassanian family. That's _your_ problem," she jested and winked.

Arielle chuckled and stood from the chair, gathering her belongings. Before she exited the tent, she turned over her shoulder, staring at Eksama, who began organizing the desk space.

"Eksama," she called.

The redhead spun around, wide-eyed.

"Thanks for listening to me."

* * *

Since Arielle's home was swarming with Persians, everyone else who arrived had to stay with Csaba and Farah. Xena even petitioned to stay with them because she hated mingling with Xerxes' people. The women were so talkative, and they loved to stay up late, drinking coffee, which Xena was almost positive that the coffee had some stimulant in it.

Sitting in a circle, Xena held Emese in her lap while talking to Anastasia about the upcoming changes in the empire. The toddler kept pulling on the various beads dangling from Xena's headdress. Intrigued by all the new faces, Emese was mostly enthralled with the long locks of hair near her.

"I was surprised to hear from Yana when she said soldiers came to construct an Adame in Kazakhstan," said Anastasia.

Gabrielle held Mahfiruze in her lap, occasionally toying with the toddler's dress. "I think Arielle just wants a safe place for Cera and Mirac's family."

She peered over at her wife, who struggled to keep Emese from tugging on her clothes and hair. She chuckled softly when Emese grabbed Xena's mouth. She thought to switch children, but she rather enjoyed watching Xena suffer just for a little bit.

Xena lifted up the squirming toddler into the air. "What is _wrong_ with this child?" she asked, almost annoyed.

"She likes you!" Gabrielle said, laughing. "How is Cera doing communication-wise with her daughter anyway?" she directed towards Ana.

Anastasia sighed heavily and said, "she's very patient most days, but sometimes she gets frustrated, which is to be expected."

Gabrielle nodded, smiling sadly.

"That's it." Xena stood up, carrying the giggling toddler.

She waltzed over to the circle of children and placed Emese in between Aurora and Edemen. The toddler smiled, biting one of her fingers, and looked around at all of the unfamiliar faces. Edemen grinned, nudging the princess' arm gently.

"You watch her," she ordered, hurrying back to sit with her daughter and Gabrielle.

When she sat back down, she huffed, crossing her legs. She fixed her headdress and adjusted herself. As she was just getting settled, Gabrielle looked over her shoulder and chuckled, watching Emese run back over towards them.

"Xena, you have a visitor."

Xena lifted her head and turned to see the princess standing beside her. She groaned, causing everyone to laugh under their breaths. She raised an eyebrow, staring down at the little princess, but broke focus when Emese gave a big grin.

"I'm not going to get rid of you, am I?"

"Emese!" Aurora yelled, running across the room. "Excuse me, ladies." She grabbed her cousin's hand. "You shouldn't run off like that," she whispered, wagging her finger.

Anastasia, amused by the interaction, kept smiling as Aurora kept chastising her baby cousin from afar. She let out a large sigh then turned her attention back to the two women sitting in front of her.

"So, how's it been with Nousha and her _crew_?"

Gabrielle ran her fingers through Mahfiruze's dark hair and broke the tense silence. "I don't think Nousha's going to be the problem anymore. Sambice is the one you should watch out for."

"Why? What has she done?"

"She _exists_," Xena mumbled, receiving a slap from her wife. "What? It's true. She's got everybody on edge around here! Nasrin is too afraid to come out of the Adame, and Nousha avoids her all the time. She's rotten."

Anastasia tapped her chin, looking around the room. "Has she threatened anyone, specifically Arielle?"

Gabrielle shook her head, "not to our knowledge. Although Arielle has been distant lately. Where is she anyway? She should've come back by now."

"I can go check," said Xena, eager to leave this room overrun with children and women alike.

Gabrielle put a stop to that by shoving the toddler into her wife's lap. "_I_ will go check," she thumbed her chest. "You can be the babysitter since the children seem to _love_ you so much," she teased.

Disgruntled, Xena looked down at Soran and Pamira's daughter, who gawked at her with wide brown eyes. She was now going to be stuck here until Gabrielle's return, which could take a while. Knowing Gabrielle, and she knew her _so_ _well_, she could go off wandering and wind up talking for a long time. Xena hoped that wouldn't happen this time around.

"Tell me the _truth_, mother. What's been going on?"

"Like Gabrielle said, Arielle has been very stressed since the Persians came. She had to go through several rituals for the wedding. She still has a few left to do."

Ana hummed softly. "Has Nousha been kind to her? Do I need to have a _talk_ with her?"

"Nousha has surprisingly been on her best behavior," she said, noting the skeptical look her daughter gave. "I'm serious! Would I lie to you?" she scoffed. "Don't respond to that."

"Mhm. I'd love to help with the rituals. I'm sorry that I wasn't here for Arielle."

"I filled in for you," Xena said with mild disdain.

"Thank you. I know I can always count on you to be such a good sport," Ana bumped her mother's chin with a knuckle.

"You're lucky I have a child in my lap, Anastasia."

"Oh, threats so early in the visit? I'm _shocked_."

* * *

Gabrielle exited the Adame, suddenly realizing it was very stuffy in there, now that she could feel the cool summer breeze. She walked down the steps and dreaded entering the Adame across the way. Too many Persians in there for her liking.

It didn't take her long in her search for Arielle. She saw the Khagana sitting on the grass with Navaz right beside her. She thought to approach since Anastasia wanted to see Arielle, but she decided to leave the two alone. It appeared, even from afar, that they were having an earnest conversation together.

"Why didn't you say something sooner?" asked Navaz.

Arielle shrugged. "I don't know."

He sighed, raking his fingers through his beard. He peered over at his teary-eyed daughter. "You don't need to cry," he said, wiping her cheek. "Just because someone is family doesn't mean you have to _like_ them. Xena hated my mother, but they learned to get along."

Arielle smiled, wiping her nose.

"_Sometimes_. They learned to get along sometimes," Navaz muttered. "You should stick up for yourself. You need to stand up to Sambice."

She shook her head, vehemently.

"Arielle, she isn't going anywhere. You can't live in fear of her. I know the Persians do things differently than we do, but you're the one who is marrying Xerxes, not anyone else."

"I _have_ been very reasonable, and I did _everything_ they asked of me," Arielle said, realizing all the work she'd done so far. "Without complaining too."

Navaz smiled.

"I should incorporate our traditions too." She looked to her father for approval. "Right?"

"If that's what you want."

* * *

Two days until the ceremony, and everyone was scrambling. Gabrielle walked briskly down the corridor towards Arielle's room. Several Persians passed her by, carrying clothing, silver platters filled with ornate glasses, and other essential items for weddings. Gabrielle couldn't remember a wedding so expansive as this one. Csaba and Farah's wedding was quite large and expensive compared to many others, but the Persians certainly had their own way of doing things. Or perhaps, this wedding was different because it was a royal wedding and unlike others.

Either way, Gabrielle was curious to see how this was all going to play out. For now, she was more focused on Arielle's well being. Ever since the rest of the family arrived a couple of days ago, Arielle became a recluse. She didn't know how Arielle was coping with all of this. Not to mention she could only have minimal contact with Xerxes until after the ceremony was complete.

She let herself into the Khagana's bedroom and was stunned to see Arielle wearing a traditional Hun wedding dress. It was definitely not the ornate black and gold dress that Nousha and several others spent hours sewing.

"Um, Arielle, what is going on?"

Gabrielle came forward, inspecting the pieces of fabric scattered across the floor. Ku was busy pinning several parts of the gown while Arielle stood in front of a mirror with her arms held outward.

Arielle smiled, turning around slowly. "I'm incorporating some of _my_ culture."

"But…what…what about the dress Nousha made? Aren't you supposed to wear that one?"

"I thought about it and…I'm not a Persian. I shouldn't have to wear a Persian wedding dress," she said proudly, while Gabrielle's mouth was agape.

This wasn't going to bode well for anybody, Gabrielle foresaw. It was clear that Arielle had decided this in the spur of the moment. There were going to be some outraged women up ahead, although the shouting would probably be from Xerxes' side of the family.

Calmly, Gabrielle asked, "and what made you decide to do this _two_ days before the ceremony?"

"I think my input matters, and I should be allowed to celebrate my culture and traditions too. I've done everything Sambice asked of me. I think I should be permitted to wear my own dress, don't you think?"

Gabrielle gnawed on her lip. "it is _your_ wedding after all…"

"See! My father said the same exact thing!"

Somehow, Gabrielle didn't think that Navaz knew his daughter was going to take him so literally. He was going to be blamed for this indefinitely. Before, Gabrielle was anxious to see this ceremony, but now, she wanted to run and hide. The Persian monarchs were going to throw massive tantrums over this enormous change in their structured plans.

* * *

Xena leered outside the doorway that led into the women's quarters. She had her eyes fixated on Sambice, who was ordering people around to decorate the room accordingly. Xena chewed on her nail, thinking of her next move. The conversation she had with Navaz earlier this morning was not something she expected.

She assumed that Ana was oblivious to the threats Sambice inflicted upon on Arielle. So far, Xena was patient with the overbearing women crowding Pannonia, but she wasn't going to allow Sambice to walk over anyone. She didn't care if the woman was a queen or wife of the Shah.

Since Navaz was so preoccupied with other affairs after his brief talk with Xena, he could not catch her before she stormed off. He was too busy dealing with Anastasia's worries and concerns for the last few hours. Once he was able to calm his irrational wife, he searched the Adame for the wanted woman.

He finally found Xena standing outside the women's quarters. She was contemplating and brewing a plan. He saw it in her eyes.

"Xena!" he flagged her down. "Xena, don't go in there. Don't approach Sambice."

She spun around, spitting her nail on the ground. "Why ever not?" she growled. "She can't talk like that to Arielle! She's your _daughter_, Navaz!"

"I know," he breathed deeply, "but I told Arielle that _she_ needs to be the one who confronts Sambice."

"The hell she will," Xena marched into the room.

Navaz grunted, knowing that he couldn't enter the room without permission. He smacked a hand to his forehead, his heart rapidly beating in his chest. He could just see it now; two women ensued in a massive argument echoing throughout the home. This wasn't going to go well, he thought.

"Shahbanu!"

Sambice turned at the abrupt and lurid voice calling her. She smiled, stepping away from interrogating her servants.

"Khanum, I hope you won't take up too much of my time. I'm quite busy, as you can see."

Xena glanced at the servants. "I need to have a word with you."

"I'm all ears," she laced her fingers in front of her body, clearly impatient.

"Alone, without any prying ears."

"Whatever you say can be said around my maids."

Xena smiled, "oh, I don't think they would want to hear _this_," she said lowly, almost hostile.

Sambice's eyebrows wrinkled, and she walked off to the side with Xena trailing behind her. She glanced over her shoulder and then came to a small room adjoining the quarters. Spinning around, her eyes widened when Xena closed the door, locking it. Suddenly, she felt very nervous being in a space with a heavily armed woman. Her eyes instantly went to the sword attached to Xena's hip.

"If…you harm me, there will be consequences."

"I'm not going to hurt you, even though I probably _should_," said Xena in a calm tone. "I've been told that you threatened Arielle, and don't even try to deny it."

Sambice arched her eyebrow, now mute to the subject.

"If I ever find out that you've threatened Arielle again, I promise you that I won't be very _nice_ in my delivery next time." Xena rested a hand on her sword hilt. "Are we clear?"

Sambice lifted her chin, acknowledging the apparent threat. She let a smile slip, trying not to express any unease or fear.

"Very good," Xena grinned, unlocking the door. "You're free to go back to your decorating."

The Persian hesitated for a moment, then walked by Xena, never breaking eye contact while entering the main room.

* * *

Preparing for this special day was the equivalent of walking on hot coals. Now that it was finally here, Arielle wanted to be done and over with it. She had her entire family with her on her wedding day, and she regretted pushing them away when she was younger. She could've celebrated her first wedding with her family, but that ended so disastrously.

She had her sister, mother, grandmother, and several other important women with her today. Her stomach was in knots as the hours flew by. Impatiently, Arielle sat in front of a mirror while her mother and Ku were busy finalizing the small touches to her wardrobe.

As her lips were painted, she stared at the women in the reflection of the mirror. They were all so calm. She envied them at this very moment and wished she could be just as calm as they were.

Cera came around with a big smile, signing, "_you look gorgeous_."

Arielle tried to smile and muttered, "thank you, Cera."

"Don't move your mouth!" Ku reprimanded, and Arielle rolled her eyes, trying to be still. "Great, now I'm going to have to start over."

Gabrielle sat on the bed, watching the women interact. She smiled as Xena took a seat beside her. Leaning in, she whispered, "I heard you gave Sambice a talking to."

"Let's hope she keeps herself in line."

"You didn't use any weapons, right?"

Xena scoffed, "I think you know me better than that, Gabrielle."

"I do, and that's why I'm asking," she tapped her wife's sword.

"Words only," Xena said, raising two fingers. She received a doubtful stare at that. "I promise."

"Hmm." Gabrielle grinned. "Does Anastasia know about the one-on-one Sambice had with Arielle?"

"What she doesn't know won't hurt her," Xena cheekily smiled.

Entering the room, Nousha gasped, causing everyone to fall silent and turn her way. She marched over to her son's soon to be wife, grimacing at the gown that was most certainly _not_ the gown that she had made for Arielle.

"What in god's name are you wearing?" she said aghast. "This is not the gown I made! You can't wear _that_!"

Anastasia protectively gripped her daughter's shoulders. "She's wearing it."

"She is not! Where is the gown I made?" Nousha waved her hand to the maids to search for the dress. "Change out of that thing this instant."

Xena rose from the bed, and Arielle saw her approaching. Arielle stood from the chair, holding up a hand, and Xena stepped backward only by the grace of Gabrielle's hand guiding her. Arielle frowned, towering over her future mother-in-law. Nousha had no intention of backing down and instead challenged her by folding her arms defensively.

"Xerxes said I should incorporate my traditions too. I want to wear this dress, and you can't make me take it off."

Nousha's eyebrows lifted. "Is that so?"

"Yes. It's _my_ wedding. I've completed all of your rituals and abided by all of your rules." Arielle took Nousha's hand. "I want to do this for _me_, and I'm not asking for permission."

Nousha looked around the room, clearly outnumbered by all the Hun women. She sighed, making peace with the fact she wasn't going to be able to win this fight.

"I shall wait for you outside then. I will tell everybody you're almost ready," Nousha said finally, which rendered a smile from her new daughter-in-law.

Aurora rushed into the room, clad in the Persian dress. Her jaw dropped. "Wow, mother, you look so nice!" she complimented, then grabbed Nousha's hand. "Are you ready to go?" she beamed, clinging very close.

Xena nudged Gabrielle, who was chuckling at the discomfort radiating off of Nousha's face. If it wasn't painfully obvious, Aurora visibly adopted Nousha as her other grandmother. Nousha didn't sign up for such a duty with high responsibility.

"Looks like you're her biggest fan now, Nousha," said Xena, winking.

Nousha frowned, then peered down at the light-eyed princess. Choosing not to make a scene, she sauntered to the exit with Aurora swinging her arm back and forth, chatting away.

Xena shook her head, almost feeling sorry for the woman. "You trust Nousha with your daughter?" she asked Arielle.

"She hasn't done anything to make me not trust her. Why do you ask? What have you heard? Has she done something that I'm not aware of?"

Anastasia grumbled, turning to her mother. "You're not helping."

Xena lifted her hands. "I'll shut up then."

* * *

In front of the entire clan and every citizen of Pannonia, Xerxes stood outside, waiting patiently for Arielle and her family. He didn't know why he felt so nervous about going through with this. If this wedding was conducted in Persia, there wouldn't be this many people watching him. As he waited, he kept his eye on Sambice, who stood beside Esther and the priest. He tried not to allow Sambice's presence to bother him.

To keep his hands occupied, he ran his fingers through his long straight hair. As his eyes danced around, staring at all of the hundreds of Hun people staring at him, he saw a few young girls who were giggling. He anxiously smiled at them, and they whispered to each other. He was used to the attention of young girls and women back in Persia. Apparently, that was a pattern everywhere he went.

He felt a tap on his shoulder, and he turned to his mother and Aurora. He grinned at the princess and kissed his mother's cheeks.

"Where's Arielle?" he asked.

"She's almost ready," said Nousha.

Aurora interrupted, "my mom looks really pretty, Xerxes," she wriggled her eyebrows.

He cupped her cheek, "I'm sure she does."

"You're going to be very surprised when she makes her appearance," Nousha slyly hinted with mild bitterness detected in her tone.

Xerxes was unsure of what to think of that, but he didn't have much time to respond once the flutes sounded. He turned around, grinning at the sight of Arielle walking through the crowd. He now understood what his mother meant now. Arielle was definitely not wearing the traditional Persian wedding dress.

When the Persians took their seats on the ornate rugs, the Hun people looked at each other, confused by the unfamiliar, and instead remained standing. Many of the women waved their hands at Arielle, to which she smiled, nodding her head.

Arielle came to face Xerxes, feeling her face radiate. She didn't like all of this attention on her. Although she was able to slip a malicious grin towards Sambice across the way. The woman was seething beneath that opaque veil of hers.

Mindful of the various traditions she had to adhere to, she waited until a partition was put up between them. She nervously tapped her fingers on her thighs and took a seat, copying Xerxes. She could see his face through the mesh partition. She tried her best to keep focus and listen to the priest talk loudly, orating the entire speech to everybody. Though it sounded muffled to her, nor could she understand a word the man was saying.

As the priest took a brief pause, several items were brought to the bride. The only thing Arielle was focused on was Xerxes, though she tried to keep herself from laughing at the bemused expressions of her people as the odd items were set on the grass. The items consisted of an egg, oval-shaped yellow fruit, which Arielle found were called '_anba_,' a bowl of water, and a bowl of cleaned rice.

Observing nearby, Xena watched a rather strange ritual of the priest holding the egg over Xerxes's head. She rubbed her chin pensively, trying to make sense of these odd Persian traditions.

"What is that supposed to do?" she whispered to Gabrielle, who shrugged her shoulders.

Nousha pursed her mouth, then leaned in. "It's supposed to rid the groom of any evil," she whispered.

Xena raised her eyebrows, nodding her head. Somehow, she didn't think an egg would get rid of any lurking evil intent, as the very said 'evil' was sitting across from her. And that evil was, in fact, Shahbanu Sambice.

After the egg was cracked into a bowl, water was thrown onto the grass to complete the ritual. The priest lifted the partition between the two, and Arielle smiled, holding out her hand eagerly. Xerxes tried not to laugh, and he slipped a ring on her finger, and she slipped the ring on his finger shortly after.

The priest finished the ceremony by asking the witnesses around to agree to the marriage. Both Sambice and Nousha nodded their heads in silence, permitting the union. Finally, Xerxes leaned in to kiss Arielle, and a finger was pressed against his lips.

"Wait," she said aloud, alarming everybody. "I want to incorporate some of my traditions too."

Xerxes glanced around. "Alright…"

Distracted by the ceremony's oddity, Anastasia was busy talking to Navaz, and she received a slap to her arm. She snarled, turning to her mother.

"You are needed, _Khatun_," Xena teased.

Anastasia sprung to her feet, grabbing her sword, hurrying over to her daughter and Xerxes. She presented the blade and held it over both of their heads. She said a silent prayer barely above a whisper, and Arielle took Xerxes's hands in hers, barely able to contain herself.

He chuckled softly, seeing the anticipation in her eyes. He waited impatiently for the incantation to finish, then Anastasia lowered the sword. He stared oddly at her as if she was waiting for something to happen.

Arielle leaned in and whispered, "you're supposed to kiss her hand."

"Oh," his cheeks flushed, and he pecked Anastasia's hand gently.

After the ritual was finally complete, Arielle kicked the bowl of rice over, then leaped forward. She wrapped her arms around Xerxes, pressing her body against his, and crashed her lips against his. Nearly falling backward, Xerxes held her body in his arms, smiling.

The Persians then threw an abundance of rice, and Xena gasped, covering her head. "Dear God!" she yelled while Gabrielle laughed. "What is this? Wasting perfectly good rice!"

* * *

Seated in a large circle, Gabrielle inspected the yellow fruit. She picked at the rough skin, fascinated by the strange fruit.

"What is this called again?" she asked Xerxes.

"_Anba_. Here, let me show you how to eat it."

He took the fruit from her hand and used a knife to peel the skin off. He cut a piece of the moist fruit for her, and Gabrielle sniffed it, handing it over to her wife to be the first to try it.

"What do I look like to you? A food taster?" asked Xena, narrowing in on the slippery fruit.

"Just eat it."

Xena rumbled, studying the fruit pinched in between her fingers. She peered over at Arielle, who was enjoying eating heaps of the yellow fruit.

"Why do I have to be the one to try it? Obviously, it tastes good since Arielle is eating it." She said, and Gabrielle raised an eyebrow. She sighed, slipping the fruit into her mouth. Chewing, her face displayed an array of expressions.

Gabrielle closed in on her wife and asked, "well? How is it?"

"_Slimy_…"

Gabrielle hummed, then asked Xerxes, "is there a meaning behind this fruit?"

"It's supposed to symbolize fertility," he said.

Arielle paused with a mouthful of the fruit. She swallowed, so not to be rude and glared at her now-husband. "You didn't tell me that."

"I thought my mother would've told you."

* * *

Throughout the day, Nousha paid several visits to women's circles, who gave her many congratulatory praises. She didn't think to mingle with the Hun women, and none approached her either. After speaking with a group of women, she excused herself and walked towards the Adame to grab a few gifts that she was obligated to give the women in Arielle's family.

"Nousha."

She halted at Sambice's voice. Inhaling deeply, she turned around and bowed her head. "Shahbanu…"

Sambice sauntered forward, gripping the concubine's arm firmer than expected. She ushered Nousha off to the side, away from the scattered circles of women.

"I just want to reiterate that I will be staying here for quite some time," she whispered, listening to Nousha's breathing quicken. "Once that Hun woman gives birth to an heir, I will take it to Persia with me."

Nousha swallowed the lump in her throat. "You would take my son's…child from him?"

Sambice smiled beneath the veil, crinkling her eyes. "I can't have Hun blood tainting the Sassanian line. I thought _you_ of all people would be on _my_ side."

There was an imminent threat hidden in the queen's words, which irked Nousha. She didn't really like that her son went ahead and married Arielle, but the Shah agreed to the union, and Nousha couldn't argue with him. She had to swallow her pride and allow the marriage to take place. Though she didn't like the union, she didn't want an innocent life to perish at the hands of anybody, let alone Sambice's.

"But that is _my_ son's child," she combatted, scowling. "It will be a member of the dynasty. You can't harm any dynasty members, though you have _tried_," she smirked spitefully.

Sambice gripped the concubine's arm firmly, bringing her close. "Any fruit that _woman's_ womb bears is a dishonor to the Sassanian Dynasty," she hissed.

Gabrielle caught the hostile engagement from afar as she was passing through the area. Frowning, she walked up towards the women, and Sambice released her hold.

"Is everything alright over here?" she asked.

Nousha adjusted her sleeve, rubbing her arm. "All fine, governor. I was just…going to the Adame to bring the gifts out."

Gabrielle nodded, noting the dilated eyes of the Shahbanu. "I'd be happy to help. I'll walk with you."

Nousha, eager to get away, rushed off, leaving Gabrielle alone. Sambice inclined her head and went on about her way, immediately finding someone to converse with. Gabrielle stayed behind for a moment, and as she backed away, her eyes remained on Sambice.

* * *

News traveled quickly after the infamous Persian-Hun union. It spread by ear, making it's way across seas to the former Roman Empire, then into Emperor Justinian's ear, just across the Black Sea in the holy city.

Standing on the balcony, Justinian curled his fingers, glaring out at the open busy port city. He looked over his shoulder when his wife came to join him. Theodora folded her arms, releasing a hot huff of air. She glanced over at her very irritated husband.

"You've been dormant too long in Hunnic land, Justinian," she said. "You could've told Mezamir and Kubrat to attack months ago."

"They did."

"And look what happened? The _Khagana_," she mocked, "killed both Alduin and Aleksander. They are poor military leaders. I am quite surprised to see that Hun child lead an entire empire at her age," she said with a snort.

Justinian growled, turning to his amused wife. "Why are you so surprised? Xena is the one who trained her. She is an excellent military leader!"

"I sense much hostility from you," Theodora teased. "Although I can see why you're so miffed. Xena has overstayed her time spent on this earth."

"She's a plague."

Theodora snickered. "The Huns seem to be immune to diseases, yet here our people are dropping like flies."

"Do not remind me," he grunted, running a hand over his face. "Now that the Huns are intertwined with the Persians, I no longer have a foot in the Sassanian Empire."

"Just because Arielle is married to Prince Xerxes, doesn't mean the two empires are intertwined. They are separate entities."

Justinian side-eyed his wife, scratching his chin. "I see where you're coming from, and I think I will go ahead with my plan. Have a letter written to Rodelinda. She will lead my army to Persia."

"Are you sure that is wise?"

He raised his palms. "I am dividing the effort, dear wife. Neither Xena, Arielle or Xerxes, can be in five different places at once."

Theodora sighed, rolling her eyes. She gave up trying to argue with the emperor as it was pointless as of now. He was so focused on wiping out the Hun people that he would do anything he could to meet his end goal. This also included investing in a massive campaign, dwindling the treasury's funds down to nothing, all while his people were dying of a ravaging plague.

"The clan isn't as small as it used to be, Justinian. You forget the Huns have several leaders now. There are still two sons of Attila who are alive."

"But none are Xena," he pointed out, winking at his wife.

"Yet she has trained all of the family members, no doubt. I wouldn't bet all your money on Xena, Justinian. Last I heard from Khan Kubrat, she doesn't even go onto the battlefield anymore."

"Ah, even better. She won't be there to guide the army. _Surely_, they will lose."

* * *

Everyone was given a heavy dose of reality when the campaign planning began increasing in depth. Held up in a meeting for the third time in a month, Xena went over several documents with Gabrielle regarding military spending. Xena felt grateful that she didn't have to write the records and only sign them instead.

Anastasia sat at the table with Arielle, talking about military spending. Meanwhile, both Gabrielle and Farah were recording two conversations going at the same time. Farah scribbled down several workable numbers, calculating as fast as her hand was able to catch up to her mind.

Xena squinted, reading a very lengthy document and presented it to the women around the table. "What is this?" she asked, and the room fell silent.

"What is what?" asked Farah.

"This decree that we owe the Sassanians a dowry."

"_What_?" Arielle said, ripping the decree out of Xena's hand. "I didn't agree to this. I don't need to pay a dowry. I am the ruler of the empire."

Xena sighed, sitting back in the chair, drumming her fingers on the table.

"100,000 dinari!" Arielle shouted.

Farah groaned, clapping a hand over her eyes. "We're going to be indebted to the Persians for a lifetime. No thanks to _you_!" she pointed to Arielle.

"This is just a misunderstanding. I can fix this." Arielle stood, waving the decree. "I _will_ fix this. Where is Sambice? I know this is her doing."

Gabrielle lifted her head out of her journal. "I think I can speak for everyone when I say, we're all avoiding her. Best of luck to you, Arielle," she said with a smile.

After Arielle exited the conference room, Xena sighed and smiled at all the surrounding women. She laced her fingers together, eyeing the mass amount of paperwork spread across the table. Her eyes hurt from reading all day long, and she was far more interested in the act of the campaign itself instead of organizing it.

"Shall we continue then?" she asked everyone, and they all nodded. "Great. Anyway, we should decide who is going to be stationed where. I think Ernak and Eksama should remain here in the heartland."

Gabrielle ran to grab the map and spread it across the table, pinning the corners down. She jotted down some notes and placed markers in the heart of Pannonia. She turned to Xena, waiting for further instruction.

Ana straightened her posture, placing her fingers on the map, widening her eyes, attempting to read the map. "Ebnedzar and Oran are in Armenia, guarding the borders. I think Navaz should go back and help them."

Xena flicked her hand. "No. I want Navaz to go with Xerxes to east along the borders of Assyria and Persia."

"Why that location?"

"Because Justinian has soldiers in Assyria. Didn't you see Arielle's report?"

Anastasia raised an eyebrow. "I can't _read_."

Xena's cheeks chalked. "I'm sorry, _tatli_ _kiz_," she rested a hand on her daughter's arm. "But I have good news. I want _you_ to help me with the campaign. You've always been very good at meditating with politicians. A skill that I never I obtained…"

"You mean, I don't have to be a glorified babysitter this time?" Ana snapped, crossing her arms.

Gabrielle rubbed her lips together, sensing tension rising. "You don't give yourself enough credit, Anastasia. You did an outstanding job protecting Farah and the boys. Your time is valuable to us –to everyone."

"Gabrielle's right. You are very much wanted here, and I want your help."

Anastasia thought it over for a few moments then relented, almost amused by her mother's pleading voice. She grinned and stood, leering over the map. While she agreed with Ernak staying in Pannonia with Eksama, she wasn't sure if sending Navaz with Xerxes was the best plan. She also didn't want to tear Csaba away from his family again, especially with his newborn daughter here.

"I want Csaba to stay here and help Ernak and Eksama if needed."

Xena looked to Farah, who was very worried and fear-stricken. "Fine. He can stay, but I might need him to guard the border. I'd like to ask Cera to draw a mock battle plan for me."

Ana gaped. "Are you just going to employ _all_ of my children in this war effort?"

"It's what they're here for, isn't it?" she teased and received a swift kick to her shin under the table. She shot Gabrielle a wicked glare.

* * *

Searching all over the Adame, she finally found Sambice in the bedroom on the second floor. She entered the room without permission and marched over to the Persian. She presented the document, and Sambice smirked.

Brushing her long dark hair, Sambice looked up to the furious Khagana. "Something you wanted to talk about?"

"Yes. This dowry," Arielle slammed the document onto the vanity set. "I'm not a concubine, nor am I a common woman. I am not paying a dowry to your family. You forget that my status is equal to yours."

Sambice set the brush down, rose from the stool, glaring into Arielle's eyes. She was about to retort with a nasty comeback until she remembered the conversation she had with Xena not too long ago. Simply, she forced a smile, brushing a strand of Arielle's hair over her shoulder.

"You're right. I seem to forget that you are a queen yourself."

"_Empress_."

"Of course," Sambice clenched her jaw. "I will renege the dowry contract."

Arielle's mouth parted, shocked by the willingness, but she tried to keep focus.

"Good. Thank you."

Sambice smiled, sitting back onto the stool, and began brushing her hair once more. "You seem to have a strong bond with your family. They will _protect_ you at all costs."

"You are also my family now, Sambice." She quickly reminded. "We're having dinner altogether tonight. You should join us."

* * *

That evening, Nousha crept into the busy kitchen. Over a dozen people were preparing a mass amount of food to be served tonight. She walked around the tables, observing two young women rolling out doughs until it was paper-thin. On a smaller table, one of the maids was cutting _anba_ into several cubes.

Nousha smiled, catching a few glances sent her way. Her presence was almost non-existent as everyone was so preoccupied with cutting, chopping, rolling out doughs, baking bread, and searing meat.

Ku-Ilm entered the kitchen from a separate room, carrying a large silver tray over her head. She paused once she saw the small Persian woman standing in the center of the room.

"Banu Nousha," she greeted nervously.

Walking around another large table, three women were rolling small portions of meat into tiny dough bowls and arranging them onto a round baking tray. Nousha raised an eyebrow, pointing to the dumpling-like food.

"What's this?"

Ku set down the tray and hurried over. "That's Arielle's favorite food. She requested it."

"What's it called?"

"Manti," Ku answered softly, rubbing the back of her neck. "Everyone really loves that fruit," she pointed to the bowls of _anba_.

Nousha grinned. "I'm glad. It's a staple in Persia. I asked for a few _anba_ trees to be planted outside the Adame. I hope nobody minds."

"Not at all."

"Is there any way I could help?"

Ku refused any offer to help by shaking her head. "Oh, no. You don't need to help. You're not really allowed to. Arielle would chastise me if I let you assist."

Nousha glanced around the kitchen. "I want to help. Let _me_ handle Arielle. I will brave the consequences."

Ku sighed, looking for something that would appease Nousha for the time being. She didn't want to cause any needless trouble, but she also didn't want to argue with Arielle's mother-in-law either. Nousha had been on her best behavior as of late, which Ku thought was very strange.

"Well, I suppose you could take a tray of wine to everybody. Arielle requested pomegranate wine. I hope that's alright with you."

Nousha nodded and then was lead to the tray of empty glasses. She was handed the corked bottle of wine and instructed to pour an equal amount in each glass. Once Ku left the area to survey the rest of the kitchen staff, Nousha ensured that nobody watched.

She slipped a vial out from beneath her bodice and flipped the lid open. She poured the contents inside the vial into one of glasses, then drowned it with the wine to quell the bitter taste. Sticking the empty vial between her breasts, she filled the remainder of the glasses, and Ku came to inspect the tray.

Nousha smiled, and Ku nodded, returning the smile.

* * *

Seated on the floor in a large circle, bowls of dessert were placed around everybody to pick at before dinner. Gabrielle kept eating several pieces of _lokum_, coaxing her spouse to join her. Xena kindly refused and watched as Gabrielle ate not two pieces but six in a row.

"You really shouldn't eat so many sweets, you know."

Gabrielle licked her powdery fingers. "It's not going to kill me."

Xena raised her eyebrows. "You always do this. You're going to make yourself sick."

"I'll be fine."

"Uh-huh."

Rounding a corner, Nousha walked in carrying the heavy tray of wine glasses. She set it down in between Gabrielle and Arielle. She picked up a glass and immediately set it in front of Arielle.

"Oh…" Arielle glanced up at Nousha. "Thank you…"

Nousha intently watched as the wine was sipped slowly. She stood and handed the rest of the wine glasses to everybody in the circle. She flinched at Arielle slightly coughing, fearful that someone might suspect something wrong, but to her luck, nobody took notice. With relief, she continued to hand out the wine glasses and spun around, gasping at Sambice.

"Evening, Nousha. My, you have become quite the _host_," said Sambice, her smile hidden under the veil.

"As you said, I've always been an excellent host, Shahbanu. Wine?" Nousha lifted a glass off the tray.

**Well, now that the wedding is out of the way, we can get to the war and other Persian shenanigans lol.**

**Anba – mango**


	56. Chapter 56

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shahbanu Sambice is always one step ahead of everyone else. Her target focus is Arielle, and even from afar, she believes she can succeed in her plan. She gives Xena and Gabrielle the runaround by planting seeds of doubt throughout the clan. All clues point to Nousha, who claims her innocence while living in Sambice's shadow.

**Thanks for following along, guys!**

Chapter 56 –_The Heir: Part I_

_Three Months Later_

Yadira exited the Khagana's bedroom after delivering a tray of breakfast. She held the vial full of a liquid serum in the meat of her palm and sighed. She uncorked the top, poured the serum into a plant vase near the bedroom, and then walked through the corridor to give her daily report to her superior, Nousha.

The maid knocked on the door twice, then entered. Nousha, getting dressed for the day, turned to Yadira and motioned for her to come forward. Nousha held out her palm, and the maid dropped the empty vial into her hand.

"Have you been giving Arielle this serum every day like I told you to?" she whispered.

Yadira nodded. "Yes, Banu."

"Very good." Nousha opened a drawer and tucked the empty vial into a silk pouch. "Now that Xerxes is gone on the expedition, you no longer have to give Arielle the serum."

She looked at the timid young maid and frowned, further adding, "has Arielle noticed anything different about her food or drink?"

"No…she suspects nothing."

"Did anyone see you?"

Yadira wagged her head, fidgeting with her dress and avoiding eye contact. To distract herself, she grabbed the linen basket and picked up the clothes sprawled on a chair, then dumped them into the basket.

"I will take this to the washroom."

Nousha waved her hand, not paying a smidge of attention to her maid. She sat down, donning the black beaded headdress on her head, and began pinning her hair back with multiple pins. She eyed Yadira exiting the room and flashed narrowed eyes.

* * *

Later than usual, Xena ordered a final meeting with everybody before the next departure for the campaign. Everybody was present except for Arielle. They waited for her for nearly half an hour until Xena became too impatient to keep waiting on the late Empress.

"Let's get started," she groaned, feeling a headache rising. "Arielle will leave in a few days to the Baltic Region where Mezamir lives."

Gabrielle took notes and added, "and then Xena and I will join her in a month or so."

Seated across from Anastasia was both the sibling team, Ernak, and Eksama. They seemed very disinterested in this meeting, and Ernak thought it useless for him to stay here since he would be stationed in Pannonia during this entire campaign.

Csaba, sitting next to his wife, spoke up, "why isn't Arielle here?"

"She's probably sleeping," said Farah.

"Still? She is the head ruler, yet she can't make time to get out of bed and join us." Csaba rolled his eyes.

Xena slammed her fist on the tabletop. "She will be debriefed later. I just want to focus on the plan here. If anybody interrupts…" she took a pause, "_don't_."

Everyone around the table zipped their lips, and Xena smiled.

"Fantastic. So, Navaz and Xerxes are already in Assyria, or almost there. Gabrielle is in charge of reports received until we leave to the Baltics to assist Arielle."

"And I will be working with Anastasia to write letters to Justinian and Shah Kavad," said Gabrielle.

Csaba scoffed, "what is the _point_ of writing to Justinian?"

"The point is we will give him one last chance to pull back."

"Well, we all know what he's going to say," he snorted.

Anastasia shot her son a glare. "Csaba, keep your comments to yourself. We're going to write a peace negotiation and send it to him. It's our last chance to end this before it begins."

"Mother, he's going to throw that negotiation in the fireplace as soon as he receives it."

Xena groaned. "What did I say about _interrupting_?" she glared at Csaba, and he sighed, crossing his arms over his chest. "Now, we discuss battle plans. Where's that map that Cera drew?"

* * *

Rising much later than expected, Arielle sat up in bed with hooded eyes. She yawned, stretched her arms over her head, and scratched her scalp. She let out a long, audible yawn and heard a giggle from nearby.

"What's so funny?" she asked.

Ku rounded the bed, picking up the clothes on the floor. She couldn't help herself and kept giggling at Arielle's appearance. The wild curly mane was untamed and was in desperate need of brushing.

"You missed the morning meeting."

Arielle slapped her hands over her eyes. "Dammit, not again! Is my grandma mad? What did her face look like after the meeting?" she peeked through her fingers.

Ku made a disturbed face, contorting her lips. She hummed as she was picking up the mess scattered around the bed.

"Oh, great. She's angry with me. If I get ready now, I can still join her in the field for inspection."

She rolled out of bed, sauntered across the floor, stepping over her dirty clothes. She gasped at her reflection in the mirror, and her hands clutched onto her uncontrollable hair.

"I look terrible!" she yelped. "I can't go outside looking like this. My god. I don't have time to wash my hair."

Arielle stripped of her gown and hopped her way over to grab a fresh pair of pants. She slipped her legs through the pant-legs, turning around herself, grunting and cursing. Ku watched from afar, smiling at the amusing sight. Arielle struggled to pull the pants up and over her hips and let out a heavy exhale.

She pulled the pants closer together with great effort. Groaning, she took in a deep inhale, trying to bring the buttons to a close. After holding her breath for a couple of minutes, she huffed, then turned to Ku.

"Can you help me?" she said, embarrassed.

Ku waltzed over to assist. She grabbed the laces, tightening the waist of the pants, causing Arielle to yelp. Raising her eyebrow, she tried to pull the laces together, but from the looks of it, lacing the pants was nearly impossible just as much as buttoning them was.

"Suck it in."

Arielle put a hand over her stomach. "I _am_," she croaked, barely able to breathe.

Ku sighed. "These don't fit. You're going to have to wear something else."

"But…I don't have anything else. I am not going onto the field wearing a dress!" she swore. "Maybe I can borrow some of my mother's pants. Do you think she would let me?"

Ku arched an eyebrow. "She might think that's strange."

As Arielle wiggled out of the tight pair of pants, she reached for a tunic and slipped it over her head. She winced, pulling the unusually tight blouse over her breasts. The fabric clung to her like a second skin. She turned to Ku, hands on her hips, and blew a strand of hair off her nose.

"Either someone shrunk my clothes or…"

"Or you gained weight," said Ku with a big smile.

Arielle gasped and wrapped her arms over her midsection, feeling self-conscious. She looked into the mirror, smoothing her hands over her breasts and hips.

"Is it _that_ noticeable? I've been sticking to my exercise routine for weeks," she drummed her fingers on her hips, quirking her mouth sideways. "I did eat a lot last week."

Ku shrugged and sat down on a bench. "Maybe you should see a midwife."

Arielle widened her eyes. "Are you crazy? I am not doing that, and you know _why_ I'm not doing that?"

Ku smirked, keeping quiet.

"Because I'm not pregnant, that's why," Arielle turned her nose up, staring at her reflection, utterly dissatisfied with the way she looked.

She placed both hands over her stomach and frowned.

"I should see the midwife, shouldn't I?"

Ku chuckled and said, "I can tell her to come to your room after you're finished on the field."

Arielle nodded. "Make sure nobody sees you. Now…_what_ am I going to wear? My grandma is going to laugh in my face if I show up in a dress."

* * *

Early afternoon, once Nousha finished dressing and writing several letters to the Shah and other politicians back in Persia, she left her bedroom to once again try to mingle with everybody. Even though she had lived here for a few months, she felt like she walked on eggshells around the Hun clan.

Yadira, her trusted maid, waited for her to leave the room and head downstairs to the women's quarters. Yadira lurked on the second floor, watching Nousha round the corner. She quickly walked down the hall and came to Sambice's bedroom. She knocked, instantly filled with regret by coming here.

A maid opened the door, and Yadira slipped inside. Two maids were massaging oil into Sambice's hands and arms. The queen smiled and dismissed the two maids to disperse. She swiveled around and wagged her finger to Yadira.

Yadira lowered her gaze and slowly approached. Her heart rapidly hammered in her chest; the closer she got to the Shah's wife.

"You did what I asked of you, yes?" asked Sambice.

The young maiden bobbed her head, refusing to look into the dark eyes opposite her. The knots in her gut tightened. Yadira felt like she was given no choice but to abide by Sambice's orders.

"And Nousha is oblivious?"

"Yes, Shahbanu. She –she has no idea…"

Sambice turned and dipped her fingers into a container filled with perfumed lotion. As she lathered her arms and neck, she smirked at the girl's discomfort.

"Have you had a chance to check-in on Arielle? I know that Arab maid of hers doesn't allow anyone inside the room."

Yadira swallowed. "Not yet."

"If you can get close to her and report back to me, that would be appreciative." She rubbed her hands together, dousing her fingers with lotion again. "She's starting to look like a plump bird," she said softly.

Yadira held her head down.

"What will happen to me if Banu Nousha finds out I'm reporting to you?"

Sambice smiled and cupped the maid's cheek. "Don't worry about her. I will keep you safe."

* * *

Gabrielle opted to stay inside and work with Anastasia concerning the letter to Justinian. She was glad to be away from her wife for a little while. She loved Xena, but sometimes she felt overwhelmed whenever war was the main focus of their life. Everyone had several tasks to complete, and Xena was in charge of _everything_ for the campaign.

She wondered if Xena was taking on too much responsibility. The clan was a lot different now than it was thirty years ago. And Xena was no longer a commander but held two titles. The campaign's stress was already taking a toll on their relationship, but Gabrielle had to remind herself that this was temporary.

Aside from dealing with family affairs and the Persians, Gabrielle did enjoy her work, but so far, she felt drained. There was one advantage to having a room designated for women; no men were allowed aside from children.

She walked into the women's quarters and saw Pamira teaching Aurora some dance steps. She gathered it was a traditional Persian folk dance by the movements of the arms and feet. Off to the side, Cera played the _kamancheh_ for the impromptu dance lesson.

Gabrielle sat on the floor, watching the lesson. Her head turned when Nousha entered the room and head directly to the table filled with tea, juice, and an assortment of fruits. She kept a low profile, hiding from the Persian.

Aurora smiled and ran to the opposite side of the room. "Gabby! Pamira's teaching me a dance from Persia."

"Yeah, I saw that. It looks like a difficult dance."

"Sort of," the princess said casually. "Should I show Nousha?" she whispered.

Gabrielle rubbed her lips together. "If you want to…"

Aurora beamed. "Should I call her my grandma now because…she is my grandmother, isn't she?" she asked curiously.

Gabrielle had to stop herself from laughing out loud. "Ah, um, I don't think…" there was malice swimming within her. "Go ahead, Aurora."

"Grandma Nousha!" she yelled from afar.

Nousha tensed her shoulders and spun around to the princess, standing right behind her. With enlarged eyes, she kept gawking at Aurora's bright and shining face. That was the _last_ thing she ever wanted to be called. She took a glance around at everyone that heard _what_ came out of Aurora's mouth. They were just as shocked as she was.

"Pamira is teaching me the _basseri_ dance. You know it, right?"

Nousha slowly nodded. "Of course I do."

"Wanna help me practice?"

Nousha sighed, looking at Pamira and Cera, who were both snickering.

"Sure."

The princess grinned then grabbed Nousha's hand, leading her to the center of the room. "After this, I can teach you some of our dances too!"

* * *

Out on the field, Xena instructed all of the soldiers to run through positional drills, and so far, everything went well, except for a few younger soldiers who didn't want to participate. She walked through each row of soldiers, inspecting their hand positions, foot placement, and judged them on holding weapons.

On the fourth drill, she walked the front line, adjusting a few soldiers, giving them a few tips along the way. One soldier, on the far end, shouted as soon as Arielle walked out onto the field.

Xena spun around, folding her arms, evident irritation across her face. Arielle sheepishly smiled, waving her hand to the soldiers to stand up straight. For a moment, the irritation passed as Xena scanned her granddaughter's odd choice of clothing.

She rubbed her lips together, humming a soft laugh. Arielle finally joined her and stood with tinged pink cheeks, embarrassed of her current attire. She tucked her hair beneath the turban and adjusted the large belt around her waist.

"_What_…are you wearing?" asked Xena, barely containing her urge to cackle.

Clad in a black coat with a knee-length skirt, stockings, and fur boots, Arielle felt ridiculous right about now. This definitely wasn't the choice of clothes she preferred when she had to be out on the field. She took the turban from Xerxes' wardrobe, which didn't match _anything_ on her body.

"Ku is washing my clothes. This is all I had."

Xena nodded, chuckling softly. "Okay, then. What's with the turban?" she tried to pry the headdress off, and Arielle clapped her hands on the turban.

"My hair looks like a disaster. Can we just get on with this?" she grumbled.

Xena raised her palms defensively. "Alright, alright. We were running through drills. We should go through box formations next. You can be in charge of that since you _missed_ this morning's meeting."

"Not a problem…"

"Oh, and Arielle."

"Yeah?"

"I know you have a lot going on in your life right now, but I would _appreciate_ it if you show up to the meetings in the future. You're leaving in a few days, and you should've been there this morning."

Arielle forced a smile. "Yeah, no worries. Next time I'll definitely be there. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'll start with the formation drills."

Xena nodded, snickering at the outfit, then walked back to the Adame, shaking her head.

* * *

Sequestered in their room, Gabrielle brushed through her spouse's wet hair for several minutes. She hummed quietly to herself during the process. Despite Xena's loathing attitude towards her own hair, Gabrielle thought brushing it was very therapeutic for her more than it was for Xena.

"Remind me to pack my leather armor for the upcoming trip."

Gabrielle said, "already done."

Xena raised an eyebrow, "and the spaulders too?"

"The silver ones with the leather straps, right?"

"Those are the ones."

"I already packed those in your chest."

Xena picked at her nails as she checked off the items in her head. "What about my plated boots?"

"Xena! I packed everything already. One less thing for you to worry about," Gabrielle smiled, continuing to comb the long silvery-raven locks.

She gave a nonverbal sign of gratitude by patting Gabrielle's knee behind her. She sighed heavily, already bored of this long process of hair brushing. The image of Arielle's odd choice of clothes came to mind, and she snorted under her breath.

"What's so funny? I want in on it," said Gabrielle playfully.

"Did you see what Arielle was wearing today?" Xena sniffled, trying not to laugh. "She looked like she got dressed in the dark."

Gabrielle smirked. "I'm sure she had a good reason."

"She said Ku was doing laundry. Everybody knows that laundry day is Friday. Today is most definitely _not_ Friday," Xena raised a finger.

"Well, she is leaving in a couple of days. Maybe she packed all of her pants and leathers for the trip?"

Xena murmured something inaudible. "Yeah, that's it," she said, turning to Gabrielle with a mischievous grin. "I'm sorry. I've been so focused on this campaign that I forget about you. And I bet it doesn't help that I'm complaining about you brushing my hair."

"I'm used to it," Gabrielle said with a gentle shrug. "I know how you are when it comes to war. You want everything to be perfect. Not to mention you're a little bossy too."

"I am not bossy."

Gabrielle tapped her wife's shoulder with the brush's handle. "A little bit, I said—a little."

"Yeah, okay," Xena mumbled. "How's your shoulder? I know you said it's better, but I think you're _lying_ to me just so you don't have to go through more therapy," she wiggled her fingers.

"It still hurts sometimes, but I'll live." She ran her fingers through her wife's hair, satisfied with her work. "All finished. I have an itch to braid your hair."

"Back off, Gabrielle. I let you brush my hair. That is all you're doing."

Gabrielle huffed. "Fine. Oh, something happened today. You're going to love it."

Xena picked at the ends of her hair, then looked into her spouse's jade eyes. "What is it?"

"Aurora called Nousha 'grandma' today. I nearly died laughing! You should've seen her face! She looked so horrified!"

Xena's jaw dropped. "I'm sorry I wasn't there to witness that. I'm surprised that Aurora has taken a liking to Nousha."

"Are you jealous?"

"No! I'm just surprised, is all," Xena mumbled. "Have you heard anything from Sambice? She's been very quiet lately, which worries me."

"Always erring on the side of caution, aren't you?"

Xena pinched the blonde's thigh. "Nobody likes her, but enough about the Persians." She rose from the bed and grabbed her sword placed on the mantle. She turned with a wild smile.

"Uh, what are you doing?" Gabrielle asked nervously.

"I want to spar with you!" Xena grinned and saw the apprehension. "Come on, we never spar anymore. It'll be fun. Okay, I'll go easy this time to protect your _precious_ shoulder," she winked.

Gabrielle looked around the bedroom, turning around herself, then eyed her wife suspiciously. Scratching her head, she let out a large exhale. "You are aware we're in the _bedroom_, right?"

"There's plenty of room. Come on," she grabbed Gabrielle's hand, pulling her off the bed. "Please?"

"Well," the blonde wavered, "since you asked so _politely_," she relented with a dramatic roll of her eyes.

* * *

Once everyone was settled down for the evening, Ku brought in a midwife from the tribe, as there were many, but she chose a specific woman who did not have direct ties to anyone in the family. Ku waited in the bedroom, standing by the door just to make sure nobody was going to randomly stop by.

She heard a few whispers once the woman was finished examining Arielle. She opened the door, nodding to the midwife, paying her handsomely, then closed the door quickly. Ku darted to the bed, tapping her fingers together. She scanned Arielle's face, unsure how to read the facial expression or lack thereof.

"What did she say?"

Arielle looked up to her friend, half-smiling.

Ku's grin widened. "I knew it! You must be excited. I know I am excited. This won't be like last time. It's different. We should, I mean, _you_ should tell everybody tomorrow."

Arielle frowned, rising from the bed. She paced back and forth, chewing on her nail. Peering over at the mirror, she gawked at the side view of her body, focusing on her abdomen. She wanted to share Ku's excitement with her, and she was definitely more excited this time around, as opposed to when she carried her daughter. But there were a few obstacles in her way.

"I thought we were careful. Guess not," she mumbled. "I'm carrying a Sassanian," she whispered. "Ku, what am I going to do?" she shook the maid.

Ku smiled, "seems pretty simple to me. You have the baby, and all will be well. What are you so worried about? Your family is here with you."

Arielle turned about, wagging her finger. "No. I can't tell anybody about this. Not yet, anyway."

"Oh, no. We're not doing this again, Arielle. I can't live through this. You were so depressed last time. I can't do it. I _won't_."

"Shut up, Ku," Arielle spat. "I'll tell everybody, but not right now. I still want to go on this campaign. If I tell them, there is no way my grandmother will let me go because she'll say she is '_concerned_ _for_ _my_ _safety_,'" she mocked her grandmother's tone of voice, deepening her voice, causing Ku to chuckle.

"You're asking me to…lie?"

Arielle nodded.

"Dear God, no. I can't _lie_ to…to your grandmother, Arielle. I'll crack. What if she interrogates me? What if your mother corners me?"

"Will you stop? I need to send a letter to Xerxes. Do you think that's a wise choice? I don't want to distract him from the campaign in Assyria."

Ku smacked a hand to her forehead.

"How can you be so…so _calm_ about all of this?"

Arielle tapped her cheek. "I don't know. I just am," she smiled. "Don't worry, I'll take very good care of myself. I want to send a letter to Xerxes after I leave. Make sure you give it to one of his trusted horsemen."

* * *

_Two Weeks Later_

Keeping an eye on Ku-Ilm wasn't an easy feat by all means. Yadira had enough to worry about with Sambice breathing down her neck and tending to Nousha. A part of her wanted to come clean and tell Nousha everything that was going on, but she feared what might happen to her if she broke Sambice's trust. Either way, she was going to end up on the receiving end of an angry Persian woman.

Yadira followed Ku outside the Adame and hid behind a tree. Ku was handing off a letter to one of Xerxes' horsemen, and Yadira squinted, trying to listen in on the conversation. After Ku left and trailed back into the Adame, Yadira ran out from behind the tree.

She knew the soldier very well as she had seen him multiple times with Xerxes back in Persia. She waved her hand, grabbing the soldier's attention.

"Ormazd!" she called.

"Yadira, how are you? I hardly see you anymore. Is Banu Nousha keeping you busy?"

She nodded. "Heading out?" she pointed to the horse.

"I have to deliver a message."

"Ah," Yadira eyed the letter in his saddlebag. "Before you go, could you do _one_ thing for me?"

The soldier smiled, "anything for you."

She instructed him to lift a bucket from the water well, not too far from where they stood. Ormazd eyed her suspiciously but walked ahead to retrieve the water. Yadira's smile disappeared, and she backed up quickly, snatching the letter from the saddlebag, replacing it with a false message. She tucked the letter into her belt and smiled at Ormazd as he walked back with the bucket of water.

Yadira returned to the Adame after Ormazd left Pannonia. She left the bucket of water outside on the steps and hurried to Sambice's bedroom. She was lucky enough that everyone was busy with their own things, and Aurora kept Nousha preoccupied for the time being.

After she gave the letter to Sambice, she felt sick inside. So much could go wrong by doing this small task, which in reality wasn't small at all. This was going to blow up, and Sambice was in charge of orchestrating it all.

Sambice smiled when she finished reading the letter. She walked over to the fireplace and tossed the parchment into the fire, watching it crinkle, twist, and burn slowly. It would've been foolish to keep such a valuable item on her person at all times. Sambice then returned to her vanity and opened a drawer, pulling out the empty vial.

"Arielle is a smart girl for keeping the child a secret from her family." She wrapped her fingers around the bottle. "But she should've listened to me."

She spun around, staring at the paranoid maid.

"You've been a great help, Yadira."

* * *

In a somewhat irritated mood, Gabrielle trailed up the stairs towards her room. She just finished discussing the budget cuts and expenses needed for the remainder of the year with Farah. She didn't know why, but she always felt so drained when numbers were thrown at her. Farah was so good at her job, maybe a little too good.

That woman was so intelligent and quick with numbers that Gabrielle could hardly keep up. She was glad that she was the one who dealt with Farah daily. She didn't think Xena would be able to sit through a two-hour session talking about money and math.

When Gabrielle finally reached the last few steps, she crinkled her nose, watching Sambice make her way towards the bedroom. She thought it odd that Sambice would want to speak with Xena. Their last encounter wasn't amicable, and Sambice had no intention of being friendly towards anybody in the clan either.

It was a rare sight to see Sambice without her black veil shielding that conniving face of hers. Gabrielle sprinted across the top floor and slyly slipped herself between the doors and the Persian queen.

Sambice's lip quivered, and she hid the vial inside her bell-shaped sleeve. "Governor, good morning. I want to speak with Xena."

Gabrielle tried not to display suspicion. "She's busy with Anastasia. Maybe I can help?"

The Shahbanu's lips curled into a smile. "The Khatun is with Xena in this room?" she asked, and Gabrielle nodded silently. "Perfect. I would love to speak with the two of them together. It is _very_ important," she whispered.

"Is it urgent?"

"I would say so."

Gabrielle motioned for the queen to remain in the hallway while she slipped into the bedroom. She smiled softly, feeling a bit hesitant to interrupt the nice breakfast these two were sharing. Xena lifted her eyes, smiling and patting the empty spot beside her.

"Eat with us," Xena insisted.

"I'd love to, but you have a visitor."

Xena groaned. "If it's Aurora, tell her I'm busy. I don't want to play chess with her anymore."

Anastasia snorted, "afraid you'll lose to a seven-year-old _again_?"

Dipping a handful of bread into the egg yolk, she received a pinch from her mother. Grumbling as she chewed, she reached over, pinching her mother back.

Xena grinned at her daughter, then went back to her wife. "Oh, um, who is it?"

"It's Sambice."

"You've got to be kidding. I don't want to deal with witches this early in the morning," she threw the cloth napkin over her plate. "What does she want?"

"I don't know, but she said it's important. She wants to speak with _both_ of you."

Ana paused, chewing her food slowly, and sighed. "What do you think she wants?"

"I don't know, but I'm sure it has something to do with Arielle," mumbled Xena. "Send her in, Gabrielle. This better be good," she nudged her daughter's knee.

Moments later, Sambice entered, and both Xena and Anastasia put on warm, yet forced, smiles. Sambice inclined her head to the women, which they reciprocated the greeting.

"Good morning, Shahbanu," said Anastasia, putting on a façade. "Would you like to join us? We have plenty of food here," she gestured to the massive spread.

"No, thank you, Khatun. I don't want to take up too much of your time, but something has been brought to my attention, and I thought you ought to know."

Intensifying the tension in the room, Sambice presented the empty bottle hidden inside her sleeve. Gabrielle peered from behind, narrowing her eyes, examining the bottle. Sambice handed the vial over to Xena, who then inspected it further. Uncorking the top, Xena sniffed the remnants and crinkled her nose at the bitter stench.

She passed the bottle over to Anastasia to take a whiff of it.

"What is this?" asked Xena.

"I heard from a reliable source that Nousha has been poisoning Arielle," said Sambice. It took every ounce of her willpower not to smile when she saw the rage in Anastasia's eyes.

Xena's eyes flashed, glaring at the Persian. "But Arielle appears to be fine. What was the poison intended for?"

"What does it matter what its purpose is?" barked Ana. "I want Nousha arrested."

"Anastasia…"

"I will interrogate her myself."

Sambice fought the urge to react. "I'm very sorry. I just found out this morning, and I wanted to tell you both immediately."

Xena raised her eyebrow and splayed a comforting hand on her daughter's shoulder. "Thank you, Sambice. I'm sure the _truth_ will reveal itself soon."

She then gave Gabrielle a nonverbal single with a flick of two fingers. Gabrielle gave a curt head nod then vacated the bedroom, suspiciously eyeing Sambice from behind.

"And _how_ did you come by this information?" she asked Sambice.

* * *

Aurora sat with Nousha in the women's quarters, learning how to play a Persian boardgame. So far, Nousha had been very patient with the princess, though she was impressed by how fast the child learned a new game. It only took a couple of times for Aurora to grasp the game, and as they were on their fourth-round playing, Aurora slammed her wooden checker on the board.

"I win again!" she threw her arms in the air.

Nousha half-smiled. "Second time in a row. I'm impressed."

"Can we play again?"

"Aren't you tired of playing this game? Why don't you go play with that Hinukh boy? What was his name?"

"Kazem, and he's busy playing with Aman and Aladar," she rolled her eyes. "Well, we don't have to play this game. We can do something else!"

Nousha, paying no mind to the princess, had her eyes focused on the soldiers who marched into the room. All of the women inside turned their heads, slightly offended that men came inside unannounced. Nousha frowned and had an instinct to run once she realized the soldiers were coming straight for her.

The men halted, glaring at Nousha from above. "May I help you, _gentlemen_?" she asked, annoyed.

"We have orders to detain you, Banu Nousha. Come with us willingly, so we don't have to use force."

"Detain me?" she questioned. "For _what_!?" she barked. "I've done nothing."

The soldiers regretted their next move when they hoisted Nousha off the floor. She instantly put up a fight and kicked one of the soldiers in the shin. Cera, sitting from afar, widened her eyes. She set her daughter on the floor and ran towards the soldiers.

Cera stood in front of the men, blocking their path. She folded her arms, frowning at the soldiers who were desperately trying to hold Nousha, all while doing their best not to harm her.

"Princess, step aside."

She placed her hands on her hips, waiting for an explanation.

"We have orders from the Khatun, so please, stand aside." The soldier said, then along with his partner, forcefully dragged Nousha across the room.

Cera's mouth parted, and she stood off to the side, listening to Nousha spitting obscene phrases at the men. She always knew that her mother and Nousha never really saw eye-to-eye, but she never thought her mother would go as far as to arrest Nousha. Whatever Nousha did must've been horrible for her to be detained publicly.

Aurora ran to her aunt, grabbing her arm. "Grandma Khatun arrested her? But why?"

Cera shook her head unknowingly.

"You gotta do something, Teyze Cera!" Aurora cried.

Cera knew better than to step on her mother's toes. She had tried to intervene several times when it concerned Arielle, but she didn't want to get in between whatever was going on here. And even if she did intervene, she didn't think it would help all that much.

* * *

It wasn't difficult for Sambice to reveal her reliable source, and Yadira was brought into the conference room shortly afterward. She was told by the guards that she was going to be interrogated by Xena. She sat in a chair, twiddling her thumbs, waiting in the quiet room by herself. She jumped when the doors opened, and Xena walked in with Gabrielle.

Xena waved her hand, and the guards closed the doors. She walked over to the timid maid, set her sword down onto the table, and then pulled up a chair. Sitting down casually, she crossed one leg over her knee.

"I'm not going to harm you, but I want you to answer a few questions for me. Do you think you can do that?"

Yadira nodded.

"This will go very smoothly and be over quickly as long as you tell me the truth. Got it?"

"I understand…"

Xena briefly smiled. "Good. You're Nousha's chambermaid," she said, and Yadira bobbed her head. "You must be loyal to her, as most chambermaids are."

Gabrielle pulled out the bottle from her coat pocket and handed it over to Xena. The bottle was presented to the young maid, and they both instantaneously noticed a visible flinch in Yadira's dark eyes.

"Recognize this?" asked Xena, pointing to the bottle.

"Y—yes."

"Shahbanu Sambice says that you found this bottle while cleaning Nousha's room. Is that true?"

Yadira faltered for a moment. "Yes, that's true."

Xena pursed her mouth. "She accused Nousha of poisoning Arielle. That's a huge accusation. I'm not one to believe a story without hearing both sides. Anything you say in this room is safe between Gabrielle and me, so I want you to tell the truth."

She leaned forward, elbows on her knees, and Yadira's eyes grew immensely.

"Has Sambice threatened you in _any_ way?" Xena asked softly.

Sweat droplets formed on the maid's head, and she licked her lips. "No…no, she has not, Khanum."

"She didn't put you up to anything?"

Yadira shook her head vehemently.

"Hmm. Are you sure? You can tell me."

"I'm sure."

Xena nodded, rubbing her chin. "So, how do you _know_ that Nousha has been poisoning Arielle? Just because you found an empty bottle in her belongings doesn't mean she's poisoning Arielle."

Yadira avoided eye contact with the two and spoke softly, "I…I heard her talking to a maid. She…she's been giving the Khagana that every day."

"I see," Xena looked up to Gabrielle. "You may go now, Yadira. Thank you for your help."

The young maid scurried out of the room without uttering another word. Gabrielle leaned back to check if the doors were closed, and then she took a seat in the chair that Yadira sat in previously. She leaned forward, studying her wife's pensive expression.

"Well? What do you think?"

"She's lying. Sambice has that poor girl scared for her life."

Gabrielle sat back, folding her arms. "I thought so. Do you think Sambice is lying? That's a pretty dumb thing to lie about. She would know that we aren't stupid enough to believe a lie. Sambice could be the one poisoning Arielle, but…"

"_But_, Arielle is fine, from what we can see." Xena sighed, rising from the chair, grabbing her sword. "Only one way to find out. I need to interrogate Nousha before Anastasia does. She will kill Nousha, and then we'll _really_ be in trouble."

In the nick of time, they arrived at the chamber where Nousha was kept in the back of the Adame. There, Anastasia was ready to enter the room before Xena ran forward, snatching her daughter's wrist, pulling her aside.

"Let go, mother! I want to interrogate her."

"I'm going to do it," said Xena calmly. "You are not of sound mind, Anastasia."

"Who do _you_ think you are to say I am not of 'sound mind'?" she snatched her hand away and attempted to enter the room.

Xena grabbed onto the door's handle and then saw Anastasia ready to push her away. She grabbed her daughter by the shoulders and gently rammed her into the wall.

"You know _better_ than to raise a hand to me, Anastasia. Let me do all the talking. We'll get to the bottom of this."

Ana snarled. "She is poisoning my daughter! What more proof do you need?"

Gabrielle interjected, "do you believe what Sambice said to be true? She hates Nousha. She could've set her up."

"Why on earth would she do that? If she is lying, then everything would fall back on her."

Gabrielle shrugged. "That's why your mother wants to interrogate Nousha. I'll stay outside here with you," she extended her hand, and Ana frowned.

Finally, she relented and grabbed hold of Gabrielle's hand, stepping aside to allow her mother. She turned back, glaring at the door, and Xena adjusted her headdress, smiling at the two, then disappeared into the room.

* * *

Nousha paced back and forth, tapping her fingertips, then halted as soon as Xena walked in. She marched up to her, breathing heavily.

"You let me out of this room right now!"

Xena's eyebrows rose. "I can't do that just yet. You're lucky that I'm here and not Anastasia."

"Your insane daughter put me in here, and I'd like to know why. I have done nothing! I _demand_ to be released!"

Xena fought the urge to roll her eyes. "Simmer down, Nousha. If you answer my questions, then I will release you. Don't make this harder than it needs to be."

She walked over, gesturing the smoldering petite woman to sit down. Nousha groaned and sat down, attempting to stop herself from fidgeting. She kept eyeing the door, hoping this confinement would end soon. She glared at Xena, who sat opposite her, and watched a hand slip inside the vest and present the empty bottle.

Nousha's face turned white, and her throat went numb. The bottle was placed on a table, and Xena tapped her fingers on the table.

"Sambice has made a _very_ serious accusation against you."

Nousha scoffed. "I am _not_ surprised."

"She said this bottle belongs to you. Is that true?"

"Yes, it's mine."

Xena frowned. "And she said that you've been poisoning Arielle. Is that true?"

"I…I have not."

"Don't lie to me, Nousha."

The Persian stood and slammed her fist on the table. "I did not poison her!"

"But have you given something to her in this bottle? It was found in your belongings."

"Yes, I did give that to Arielle."

Xena's eyes enlarged. She didn't expect the truth to be revealed so soon, which only meant that Sambice was telling the truth, but she was still suspicious. If Nousha was poisoning Arielle for who knows how long, why would she admit it so outright?

"So…you don't deny it. You were poisoning Arielle," she said to confirm.

Nousha slapped a hand to her forehead and sat back down. "I already told you I didn't poison her."

"Then _what_ have you been giving her?!" Xena sprung from the chair, towering over the small woman.

"Do I look like an idiot to you? Do you really think I would poison my son's wife?"

"You've made it known that you don't like my daughter or Arielle."

Nousha smirked. "That is true, but I am not foolish. I wouldn't poison her. On the contrary, I was trying to _protect_ Arielle."

"Protect her?" Xena lowered herself to the chair. "What do you mean?"

Nearly an hour passed, and Anastasia was about to go inside the room herself. She jumped up off the bench as soon as her mother exited the chamber. She ran forward, itching to enter the room until Xena locked the door and hid the key in her bodice.

"Well? Did she do it? Did she poison her? What happened?" Ana asked.

"She didn't do anything."

"You're just going to take her word for it? She doesn't like Arielle or me!"

"_Anastasia_!" she growled, and Ana flinched. "I am well aware of your hatred for Nousha, but I believe her. Gabrielle, come with me."

Gabrielle slipped away, following her wife down the hallway, leaving Ana alone.

"You're not going to tell me what's going on?!" Ana yelled. "Mother!"

* * *

_Baltic Region_

Once the last of the leading soldiers left the large tent, Arielle relaxed on the dais. She fanned her flushed face and took the Kozak off, tossing it aside. She grabbed a handful of her long hair and wiped the sweat off the nape of her neck. Groaning, she rolled her shoulders back and rubbed her aching side. She didn't think this would be so tiring to sit for hours.

She wanted nothing more than to lay down and go to sleep, but she couldn't just yet. Even though this area was a lot cooler than Pannonia, she was drenched in sweat. Just as Arielle was getting comfortable and ready to take her boots off, another soldier entered her tent.

With a harsh frown, she drew her coat to a close to conceal her abdomen. "What is it now?"

"I have sent a letter to Khagan Bayan, informing him of your arrival."

She almost forgot about Bayan. "Right," she waved her hand, "how long until he receives the message?"

"About three days, Khagana."

Arielle nodded and dismissed the soldier. She unfolded her legs and let out a heavy sigh. Standing from the dais, she walked over to the window, peering out the mesh panel. Humming softly, she kept an eye on all of the soldiers who walked the grounds. There were several guards stationed outside of her tent. She made sure that this area was heavily guarded, especially since she was in Mezamir's territory.

She stripped herself of her coat, releasing a breath of relief as a cool breeze hit her skin. She slipped the tunic over her head and changed into a long-sleeve black gown. Dousing her face with cold water, she dabbed her neck with a wet cloth then crawled onto the floor mat, plopping down onto her back.

Exhaling slowly, her eyes drifted to the ceiling. Arielle lifted her head off the pillow, staring at the small yet prominent bump. Smiling softly, she glided a hand over her stomach. Inhaling heavily, she closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep.

* * *

To wrap her head around the insanity, Gabrielle repeated the words spoken to her.

"Nousha gave a serum to Arielle to prevent her from getting pregnant."

Xena nodded. "Mhm."

"Because if Arielle does have a child, then Sambice would take the child and possibly…kill it?"

"That's right."

Speechless, Gabrielle huffed and placed a hand on her hip. "But…I…you…"

"I'm just as stumped as you are, Gabrielle, but I don't think Nousha would lie about that. She's many things, but a liar isn't one of them."

Gabrielle came to sit on the floor with her wife and added, "but why are you keeping Nousha locked away if you believe she's innocent?"

"I want Sambice to think that her plan is working. I want you to take Nousha to Ernak's Adame and tell her to stay there."

"How will that solve anything?"

"I need to keep a close eye on Sambice. She's more devious than I thought." Xena cupped her knees, narrowing her eyebrows. "Something is missing—something I'm not catching. Why would Sambice give us this information? What does she gain from it?"

Silence passed between them, and then Gabrielle snapped her fingers. "Yadira! She's obviously been coerced to work for Sambice. She should be questioned again."

Xena massaged her forehead. "I am done for today. It's been a long day playing detective. You can interrogate her tomorrow morning."

"Oh, I get to interrogate? You never let me do that," Gabrielle snickered.

She crawled over to sit behind Xena and massage her temples slowly. Xena hummed softly, trying to relax. She flinched at the loud rapping on the door.

"I'll get it," Gabrielle said, jumping off the floor.

She creaked open the door and smiled at Cera, who invited herself into the room. Cera rushed inside, and Xena lifted her head, cursing under her breath. She didn't want to go through the entire spiel again, and she certainly didn't want to worry Cera.

"What do you need, Cera? I've had a long day."

The princess sat down on the floor, signing, "_what happened to Nousha? Mother won't talk to me. She's very upset."_

"Don't worry about Nousha. As for your mother, it's best if you steer clear of her for a while." Xena smiled tiredly, patting her granddaughter's thigh.

Unconvinced, Cera looked up to Gabrielle for a better explanation.

Gabrielle inclined her head and said, "she's right, Cera. You have nothing to worry about."

Yet, Cera persisted in questioning, "_did something happen to Arielle_?"

"Your sister is fine. If something happened, you'd be one of the first to know," Gabrielle reassured her.

* * *

Finished with her duties for the day, Yadira began to unwind and settle in for the evening. She was unbuttoning her dress when someone walked into her chamber. She gasped and quickly turned around, closing the front of her dress, then somewhat relaxed. Sambice's trusted chambermaid, Pari, walked in, closing the door behind her.

She never liked it whenever she crossed paths with anybody in close relations with the Shahbanu. Yadira clenched her jaw, staring at the lithe blonde maid.

"Banu Nousha requests to see you in the laundry room," said Pari.

"At this hour?"

Without arguing, Yadira buttoned her dress and grabbed her veil, donning it. She walked with Pari down the stairs and through the hallway leading to the laundry room. The home was quiet at this hour since everyone turned in for the evening. Yadira thought it odd that she hadn't seen Nousha all day, but she figured that Nousha was busy doing other things during the day.

They came to the laundry room, and Yadira walked in after Pari. She scanned the room, searching for Nousha, and frowned when she found the place to be empty. Spinning around, she panicked as soon as Pari closed the door and locked it from the outside.

She ran forward, pounding on the door. "What are you doing? Open this door! Pari!" she screamed.

"Yadira."

She froze and slowly turned, clinging to the door. Widening her eyes, she gawked at Sambice, who emerged from the darkness in the back of the room. Two other maids appeared from different areas of the room, and Yadira breathed heavily.

Sambice nodded to her maids. "Grab her."

Yadira tried to run, and her arms were grabbed. Dragged across the floor, pleading and screaming, a cloth was stuffed in her mouth. They came to the back of the laundry room where a noose was hung from one of the wooden ceiling beams. Yadira's chest pounded, and she tried to wiggle her way free.

Tears rolled down her cheeks as she was forcibly pushed forward, and the noose was tightly bound around her neck. One of the maids held her close, pulling her arms behind her back.

Sambice approached, lifting Yadira's chin with a gentle finger. "As I said, you've been a great help."

* * *

_Baltic Region_

In the middle of the night, during Arielle's blissful slumber, she felt a cold breeze brush against her cheek. Her eyes shot open, feeling a sense of another body nearby. She quietly slipped her arm out from beneath her cheek and reached for the blade on the floor. She spun around, sitting up in bed, and clashed swords with a masked intruder.

Growling, she stood slowly, forcing all of her weight on the attacker's sword, pushing him backward inch by inch. An overwhelming sense to protect her child overcame her, and relying on that strength and sheer instinct, she cried loudly, kicking the intruder in the gut. He fell back onto the floor.

As she was ready to lunge forward, an arm wrapped around her neck from behind. She felt a blade slide against her hip, and she grabbed the foreign arm, flipping the second intruder over her head. She took a gash to the back of her calf, and she hissed.

Twirling the blade, she plunged the sword into the intruder's chest. Lifting her head, she saw the man who attacked her first, escaping through a slit in the tent. Relying on her adrenaline, she grabbed her bow and ran outside through the small opening of the tent.

Loading her bow with an arrow, she obtained focus in the pitch-black land, narrowing in on her target. Releasing the arrow, it drove through the masked attacker's backside, and he fell face forward onto the grass with a loud thud.

Breathing deeply, Arielle marched back into her tent and stalked outside to the entrance. The surrounding guards immediately bowed their heads.

"I was just attacked by two men while I was sleeping!" she shouted, pointing to the inside of the tent. "Is this what I pay you to do? I could've died! My chi…" she stopped herself, "my _life_ was in danger!"

Guards swarmed inside the tent to retrieve the stabbed intruder. Arielle wiped the sweat off her forehead, glaring at the men who began to crowd the area.

The leading Avar stepped forward. "My apologies, Khagana. Are you hurt?"

In a fit of rage, Arielle snatched the sword at the guard's hip and drove it through his body. Other soldiers watched aghast at her response. She twisted the blade in his gut then kicked him onto his back, holding the sword, which slid out from the gaping hole in his stomach.

She held the bloody sword, pointing it to the stunned soldiers. "Let this be a lesson to you all. This will not happen again, or I will disembowel every single one of you."

The guards dragged the intruder from the tent and dropped his body onto the ground. A soldier hesitantly approached Arielle with utmost caution.

"Khagana, the attacker is Persian," he whispered.

She turned to inspect the man and handed the sword over to an Avar soldier. She snatched a torch and knelt down, grabbing the intruder's face, turning it towards the light. He was indeed a Persian, just as the soldier said.

* * *

The following morning, the Adame was woken up to the screams of a maid. Still dressed in their night attire, Xena and Gabrielle immediately rushed to the maid's screaming, which later turned to sobs. They stood in the center of the laundry room, gaping at Yadira's body hanging from the ceiling.

Gabrielle covered her mouth, shaking her head. "That poor girl."

Xena ordered a few soldiers to cut the maid's body down. She turned away and exited the room, unable to look at the dangling body any longer. Gabrielle lingered for a moment longer, watching the rope being cut, and Yadira's lifeless body collapse into the soldier's arms. She trailed out of the room and joined Xena in the hallway.

There were several people outside, waiting to hear the solemn news. Late to the gathering, Sambice strolled down the corridor, and Xena narrowed her eyes.

"What's happened? I heard screaming," said Sambice, wrapping the veil over her dark hair.

Xena remained calm and coolly responded, "Yadira was found hanging from the ceiling. I'm assuming it happened sometime last night."

"Oh, that's terrible," Sambice gasped. "She was so young. I wonder what drove her to make such a tragic decision."

Xena shared a look with Gabrielle. "Yes, I _wonder_…"

She left the crowded hall with Gabrielle following beside her. They both rounded the corner and kept an eye on Sambice, who _looked_ concerned, but both knew that she was most definitely not the least bit troubled about that poor girl's life lost.

"So much for interrogating Yadira," whispered Gabrielle. "I don't want to leave Pannonia knowing that Sambice is living here. She's a murderer!"

"We can't prove that she did it."

"But she did. I escorted Nousha to Ernak's place last night."

Xena sighed, pinching her nose. "The damage has been done. She wouldn't be so bold to strike while we're gone. Would she?"

Gabrielle bit her lip and gripped her spouse's arm. "When we leave, we could ask Eksama to stay here."

"That might cause alarm, and Sambice would know that we're onto her. I don't want her to find out that we're watching her, even from afar."

"But Xena, there are children here!"

Xena scoffed, "she wouldn't kill any children here. It would be too obvious."

"Yet, she wants to kill Arielle's child," Gabrielle reminded her wife.

"Well, good thing Arielle is not pregnant, assuming that Nousha's serum worked."

Frustrated with the outcome of this situation, Xena punched the wall above the blonde's head. She added, "but I still don't know why Sambice told us about Nousha's plan. Nousha said she's been giving Arielle the serum for months, which means Sambice has known the entire time. Why would she tell us _now_?"

"You mean, what's the catch?"

"Exactly."

**Okay, luckily this is the last baby you'll ever see lol I'm so sorry. **


	57. Chapter 57

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The secret that Arielle's been harboring begins to surface as soon as her grandmother and Gabrielle arrive to assist with the ongoing campaign. Back home in Pannonia, Sambice's plan slowly crumbles when others begin to unravel the deceitful lies. While fighting against Chieftain Mezamir, roles switch, and Gabrielle is forced to command the army without Xena's help.

**This chapter is soooo long. Enjoy :D**

Chapter 57 –_The Heir: Part II_

Ku-Ilm tried her best to seclude herself from the Persian drama circling in the home. She had no desire to be involved in Sambice's and Nousha's business. In fact, she wished the women of Xerxes' family would go back to their motherland. She didn't get along with any of Sambice's maids, and now that Yadira supposedly _killed_ herself, Ku definitely didn't want anything to do with the Sassanian women.

She tended to Aurora's schooling early in the morning, then left her alone with a few other maids. Afterward, she would take Aurora to Farah to check over the homework. Ku was anxiously waiting to hear back from Xerxes' and continuously asked several soldiers if a messenger had stopped by.

It was the same answer she received yesterday, and the day before that, and the day before that. This morning, Ku entered Arielle's room and noticed a few out of place items. She walked over to the chest of clothes with the lid open. She looked inside the trunk and saw the clothes were wrinkled, clearly tampered with. Only one person would go through Arielle's clothes, and that person had to have been Aurora.

"That girl," she grumbled.

Kneeling down, she rearranged the clothes inside the trunk. Once finished with that, she turned and saw one of the wooden mannequin heads was missing a headdress. Ku groaned, and clapped a hand to her knee, then slowly stood up. She slammed the trunk lid shut and heard the door creak open.

"Aurora, if that's you, I would run if I were –"

She turned and gasped as Anastasia stood by the entrance. She bowed her head, concealing her prominent reddened face, stricken with embarrassment.

"Khatun, I'm sorry. I thought you were Aurora."

Ana smiled softly. "What did she do now?"

"Oh, um," Ku pointed to the wooden mannequin. "She stole a Kozak. I told her not to come in here without permission."

"She has been a little disobedient lately since Arielle left. I'll be sure to talk to her later."

Ku nodded, then attempted to leave. "I should search her room."

Ana grabbed the maid's shoulder firmly. "Before you go, I need to talk to you about something."

Ku held her breath and traced backward. "Sure, Khatun."

"I'm sure you've heard what's been happening around here with Nousha, Yadira…" Ana hinted, and Ku kept her gaze forward, almost staring right through her. "We found out a couple of weeks ago that Nousha had been slipping a serum into Arielle's food.

Ku clapped a hand over her chest, and her jaw dropped.

Ana nodded, "mhm, yes, and the serum was to prevent Arielle from conceiving a child."

Ku's eyes enlarged. She swallowed, then choked out, "oh, really? Why –why would…she do that?"

"I can't tell you the reason for that, but I wanted to hear from _you_ if you noticed anything different about Arielle before she left. Did she seem alright to you?"

Ku felt sweat forming on the nape of her neck. She loosened her collar and looked away. "Yes, Khatun, she seemed…fine to me."

"Are you telling me the truth, Ku? You aren't _protecting_ Arielle, are you?"

"No!"

Anastasia's eyebrow arched. "If you remember _anything_, be sure to tell me. Oh, and don't worry yourself over the Kozak. I will talk to Aurora."

With her final words said, she left the room, and Ku let out a gust of air trapped in her lungs. She lightly touched her forehead to the bedpost and scuffed her boot on the floor. This was the exact situation she wanted to avoid, and now she was alone. She lied. And nobody would be here to protect her when the truth would soon come to light.

* * *

Utighur, playing with his two sisters on the floor, heard knocking at the door. He grunted, and hopped to his feet, and darted to the doors. He opened the door and lifted his head to the tall veiled woman.

"Are you here to see Banu Nousha?" he asked.

"Yes."

The prince stepped aside, motioning for her to enter. "She's over there," he pointed to the far corner.

Nousha sat, working on an embroidery piece for the last couple of weeks since she started living in Ernak's home. It was quieter here, despite the occasional children crying in the middle of the night. This home was a lot larger, which meant emptier space, compared to the other Hun homes. Nousha didn't really enjoy living with these people, but she did miss the extra noise in Arielle's house across the camp.

Humming quietly to herself, fixated on her sewing, a looming shadow blocked her light. Frowning, her head drifted upward, and she instantly stood up.

"Shehzada," she addressed softly.

Esther lifted the veil over her face, examining Nousha's pale complexion. "I came to check on you and to tell you that I'm leaving for Babylon next week."

Nousha gasped. "You can't leave! I…please, don't leave."

"I…" Esther, taken aback by the urgency, said, "I can't stay here forever. I do have duties in Babylon. I will let the Shah know you've acclimated well here."

Nousha grabbed the Shehzada's hand. "Please, don't go. I…will be alone. Sambice will…"

"Sambice will _what_?" Esther's tone deepened.

"She will…" Nousha glanced over at the small children, "most likely kill me," she whispered. "Esther, don't go back to Persia. The moment you leave, she's going to send someone to assassinate me."

"Don't be ridiculous, Nousha. Do you know how difficult it would be for someone to break into this home without anyone noticing?"

Nousha growled, gripping Esther's arms. "She killed Yadira! My maid! She killed her! And she has plans to kill my son's future child too."

"What are you talking about? Don't say things without proof, Nousha. You could be in a heap of trouble if you…"

"She told me that she would. She said it to my _face_, and I already told Xena everything."

Esther sighed, suddenly annoyed that she was more out of the loop than she realized. It was evident that this plan was kept between a small circle of people for a good reason. But, it would've been nice to know what was happening as she could've put a stop to everything before Yadira's sudden death, which was, in fact, not a suicide.

"When did Sambice tell you this?"

Nousha sheepishly admitted, "months ago, before the wedding."

Esther pinched the bridge of her nose. "Why didn't you tell me _sooner_? I could've helped you!"

"Well, excuse me, but you don't like me very much," Nousha snapped back. "_Shehzada_."

"And you have given good reason _many_ times in the past for me to dislike you," Esther combatted. "But I cannot have Sambice plotting to kill innocent children. She can't get away with this for the third time."

Nousha's breath hitched. "There were…_others_?"

Esther smirked, "you think you're so special? There were two concubines before you, and she certainly didn't want any more heirs to the throne. She got rid of the concubines and their sons. Nobody could prove if she was responsible, but I knew it was her. I'm sure she feels threatened since her son is dead."

"Can I ask you a question?"

Esther inclined her head, waiting.

"What did the Shah ever see in _her_? Why did he marry her?"

Esther snickered. "I don't know. I've never liked Sambice. Perhaps my parents saw something in her."

* * *

_Baltic Region_

Just arrived, Xena dismounted her horse, waving at the soldiers to talk to the head Avar soldiers who waited in the center of camp. She helped Gabrielle off her horse and held an arm over her eyes, shielding her face from the rain.

Gabrielle walked ahead, flipping the hood of her cloak over her head. She scanned the camp, searching for Arielle. She held up a hand for Xena to stay behind and walked around several tents. Towards the north part of the base, she spotted a massive black tent, which she presumed was Arielle's.

She darted towards the tent. "Hey!" she shouted to the guards. "Where is the Khagana? Is she inside?"

"She's on the frontline. She is moving troops closer to the Antes border."

Gabrielle nodded, thanked the guard, then ran back to Xena, who was now standing underneath a canopy, drying off. Releasing a loud huff, she took the soaked cloak off and stood close to the fire. This was a horrible season to lead a campaign. It was just the beginning of autumn, and this area was much colder than the south Hun areas.

"Where is she?" asked Xena.

"She's moving soldiers out of camp."

Xena slapped her gloves on her palms, scanning the camp. "She shouldn't be out in this weather moving half an army uphill."

"Maybe she didn't know it was going to rain."

Xena whipped her head around, glaring at her wife, and gave a churlish grin. She whistled to a soldier. "When is the Khagana supposed to return to camp?"

"I am not sure, Khanum. She left very early this morning."

Xena sighed, shaking her head. "This _morning_," she mumbled. "It's almost evening."

"She'll return soon, I'm sure," Gabrielle reassured.

As they waited for their clothing to dry, standing by the fire, a horn of distress called from afar. Both looked at the hill up ahead, barely able to see anything. Xena put on her wet gloves and walked out from under the canopy, weaving around soldiers' tents. She marched through the rocky terrain, listening carefully to the horns.

She felt a hand wrap around her arm, knowing it to be Gabrielle. "Where is that coming from?"

Gabrielle turned around herself, listening to the echoing horns, trying to pinpoint the exact location. She really despised mountainous areas such as this. Flatlands were a lot easier to fight on as they could plainly see the enemy. This was unfamiliar territory to both her and Xena and Arielle, so signals for help were something to be concerned about.

Both turned at the sound of men mounting their horses. Xena narrowed her eyes, glaring at the attire of the soldiers. They weren't Avar, certainly not Persian either. She definitely recognized those soldiers, and a bitter taste lingered on her tongue.

"Bayan's men are here," she said sourly.

"Well, that's nice of him to send soldiers."

"Hmm," Xena folded her arms. "I don't remember telling Arielle to ask for Bayan's help."

Gabrielle fought the urge to rebuttal with something smart. "I'm sure Arielle has a good reason asking for his aid. She doesn't like Bayan anymore than you do, Xena. There's a reason for it, I'm sure."

Minutes later, which felt like an hour, Arielle galloped into camp with a group of men following behind. Gabrielle was grateful as she convinced Xena to stay back and fight the itch to ride out of the camp. Arielle's horse skid to a halt, digging the hooves into the mud.

Her jaw clenched upon seeing the women glaring at her from below. She wiped the mud off her cheek and trotted into the center of the camp. The wet coat she wore weighed her down, and her thick hair draped her over her shoulders and breasts. She licked her lips and steered her horse around, closing her coat around her midsection.

"You're both here early," she shouted through the thundering storm.

Xena stepped forward, shielding her eyes from the rain. "Let's go somewhere warmer. I need to speak with you."

"Now?" Arielle said, gripping the reins. "We can talk later!"

"I'd rather talk now."

Arielle sighed, knowing she wasn't going to win this argument. She sheathed her sword and unbuckled the bow's strap from her chest and hooked the bow on the edge of the saddle. She swung her leg over, climbing down from the horse. Hesitantly, she approached, drawing her wet hair behind her ears.

The closer she got, the more nervous she became. Her heart raced as she walked across the field. Her arms dropped down to her side, and she kept her head aimed downward, though lifted her eyes briefly. Slowly, she watched as her grandmother's eyes widened with every step she took.

Arielle slowed her pace as she noticed the angry expression forming. "Please…don't be mad. I can explain," she raised her hands defensively.

Xena's nostrils flared, her lip twitched, and her eyes fixated on Arielle's abdomen. Calmly, she pointed to the Khagana tent.

"Tent. Now."

* * *

Xena sat opposite her granddaughter in the large Khagana tent settled in the center of camp. For once in her life, she didn't know if what she had to say was worthwhile. Arielle always did whatever she wanted all her life, no matter what the consequences were. It was an admirable trait sometimes, but other times, Xena wanted to strangle her.

And this was one of those times. Xena kept glaring at Arielle, running her fingertips on the rim of the tea glass. They sat in silence for several minutes. It was too long for Arielle's liking. While Xena's penetrating stare was very intimidating, Arielle felt like a small child, ready to be chastised.

Gabrielle sat, drying her hair, and looked over at Arielle, who was still sitting in her soaking wet clothes. Her eyes drifted to her smoldering wife.

"Here, let's get that coat off," said Gabrielle.

She walked over, helping Arielle slip out of the heavy coat. She draped the wet coat over a chair, grabbed a soft blanket, and draped it over Arielle's shoulders. Arielle smiled, showing her gratitude silently. Her smile faded once she looked at who sat in front of her. A hand drifted to rest over her stomach, and she sighed shakily.

"I…know you're upset with me. Your silence says it all. But, I was just…"

"Why do you do this to me?"

Arielle swallowed.

"You lied to me."

"I know. I'm sorry, but if I had told you, you wouldn't have let me leave Pannonia."

Xena snorted. "_Yeah_? Of course, I wouldn't have! Out of all the irresponsible things you've done, this has to be the worst one yet, Arielle. And to top it all off, you were on the frontline, in lousy weather no less. I have trained you countless times to never lead an army in bad weather. You should know better than that."

Arielle's face dropped into her hands as a response to being berated. Xena was about to continue her lecture until she heard weeping. Gabrielle crinkled her eyebrows and thought to intervene.

"Did you eat anything today?"

Arielle shook her head.

Gabrielle looked over at Xena, who covered her eyes, desperately trying her best to keep quiet. She stood and snagged her damp cloak hanging over a chair.

"I'll go tell someone to make something for you then," Gabrielle said, flinging the cloak over her shoulder.

She kicked her wife's leg, and Xena reached over, attempting to slap Gabrielle's leg, but she was out of reach. Groaning, she watched Gabrielle leave the tent, leaving her and Arielle alone. Xena peered over at her weeping granddaughter, rolled her eyes, and pulled the soaked headdress off, and tossed it aside.

"Arielle, look at me."

Still, her face remained hidden in her palms.

"I said, _look_ at me. Are you afraid of me?"

Arielle kept her hands firmly on her teary face, refusing to answer. After a few moments, her hands slid off her face, and she lifted her head, exposing her puffy cheeks and eyes.

"Jeez," Xena muttered. She reached over, wiping Arielle's cheeks with her thumbs. "I'm sorry I yelled at you."

Arielle sniffled, wiping her nose.

"But I guess it all makes sense now," she said, defeated.

"What…what makes sense?" Arielle asked, drying her eyes.

Xena scratched her suddenly, irritated scalp. "Sambice. She knows about your…child. I don't know _how_ she knows, but she does."

A protective hand came to rest over her bump, and Arielle frowned. "So? What are you insinuating?"

In a span of five minutes or less, Xena explained what happened in Pannonia, revolving around Nousha and Sambice. She also mentioned the unexplained, yet _explained_, death of Yadira, who was also working for Sambice or somewhat coerced into working for her. While Arielle listened to the spiel, her mind drifted, thinking back to when she was attacked by two Persian soldiers. She thought it strange at the time, but now she understood everything.

"She tried to kill me," uttered Arielle, interrupting.

Xena paused mid-sentence. "What?"

Arielle locked eyes with her grandmother. "Sambice tried to kill me. She sent two soldiers to kill me. They…came into my tent when I was sleeping…" she scraped her nails through her hair, feeling like she was in a wind tunnel. "I haven't slept in weeks because of that! She will stop at nothing to make my life a living hell!" she heaved, tethering her breath.

"Arielle, calm down. Relax," she leaned over, gripping Arielle's thigh. "She can't hurt you, especially since I'm here."

Gabrielle came back into the tent, carrying a tray. She knelt down on the floor and ripped the wet cloak off. "One of the soldiers is making food, but I was able to find rice and bread."

Arielle, panicked, looked at them both. "Will you two stay with me? In this tent, I mean. I know you have your own tent set up, but I would feel better if you stayed here. Can you stay? Will you?" she sputtered.

Gabrielle, barely able to register the quick words, eyed her wife, who was just as flustered. "Ah, sure, Arielle. We can stay with you. Here, eat this, and…when was the last time you bathed?"

Arielle smiled sheepishly, looking down at her soiled clothes and wet, muddy hair.

"I will go tell the soldiers to boil water then. Be right back," Gabrielle jumped up, stalking out of the tent.

Xena smirked, grabbed the tray, and scooted it close to Arielle. "She's in a mothering mood today, I see. Eat that."

Spooning the rice into her mouth with her fingers, Arielle weakly smiled. "Thank you."

* * *

_Assyria_

Navaz didn't know how everyone else was fairing during this campaign, but so far, he and Xerxes were getting their asses handed to them against Rodelinda's army. A few days ago, they used a lot of ammunition to target Rodelinda's archers, which worked only for a little while. Yesterday was the first day of tranquility on both sides of the battlefield, but Navaz knew that wouldn't last.

Taking shifts, Navaz opted to take the evening shift, staying awake almost the entire night. Rodelinda loved to stay away all night and somehow found the time to sleep during the day while her army obliterated everything in their path without her commanding the frontline.

As Navaz sat underneath a canopy, keeping a watchful eye on Rodelinda's tent, a horseman rode into camp. He jumped up from the chair and held up a halting hand. He recognized the man to be Persian, but he longer trusted anybody. Clothing could've been stolen.

"Who are you?"

"Ormazd, your highness," he said, jumping off the horse. "I bring a message from the Khagana. I was told to deliver it to Shehzade Xerxes."

Navaz took the letter and waved his hand. "I will make sure he receives it."

Dismissing the messenger, Navaz walked over to Xerxes' tent, expecting the prince to be fast asleep. He was surprised to find Xerxes wide awake, writing with a couple of candles to work from.

"Did you see something?" asked Xerxes.

Navaz gruffly cleared his throat. "No. I have a letter from Arielle," he held out his hand, holding the parchment.

Xerxes smiled, snatching the message. He hadn't heard from Arielle in a couple of months, and he was about to write her a letter, which he knew wouldn't reach her, as she was on the other side of the world, basically. He broke the wax seal, not giving a care if Navaz stood, watching him read the letter.

As he read, his smile disappeared, and he dropped the letter in his lap.

"Is everything alright?" Navaz asked, now concerned by the prince's face. "Did something happen to Arielle?"

"She…she didn't even tell me," Xerxes whispered.

"What? Tell you what?"

"That she was carrying a child," he muttered. "She said she miscarried."

Navaz's face softened. "Oh," he frowned, thinking of how his daughter must've felt having to write the awful news. "I'm sorry."

Xerxes dug his fingers into his hair, staring at the candle's flame intensely. He did not expect to read anything like that, especially when his mind was already fractured, and he was beyond exhausted. He was hit with two things that greatly impacted his life, and he wasn't even with Arielle.

"Sometimes, there isn't an explanation for when a child's life is taken," said Navaz.

Xerxes sighed, no longer desiring to continue this painful topic. "I can watch the camp."

"You haven't slept."

"I'll be fine. I need a distraction."

* * *

Soldiers trickled into the tent, carrying pails of steaming hot water. They filled the tub lined with sheets, periodically making trips back to the fire outside to fetch more boiling water. Xena, now out of her wet clothes, watched as the soldiers filled the tub. Arielle sat on the floor with a blanket wrapped around her, lost in thought.

"That's enough," said Xena, flicking her wrist several times.

The men left, carrying the empty pails, and Xena sighed, turning to Arielle. She walked over to the tub and poured small vials of oil into the water. She searched on the shelves for soap and rummaged through Arielle's belongings. Finally, after searching for a few moments, a bar of soap was found in a small box filled with other essential oils.

She knelt down by the tub and wagged her finger, motioning for Arielle to come forward.

Arielle sighed, standing up, and the blanket fell to the floor. She stripped off her stockings and unlaced the front of her wet dress. Hesitantly, she stared at the water, then to her grandmother, who waited patiently.

"What? Are you suddenly shy?" asked Xena, tapping the edge of the tub. "Come on now, take off the dress and get into the water before it gets cold."

Arielle inhaled, then lifted the dress up and over her head, tossing it aside onto the ground. She wrapped her arms over her chest, cupping her breasts. She immediately saw her grandmother's eyes scanning her body, making her instantly feel uncomfortable.

Xena sighed, lowering her eyes. She swirled the water around with her hand. "Get in," she nudged her head.

Arielle stepped into the water and slowly sank down, settling into the hot water, gripping the side of the tub. Once settled, she brought her legs close to her chest, resting her chin on her knees. She tensed when a bowl of water was poured onto her head. She brushed a strand of hair from her face, sighing heavily as soap was massaged into her hair.

"I'm sorry," she whispered.

Xena poured water over Arielle's soapy hair. "I know you are."

She grabbed an arm, scrubbing with a soapy cloth, and crinkled her eyebrows, looking at the amount of dirt accumulated on Arielle's skin. She almost didn't want to know how long Arielle was on the field for as that would just rile her nerves even further.

"Are you going to send me back home?"

"Did you think I was going to _let_ you stay?" Xena snorted. "The battlefield is no place for a woman in your condition. Anyway, I need to send you home, but I don't think that's the safest place for you right now. I need to send a letter to someone and inform them about what's going on."

"Csaba?"

Xena crinkled her nose. "No, I need someone inconspicuous. I don't want Sambice to find out about this. She has spies everywhere."

Arielle tapped her cheek. "Soran! You can send him a letter. Sambice would _never_ suspect him," she said, and Xena silently agreed. "Mother is going to be furious with me. I hope she doesn't hurt Ku."

"Ku _knows_?"

"Yes…of course…she brought the midwife to my room."

Xena pursed her lips, then splashed water into Arielle's face. "Honestly, you two are a terrible team."

* * *

Well into the evening, and hours after everything settled down in the tent, Gabrielle returned, soaked and mildly annoyed. She took off her coat and glanced around the candle-lit tent. She stepped through the sheer partition leading towards Arielle's bed and found Xena sitting on the bed, writing silently. Arielle was curled underneath the blankets with her head resting on Xena's knee, sleeping soundly.

Gabrielle waved her hand, trying to grab her spouse's attention. Xena lifted her eyes from the parchment, smiled wearily, and motioned for Gabrielle to come closer.

"How long has she been out?" Gabrielle whispered.

"A few hours. Where've you been?"

"I was talking to the soldiers. The entire border is being guarded as we speak. Mezamir knows that we're here. I spotted some men on the east side."

"I will inspect the area for myself tomorrow." Xena hummed, then handed the parchment over to Gabrielle. "I was writing a letter to Soran. I gave specific instructions on how to handle this situation with Sambice. I can't send Arielle back home knowing that Sambice is on a murdering spree."

Reading the letter over, Gabrielle was impressed at the thoroughness in direction and instructions. She smiled, nodding her head, then looked over at Arielle.

"If you don't mind, I'll make a few adjustments to the letter."

Xena raised an eyebrow. "Of course you will. Thank you for today. You were very helpful."

"I _had_ to intervene," Gabrielle leaned in close, "you were about to blow up at her. You made her cry."

Xena cast a nervous smile. "I didn't _make_ her cry. She's just…emotional," she muttered, playing with the tassels on the blanket. She made the bold decision to make eye contact and instantly regretted doing so.

"I apologized," she added.

Gabrielle kept staring then touched foreheads. "Arielle is the way that she is. She's never going to change. She's not perfect, and I know both you, Ana, Navaz…" she rambled, "want Arielle to behave a certain way, but it's not going to happen. _You_ told Ana to accept that. You should probably take your own advice."

Xena sat, twisting her mouth to the side, recalling the very words she said to Ana. It was just as Gabrielle said. Even though she heard this spiel several times, she realized she didn't accept that Arielle would never change her ways. Though Arielle had improved a lot over the years, she was still, and always will be, difficult in every way possible.

"And as I've said before, she looks up to you. She doesn't like to disappoint you."

Xena frowned and whispered back, "then why is she so _insistent_ on giving me headaches."

"I don't think she does it intentionally," Gabrielle snickered, grabbing the hand opposite hers. "We should get some sleep."

Carefully, Xena slipped her leg out from beneath the slumbering empress. She gently placed a pillow beneath Arielle's cheek and scooted off the bed. Grabbing Gabrielle's hand to stand up, she heard soft noises, and Arielle stirred in her sleep. Xena tensed, backing away quietly but quickly.

"You're…leaving?" Arielle said groggily. She sat up in bed, rubbing her cheek.

So close, thought Xena. "I'm just going to the other side of the tent with Gabrielle. I'll still be closeby."

Arielle sat up straight, suddenly panicked. "But, but what if someone tries to attack me again?"

"Nobody is going to come in here. Neither Gabrielle nor I will let that happen. _Please_, go back to sleep."

Scratching her neck, Arielle glanced around the dark tent. "Can I have some water?"

Gabrielle poured water into a cup and handed it over. She stood beside Xena patiently, exhausted, and ready to go to sleep, although she feared that what little rest she wanted wasn't going to come anytime soon.

Arielle wiped the corners of her mouth after finishing off the water. She looked through the partition and then up to the two standing beside her bed.

"You'll…just be over _there_?" she pointed at the made-up bed across the tent.

Both Xena and Gabrielle nodded their heads.

"You won't leave me alone, right?"

"We'll be here the entire time," said Gabrielle. "You can see the bed from here and if you need us, just call, and we'll come to you."

Arielle leaned to the side, making sure she could, in fact, see the bed from where she sat.

Xena sighed and cupped Arielle's face. "_Tatli_ _kiz_, you'll be fine. We're twenty feet away from you, max. Don't stress yourself out," she smiled, and Arielle let out a drawn-out exhale. "Try to get some sleep."

* * *

Sitting on what Nousha told her, Esther had to plan and devise very carefully. Her plans to leave for Babylon were put on hold until she strategized to stop Sambice from proceeding with her mission. In the women's quarters, she sat on one of the sofas, watching Sambice chat with a few of her maids. Esther kept a watchful eye on his brother's wife, suspicious of every move. She knew that Sambice wouldn't do anything with her present, and that was why she needed extra guidance.

Just on time, Anastasia entered the room, smiling at the children who greeted her as they played on the floor. Aurora jumped up, grabbing Ana's hand, and together they walked towards Esther.

"When's mom coming home?" asked Aurora.

"I'm not too sure."

The princess huffed, "I hope she's not gone for a long time! She's always so busy."

Anastasia nodded, "she is the Khagana. She has a lot of responsibilities."

"Yeah…"

They came to a halt in front of Esther, who smiled at them both. Aurora grinned, letting go of her grandmother's hand, and came to greet Esther by kissing her hand. Shocked by the princess's politeness, Esther raised her eyebrows, flicking her long braided hair over her shoulder.

"Shehzada," Aurora said, grinning.

"Princess, how are you? Keeping busy with your studies? I hear that you are trying to learn Persian."

"I know lots of languages like…Ku-Ilm's language, it's Syriac, by the way," she whispered. "Syriac is like Persian, but…a lil' _different_," Aurora wavered her hand, swaying it from side to side.

Ana bit her lower lip, trying not to laugh. She grabbed hold of the princess's shoulder. "Aurora, I need to speak with Shehzada Esther alone."

Noticing the disappointment plain on the princess's face, Esther chimed in, "I'd love to help you learn Persian some time, Aurora. Maybe we can practice later today?"

Satisfied with the offer, Aurora nodded excitedly, then ran off to go mingle with her cousins playing a board game on the floor. Anastasia sighed, feeling overwhelmed, then finally took a seat. She was offered a glass of wine from Esther.

"You look like you need that," Esther teased. "I just wanted to say that I do like your family, Khatun. Our families are very different, but you've all been very welcoming, and I appreciate that."

Ana sipped the wine silently. "You wanted to speak to me about something?"

"Yes. It's about Sambice. I know you're aware of her plans, but I will let you know that she has done this before and has succeeded twice. I want to prevent that from happening again."

"She's killed children in the past?"

"Unfortunately, yes."

Ana narrowed her eyes, trying to focus on the Shahbanu sitting on the room's opposite side. "Why hasn't she been arrested by the Shah?"

"Nobody could prove it was her because there were no witnesses. She's very smart. She knows all of the loopholes. If there are no witnesses to crimes, she can't be arrested and tried. Although, the suspicion remains. My brother is very aware of Sambice's cunning nature."

"I can't promise that I won't kill her if she tries to harm Arielle. I know our laws are different than yours."

Esther nodded. "I understand your frustration, Khatun. Believe me, I do, and that's why I'm going to need your help."

"What do you need me to do?"

* * *

_Baltic Region_

Things in the Hun camp took an unexpected turn when both Xena and Gabrielle were forced to take the reins and stand-in for Arielle until she was to leave for Pannonia. Five days since their arrival and Gabrielle was in charge of carrying out Xena's strategies for attacking the Antes on the other side of the border.

They had several disadvantages against them, and the number one concern was the terrain itself. Gabrielle expressed that she was worried the army would have a challenging time in the area due to its unfamiliarity.

Under a canopy, shielded from the cold rain, Gabrielle looked over a map of the area, which was poorly drawn. She was cursing herself for not scoping out this area first. She could've sketched the map herself, and if Anastasia permitted it, she would have Cera here to illustrate the map, but Gabrielle knew that wasn't feasible.

Chatting with the soldiers, she pointed to the far east mountains where Xena was with a couple of legions, scouting the territory. She paused mid-sentence when a soldier announced Arielle's presence. Gabrielle grimaced, tapping the pointing stick on the table, glaring at Arielle making her way over.

Gabrielle dismissed the soldiers and turned to the restless Khagana. "You aren't supposed to be out here," she whispered.

"I just wanted to see if I could help."

Gabrielle groaned, "are you trying to get me in trouble? Your grandmother gave you orders to stay in the tent."

"I know, but –"

"If she sees you out here, she's going to blame _me_."

Arielle nodded, understanding the concern, but had no intention of being cooped up in her tent until she had to depart. "I just wanted to give some pointers, and then I'll go back to my dungeon. Deal?"

The governor relented, not having the patience to argue.

Smiling, Arielle walked over to the map and spread her hand over the parchment. "There's a ravine near the east mountains. I found it while I was scouting," she quietly added. "It's heavily surrounded by trees. I think that Mezamir might use this to his advantage and hide soldiers there."

"A perfect place for an ambush."

"Exactly! I thought we could poison the water. I know the Antes get their water from that ravine."

Gabrielle blinked, quite shocked at the plan. "Interesting tactic…" she patted Arielle's shoulder. "Thank you for your input, now go back to the tent before your grandmother sees you."

"Gabrielle, do you think anything will happen to me when I go back home? I mean, with Sambice."

"Xena made sure to tell the soldiers to escort you to Csaba's home. Sambice won't know about your arrival, and don't worry, she _will_ be dealt with. Now, please—"

"Did Nousha really do that for _me_—protect me?" asked Arielle, interrupting for the second time. "I don't know how I feel about being drugged for months, but whatever she gave me _obviously_ didn't work," she laughed nervously. "But, she had good intentions, I suppose."

"I guess so, but—"

"I still don't think she likes me, though," Arielle sighed. "What do you think she's going to say when she sees me? Is she going to go back to hating me? Does she truly hate me? I'm not so sure anymore."

Gabrielle groaned, impatiently tapping the rim of the pointing stick. As much as she wanted to continue chatting, she had a lot of work to do. Not only was she busy, but she also didn't want Xena to return and find Arielle disobeying orders once again. She promised Xena to keep Arielle away from the field and was failing thus far.

"Arielle," she said evenly, "I can see that you're feeling very…_sensitive_ right now, but I want you to go back to your tent," she tried to sound as polite as possible. "You should get as much as rest as you can before the journey."

"_Rest_. Right." Arielle muttered, tapping her cheek. "I keep forgetting that I have someone else to think about," her face broke into a smile. "It's been a very long time since I've taken care of a baby. Hopefully, this time will be easier for me, and I'll be a better mother."

Gabrielle tilted her head. "You'll be great. _Now_…" she motioned towards the tent.

"Alright, I got it. I'm going, I'm going!" Arielle raised her hands, retreating slowly. "I think I'll write another letter to Xerxes telling him I'm returning to Pannonia. I hope he's not too upset that I went on the campaign."

"I'm sure he'll understand," Gabrielle waved her hand, compelling Arielle to go away, far from this area.

"I don't want him to think that I don't care about our baby. I just—"

"Arielle, for god's sake!"

Arielle clamped her lips together and left to retreat back to her tent without uttering another word. As soon as she left, Gabrielle grumbled and tried to focus on her tasks for the day. She felt the vein in the center of her forehead pulsating.

* * *

Over the course of a week, rain flooded parts of the encampment, which forced everyone to remain indoors until the roads were cleared. This weather undeniably made everyone, especially the children, very antsy, and they continuously annoyed their parents and other adults.

In one of the rooms, Pamira sat on the floor, playing with a few wooden toys with her daughter. She heard someone come into the room and looked over her shoulder, smiling at Soran. While she had a rather unusual marriage with Navaz's only son, she slowly grew to like him as they spent more time together.

Soran grinned, walked over, and gripped Pamira's shoulder. He knelt down and lightly pinched his daughter's cheek.

"Where have you been all day?" asked Pamira. "You left the bed so early this morning."

"Ah, I was just talking to Mirac." He walked over to the table runner and poured himself a glass of wine.

Pamira frowned and got up off the floor, scooping her daughter into her arms. She set Mahfiruze on a floor blanket and made her way over, glaring at Soran as he enjoyed the wine peacefully. He caught her eye and turned, mildly nervous by her serious expression.

"Something…on your mind?"

"Yes. I want you to be more inclusive," she said. "You've hardly talked to me since we got here! And I'm _always_ watching Mahfiruze."

Soran set the cup down. "Okay, I can watch Mahfiruze in the mornings. I'll make a better effort to communicate with you. Sound good?"

Pamira sighed, rolling her eyes, and was about to retort with a witty comeback until someone knocking interrupted them. She pointed her finger at him, then opened the door. A maid delivered a letter, whispered to her, then left. Pamira eyed the letter and handed it over to her husband.

Soran took the letter, breaking the seal. A letter from Xena was never a good thing, and he didn't expect to receive anything from her while she was away on campaign. Reading through the content, he was perplexed by the intensive instructions written. Everything in this letter was to remain between a small circle of people, which meant that Pamira couldn't know.

"Fuck," he whispered.

"What is it?"

He tucked the letter into his vest. "Nothing. I have to go talk to Csaba."

"Wait," Pamira grabbed his arm. "Is anyone hurt? Is everyone alright?"

He half-smiled. "Nobody's hurt. I promise I'll take care of Mahfiruze later. I just really need to go." He inwardly wanted to choke his elder sister, though he contained his emotions in front of Pamira.

* * *

Csaba read his grandmother's letter three times, going over the plan silently in his head before he spoke aloud. He had never seen so many instructions before in his life and wondered if this plan would work in the first place. He had no idea that Shahbanu Sambice was so malicious. He thought of a better way to deal with this, and that was to confront Sambice head-on, but he had to follow his grandmother's instructions or reap the consequences later.

Farah sat on the bed, holding her daughter in her lap, and glanced over at Soran, who appeared very annoyed. Csaba also wore a similar expression.

"So…what does it say?" she inquired curiously.

"Xerxes got my sister pregnant," Csaba blurted out.

Farah blinked in surprise. "Well, she is _married_, Csaba, and I thought you liked Xerxes," she said with a light laugh and received a glare. "It…was bound to happen sooner or later," she quietly added. "What else does the letter say?"

Soran explained, "Sambice has plans to kill Arielle's child. She already sent two assassins to the camp." A gasp was heard from Farah. "Arielle is fine, thankfully."

"Hmm," Csaba stroked his beard. "Arielle is going to come live with us until the situation with Sambice is handled. My mother is going to be upset when she hears about this." He handed the letter back to Soran. "Goddammit, Arielle! Why does she do reckless things like this?"

"It's _Arielle_. Are you really so surprised?" Soran chided.

"Right. I'll go tell my mother about this. Nobody else is going to know about this," Csaba immediately looked to his wife.

Farah stared at the two. "What? I won't say anything!"

"My grandmother gave detailed orders to keep this a secret."

"What about the boys? They're going to see Arielle here. You know Aman and Aladar can't keep a secret to save their lives," Farah reminded them.

Csaba hadn't even thought of that. His sons were known to be very talkative. He wondered _where_ they got that from.

"I'll tell them that she was almost killed on the field by assassins and that she needs to remain in hiding until they're caught," he smiled, impressed by his improvised plan. "That'll do. I have to go relay the news to my mother."

Soran smirked, "good luck."

* * *

Going along with the plan, everyone in the small circle was supposed to follow every rule Esther laid out for them. One of the instructions was to force Anastasia and Nousha to work together, which wasn't going to work well, but it had to be done. Anastasia, putting aside her feelings for Nousha, returned from Ernak's home with the said woman.

They walked back together, and others watched as they passed through the camp. It was a bit humorous to see the height difference between the two, yet the public had no idea what a mouth Nousha had.

"You are to go into Sambice's room and spark conversation," whispered Anastasia while smiling at the children who ran by her, touching her arms.

"I remember the plan perfectly."

Ana glanced over and said, "I just wanted to say that I don't appreciate you poisoning my daughter for months."

"For the _last_ time, I did not _poison_ her," Nousha said through clenched teeth. "Didn't your mother explain what happened? I was trying to protect Arielle. I wouldn't harm my son's wife."

"I find that hard to believe."

Nousha laughed under her breath. "Listen," she grabbed Ana's wrist firmly, "we don't have to like each other. But we both care about our children, and I have spent all my life protecting Xerxes from Sambice. If and when Arielle has _my_ son's child, I will be just as protective as you."

Anastasia's eyes widened in shock to hear the firmness yet sincerity from Nousha. She was expecting a smart remark or something nasty to spew from her mouth, but Nousha was surprisingly willing to cooperate. Perhaps, Anastasia forgot that Nousha was a mother too, and it is evident that she has had to fight Sambice many times. She needed Nousha as much as it pained her to admit.

"Mother!" Csaba yelled, running through the camp. "I'm so glad I caught you. I have something to tell you," he stopped, breathing heavily. "Good day to you, Nousha."

The Persian briefly smiled.

"Can this wait, Csaba? I have something important to do."

He sighed, "I promise what I have to say is far _more_ important than what you're planning to do, _whatever_ that is." He pulled his mother aside and motioned for Nousha to join.

Ana, on pins and needles, felt her son holding her hands very firmly as if to not allow her to escape the grasp. She narrowed her eyes, boring into her son's jade-colored eyes.

"I received a letter from grandma," he began slowly, and his mother slowly bobbed her head. "What I'm about to say needs to stay between us. Nobody else can know. Only myself, Soran, and Farah know."

"Alright…" Ana said, "you're scaring me. What is it?"

He inhaled, filling his lungs, and held his breath while he blurted out, "Arielle is pregnant, and she's coming back home."

Nousha's jaw dropped, then she clapped a hand over her mouth.

Csaba held onto his mother's hands, fearing that she was about to break away. He could feel her resisting, and she had the itch to storm off. He wrapped his arms around her, feeling the heat radiate off her cheek pressed to his neck.

"Mother, don't…don't be angry," he pressed their bodies closer together. "Grandma said…she said to oversee Arielle. Sambice sent men to…kill her, but failed."

Nousha snorted, "well, I am not surprised in the least. I knew she set me up," she rolled her eyes, fed up with the entire situation.

"You better take your arms off me, Csaba," Anastasia growled. "I'm going to kill her."

"Don't be angry with Arielle."

"Not your sister. _Sambice_!" she kneed her son in his gut, and he coughed, wrapped an arm over her stomach, bending over at the knees.

Anastasia raced towards the Adame, and Nousha stood by, watching with an amused reaction. She turned, smiling at the keeled-over king. She was going to make no intention of stopping Anastasia from reaming Sambice.

"Well, I am so looking forward to seeing Sambice with a sword through her chest."

Csaba, although winded from the blow from his mother, took off running towards the Adame.

* * *

_Baltic Region_

"Poisoning the water supply. A straightforward yet useful tactic," Xena tapped her fingers on her folded arms.

"I tried to keep her away from the field. She wouldn't listen."

"I know, Gabrielle," she paddled the governor's shoulder. "You tried your best. It's nearly impossible to control that girl. She should be arriving in Pannonia next week."

Xena sighed and sat down behind a desk inside the Khagana tent. She propped her boots on the table and balanced a quill on her top lip, staring at the map laid out beneath her shoes. She traced her fingers on the parchment and sent a smile towards her blonde wife.

"I miss this," she gestured to the luxurious tent, "being on the field with you."

Gabrielle smiled and sat down. She admired her life-long partner's tenacity and lust for justice in life. Though they had been through several wars together. They had their ups and downs together, but she did miss being on the field, but certainly not as much as Xena.

"Although this quite a setup here," Xena guffawed at the tent. "If I had a tent like _this_, I would never leave. This thing could hold fifty people, at least!"

Gabrielle chuckled. "Arielle's got it good."

"Speaking of that obnoxious child," Xena swung her boots off the table. "Do you remember when I had Ana sign a proclamation to sign her rights over as commander when we lived in Balaam?"

Gabrielle nodded, not liking where this conversation was going.

"I want you to write a similar document. Arielle isn't physically fit to lead a campaign like this." She jammed the sharp end of the pen into the table. "She should focus on herself and her new child. In fact, add Xerxes in there too."

Gabrielle leaned back, crossing her arms. "Feeling _generous_? Or are you just trying to take up the mantle as leader of the empire?" she joked.

"Don't be silly, Gabrielle," she guffawed. "Leading an empire is too much work, but Ana did say she wanted to be more involved. She can take over Arielle's duties for a year."

"Uh-huh. I'll get right on that," Gabrielle snapped her fingers. "Hopefully, Eksama will be here in a couple of weeks, and we can head back to Pannonia," she said, much to her wife's disappointment.

Xena nodded her head in agreement and swiped a hand under her runny nose. She sniffled, grabbing Gabrielle's attention. She smiled uneasily and wiped the sweat forming beneath the front of her headdress.

"Are you feeling alright? You've been sniffling and sneezing for the last week."

"It's this damn weather," Xena flicked her wrist. "All this rain can't be good for anybody."

A soldier marched inside and announced, "Lieutenant, the Antes are coming this way from the west."

"How many men?"

"Half of a legion."

Gabrielle exhaled heavily, "that's almost three thousand men."

"We have just as many soldiers as Mezamir," said Xena. "Plus an entire line of ballistic weapons. You tell the army to form in blocks and guard the border. Report back to me when that's done."

The soldier bowed quickly, then scurried out of the tent after his orders were given.

Gabrielle raised an eyebrow as she glanced over at Xena, who kept trying to hide her apparent runny nose. She took notice in the flushed cheeks yet slightly paler complexion. There was also the occasional sneeze and cold hands that Gabrielle felt on her skin late at night when they were in bed.

Much to her discomfort, Xena didn't like being gawked at, and certainly not by Gabrielle. "I'm fine."

"I don't think you should go outside anymore today. You should rest. I'll carry out any order to the soldiers."

"I said, I'm fine."

Gabrielle, unconvinced, stood and walked over to stand behind the desk. She pressed the back of her hand to Xena's forehead, which was incredibly warm to the touch. She shook her head, finding it challenging not to scold Xena for not taking proper care of herself.

"You have a fever. You're _definitely_ not going out there. You should take off that armor and get in bed."

"Gabrielle," she whined, "I have things to do."

"Which you can do when you're well. What good are you to the army if you're sick?"

"It's just a minor cold…" Xena scratched her head, turning away.

"A cold can turn into something very serious if you don't rest. You don't want to end up like Kreka, do you?"

Xena let out a nervous laugh, "that was completely different. Don't pin that on me."

"I don't want to argue with you, Xena. I am capable of carrying out orders. Some rest will do you some good. Come on," Gabrielle nudged her head towards the bed.

* * *

Csaba ran into his sister's home, suffering from a sore abdomen and a stabbing pain in his side. He grabbed a soldier by the collar and yelled, "where is my mother?"

"She was heading to the women's quarters, your highness."

He hoped he wasn't too late. He wasn't expecting his mother to sprint like a gazelle, and he didn't think he'd ever seen her run so fast before in his life. This wasn't going to according to plan at all, and his mother's irrational yet rational reaction was going to cause a whole new load of problems. If she was going to kill Sambice, how would anyone explain that to the Shah?

Screeching down the hallway, Csaba slid across the wood floor, nearly losing his footing, and bumped into a maid. A basket of laundry flew into the air, and the maid fell to the ground, and Csaba apologized briefly before he continued down the hallway.

He stopped when he saw his mother take a sword from a soldier's sheath. "Stop her!" he yelled, alarming the frozen guards.

Anastasia went ahead and pushed the doors open, holding the sword firmly, and stormed inside. Csaba gasped and darted down the hallway, shoving the useless soldiers out of his way. The children inside the quarters immediately stopped playing their games and gawked at Anastasia, marching through the room, sword in hand.

Sitting on the far side of the room, Sambice raised an eyebrow as the armed Khatun came charging straight for her. She raised a hand to her maids and casually reclined on the sofa, holding her laced hands in her lap. Esther watched the interaction and jumped off the couch, rushing to Anastasia.

"Get out of my way," Anastasia snarled.

"What are you doing?" Esther whispered. "You'll ruin everything!"

Ana could only see red, and she shoved Esther aside, sending her to the floor. She stomped on the large floor pillows, weaving in and out of the children, who later scattered upon seeing the sword in her hand. Meanwhile, Sambice remained calm, locking eyes with Anastasia.

"Mother!" Csaba screamed, "don't do anything you will regret later!"

Sambice smiled. "You should listen to your son, Khatun. He's a smart man."

Cera panicked and picked up her daughter, then tried ushering the other children out of the room. She grabbed Aurora's hand and forced Kazem to come along with them. Cera gripped Aurora's hand and hurried out of the room, making sure Kazem was trailing behind. She eyed her brother nervously, and Csaba curtly nodded at her while he waited by the entrance.

Ana pointed the blade to the floor, glaring at the Persian. "You tried to kill my daughter and her unborn child."

Sambice's eyes lightened, "oh, she is carrying a child. My congratulations to her," she said in a calm tone.

"You sent assassins to her camp!"

"Now, Khatun, you have no proof that I did that."

Anastasia's lip twitched, tightening her grip around the blade. "You told Nousha that you plan to kill my daughter's child."

"And you believed her?" Sambice said flatly. "Is this why you're here? You threaten to kill me?"

"It's not a threat. Admit what you did, and I won't kill you."

"_Sounds_ like a threat to me," Sambice sighed. "You don't want to threaten the Shah's wife, Khatun. You have no proof of anything you're accusing me with."

She moved to stand, and Anastasia pointed the sword dangerously close to Sambice's chest. Esther's eyes darted to Csaba, who was standing guard, preventing anyone from entering.

"One more step and you're dead."

"If you kill me, you will make things worse for your family. Step aside, Khatun."

"I'm not moving. Nobody, and I mean, _nobody_, harms my family. I have no problem killing you, Sambice, and it looks like you wouldn't be missed. As you know…._nobody_ likes you," Ana said, smiling.

Not qualified to deal with this type of situation, Esther was at a loss of what to do. She was no stranger to murder in her family, even to those who deserved it. She hesitantly walked to stand behind Anastasia.

"Sambice, I think it would be wise of you to leave," said Esther, trying to hide the shaky, unsteadiness in her voice. "You should pack your belongings and prepare to leave for Persia in the morning."

Against her will, Ana lowered the sword, glaring as Sambice walked past her. Flipping the dark veil over her face, Sambice briskly headed towards the doors, which Csaba opened, bowed his head, and allowed her to leave.

Esther narrowed her eyes, coming very close to Anastasia. "_That_…was not part of the plan," she hissed.

She flicked the veil over her face and marched onward, and Csaba opened the door again. He smiled, bowing, and said, "Shehzada."

Esther raised her hand and brushed by him, touching arms.

Sighing, Csaba made his way over and held his hand out. Anastasia sheepishly looked to her son and handed over the sword. Csaba shook his head and sheathed the sword in his empty holster. He grabbed her hand and led her to sit down on one of the sofas. He crossed his legs and sat on the floor beneath her, holding her hands.

"Mother…" he began, "grandma had a plan to reveal Sambice's lies, and you ruined it by threatening her."

Anastasia muttered, "Esther also had a plan. And I ruined that too."

"You could've started a war."

"You heard what she did! She tried to kill Arielle!" she clenched her fists.

Csaba nodded, "I know. I understand your anger, mother, I really do. I like Xerxes, but his family really is…" he paused, "goat shit."

Together, they shared a laugh, and Ana then exhaled. "She's going to be upset with me."

"Who?"

"My mother—your grandmother."

Csaba snorted. "Are you _scared_ of her? After all these years?"

"She's still my mother, Csaba."

* * *

_Baltic Region_

Commanding the army, Gabrielle stood under a canopy, overseeing the attacks against Mezamir. So far, the ballistic weapons provided by the Persians were the only thing keeping them afloat. She didn't know how, but the Antes were so resilient in battle. It was infuriating. This wasn't going as planned, and they already lost several dozen men in the span of eight days.

Not only was she tasked with giving out orders and overseeing the battle, but she also had to check-in on Xena every now and then. When she wasn't giving out orders, she was periodically darting back to the tent to see how Xena was fairing. Just as Gabrielle had feared, that little cold that her wife claimed to have, was not a cold at all. It was an illness that spread rabidly through this area.

Sometimes, she wished the Huns weren't so secluded, as they were hardly exposed to any type of illnesses that plagued the rest of the world. Justinian's empire had a plague that spread rapidly everywhere. Gabrielle, deep down, hoped that wasn't the same illness that Xena contracted. Otherwise, there was possibly no possible way that she'd live through the winter.

Lost in a daze, she couldn't hear the soldier calling for aid beside her. She snapped out of her distant state and turned to the soldier.

"Governor, what would you like us to do next?"

Gabrielle chewed on her bottom lip and overlooked the hill where the Persians kept reloading the catapults to fire onto the field. All of the box formations didn't work very well. She didn't know if that was due to her poor leadership skills or because Xena was so much better at this than she was. Either way, nothing was working as it should.

The spiral tactic was always nice to use in battle, but that required someone to lead the charge. Gabrielle didn't think herself competent enough to lead, and Arielle wasn't here either. The spiral formation was out of the question.

"Move the archers to the west side. Use hot oil on the arrowheads and aim for all of Mezamir's tents."

The soldier ran off to instruct the archers on the field, and Gabrielle took the opportunity to slip away momentarily to check on Xena. She parted the tent, and the army's medic stepped away from the bed.

"Don't let me disturb you," she said, kneeling down beside the bed. "How is she doing?"

"Better," the medic reported. "Her fever broke a few hours ago. I advise that she change out of these clothes. They're drenched from her sweat."

Gabrielle nodded, "I can do that." She lifted Xena's arm, inspecting her skin carefully. "Does she have the plague from Justinian's territories?"

"I…don't believe so. If she did, her skin would be covered in sores."

"Good, very good." She smiled meekly. "I can give her the medicine and change her clothes," she shooed the medic away with her hand.

She grabbed the bottle of medicine and poured a large helping into a spoon. Scooping her hand underneath Xena's damp hair, she lifted her head slightly, slipping the medicine into her mouth. Xena's face contorted at the foul taste, slowly waking up. Coughing, her eyes gradually opened, and she gulped down the bitter medicine.

Resting her head back onto the pillow, Xena licked her lips and released a stunted cough. A grin barely graced her lips, staring at Gabrielle.

"Good news! You don't have the plague," Gabrielle said, kissing her wife's hand.

"_Fantastic_…" she croaked. Clearing her throat, she spoke in a raspy voice, "Gabrielle, you shouldn't be here. You'll get sick too."

"I'm alright. I've been around you the entire time. I have everything under control outside."

Xena raised a skeptical eyebrow. "Do you?"

"Hey, I've been leading all of the attacks. I think I'm doing a _swell_ job," Gabrielle winked, smiling proudly. "But, you're much better at this than me. Once Eksama gets here, I'll feel a lot better, and we can go back home."

Xena rubbed her sore throat. "Thank you."

"It's what I'm here for. The medic said to change into dry clothes."

Sitting up in bed took tremendous effort, but when she was finally up straight, she pried the wet hair that stuck to her skin and grunted. She listened to the loud explosions outside and gawked at Gabrielle, who laughed tensely.

"Shouldn't you be out there?"

"They know what to do. Let me help you first."

* * *

Arielle trotted into Pannonia and was skeptical of going back to her Adame. She was informed by the guards surrounding the border that the situation with Sambice was dealt with. She didn't know what that meant, and her senses were so heightened lately that she couldn't trust anything anybody said.

Still, she rode towards her home and was helped off the horse by one of her soldiers. She walked up the stairs, heart racing with every step she took. Arielle mentally prepared herself for what was going to be on the other side of those doors. This was either going to be a huge lie, and Sambice was still in Pannonia. Or the guards were telling the truth, and she had to face the many questions that came from her family.

She took in a deep breath and waved her hand for the doors to be opened. She stood, unable to move, and she saw her family standing inside, evidently waiting for her. Surprisingly, she was greeted with many smiling faces, which eased her mind only slightly.

Ku walked forward, taking the coat off of Arielle, and draped it over her arms. Arielle, uncomfortably, adjusted her dress and then saw the several expressions change from smiles to gaping mouths.

Csaba stepped forward and peered down at his sister's belly and shook his head. "Why do I feel like we've done this before?" he teased and kissed her cheeks. "Sambice isn't here," he whispered in her ear.

She silently thanked him with a smile and then was accosted by her sister. She gasped, nearly falling over and whacked her sister's arm.

"Cera! Yes, I'm happy to see you too." She tapped her sister's shoulder, and when she was finally released, her cheeks were squished together. She furrowed her eyebrows, already annoyed by the warm greetings.

Cera kept smiling, inspecting her sister, walking around her, touching Arielle's arms, shoulders, and hair. She hopped in front of her sister and pinched Arielle's cheeks.

"Stop that!" she slapped Cera's hands and rubbed her face.

Allowing her sister some space, Cera backed away, nudging Csaba's arm. Arielle sighed, mumbling under her breath, and then her body tensed as soon as her mother approached with Aurora in tow. Arielle could barely keep a smile when she saw how shocked Aurora was.

She knelt down, holding her arms out, and Aurora slowly walked forward. "_Tatli_ _kiz_, I missed you." Arielle's smile faded, and she lowered her arms. "Aren't you happy to see me? I raced home as quickly as I could to see you."

Aurora drew her eyebrows together. "Is that a baby?" she asked, pointing to her mother's stomach.

Arielle's cheeks paled. "Yes…" she choked out, looking up to her mother, who gave a reassuring smile. "I'm sorry that I didn't tell you. Are you upset? It's okay to be angry with me. I will take full responsibility!" she smiled, pinching her daughter's arm.

"That's a first," Csaba mumbled, and Cera gave him a hard thwack to the chest.

"Can I at least have a hug?" asked Arielle, stretching her arms outward.

Aurora frowned and took a step back. Csaba intervened and took her hand, leading her away from the foyer. He picked her up and carried her away, whispering to her quietly.

Arielle still knelt on the floor, stared at her brother, whisking her daughter away. "She hates me."

"No, she doesn't," Anastasia said, helping her daughter rise from the floor. "I will have a bath drawn for you. Nousha is…preparing food for you."

Arielle dried her eyes and scrunched her nose. "_Nousha_?"

"She insisted."

Hooking arms with Arielle, they walked through the foyer together. Cera ran over and hooked onto her sister's free arm, grinning from ear to ear. Arielle looked from left to right, staring at the two, and sighed.

"What happened to Sambice? How did you get her to leave? Did…you _kill_ her?"

Anastasia bit her tongue. "Let's not talk about that right now."

* * *

Unable to sleep that evening, Arielle rolled out of bed and grabbed her robe. She opened her door, poked her head out into the hallway, scanning the quiet household. She stepped out of her room, closed the door, and walked down the hall, hoping that everyone was asleep. She made sure to be extra quiet as she slipped by her mother's bedroom.

There was a light underneath the door, which meant that her mother was still awake. Arielle held her breath, stepping over the creaky floorboards, and hurried to the other side of the balcony where Aurora's bedroom was. She opened the door, peeking inside, and saw Aurora sitting up in bed, drawing.

She knocked on the doorframe. "Can I come in?" she whispered.

Aurora lifted her eyes and nodded. She went back to drawing and felt the bed shift. She huffed and peered over at her mother, who sat at the end of the bed.

"What're you drawing?" asked Arielle, curiously leaning over.

"Some mountains like the ones in Balaam."

Arielle smiled, "wow, that's really good, _tatli_ _kiz_. You're an artist just like Teyze Cera."

"Mhm."

Moments of silence passed, and Arielle drummed her fingers on her knee impatiently. She scooted closer to her daughter, and Aurora frowned. She ended up sitting right beside her daughter, stretching her legs outward and crossed her ankles. Reaching into her pocket, she handed a letter over to Aurora.

"What's this?"

"A message from your father. He said he's going to send many gifts here for your birthday. I didn't forget that was coming up soon," she nudged her daughter's elbow.

Aurora smiled, opened the letter, and read it over silently. She set the letter aside and kept drawing, now in a better mood than she was just a few seconds ago.

"I…I'm really sorry I didn't tell you about the baby," said Arielle, and her daughter stopped drawing. "I didn't tell anybody because I wanted to go on the campaign."

"To save everybody?"

"That's right. Grandma Khanum was pretty mad at me when she found out."

That caused the princess to giggle.

"What's so funny?"

"Grandma Khanum is so funny when she's mad!" Aurora said, causing her mother to smile.

"I dunno…she's kind of scary if you ask me."

"She gets so mad that smoke can come out of her ears!" Aurora imitated an explosion sound, and Arielle stifled a laugh. "Her eyes get real big too," she wrapped fingers around her eyes, "and…and her mouth does this," she tried to emulate a twitch of her lip.

Arielle clamped her lips shut, trying not to laugh. "Knock it off," she playfully slapped her daughter's thigh. "Hey…are you still mad at me?"

The princess let out a heavy sigh. "No…"

"You can tell me anything, you know. I'll always be here for you."

Arielle recalled those exact words from her mother many years ago, and she wished she took those words to heart. She always felt like her mother was against her for the longest time, but it wasn't until she left home that she realized she was wrong. Her mother was and always will be on her side. She didn't want her daughter to experience that same animosity down the road.

Aurora smiled and received a kiss on the forehead. She settled down in the pillows and peered over at her mother's stomach. Curiously, she lifted her eyes, staring up at her mother.

"When does the baby get here?"

"By the end of winter."

Aurora nodded, internally processing everything all in one day. She rested a hand on her mother's belly and gasped. "Mom, did you feel that?" her eyes grew twice their size.

"I did. The baby definitely likes you," Arielle whispered.

"How do you _know_ that?" she twisted her mouth, eyeing her mother suspiciously.

Arielle tried not to laugh and wrapped an arm around her daughter. She looked around the room and spotted a familiar-looking headdress sloppily draped over the back of a chair with the veil touching the floor. She cocked her head to the side and pointed to the chair.

"Is that my Kozak?"

* * *

_Baltic Region_

Sitting atop the horse, Gabrielle internally wanted to scream. She clapped a hand to her forehead, watching the chaos on the field unfold. Every strategy she tried wasn't working very well, and she was too busy thinking about Xena to focus on the battlefield. They were running out of ammunition, which meant that she would have to send the Persian soldiers onto the field.

She didn't want to do that because she knew damn well that Persians weren't the best at close combat. There was a reason there were so thousands of archers in a Persian army. She used to make fun of her wife's job and even belittled her in the past, but Gabrielle took back everything she said. Xena was good at her job, and there was a reason people feared her when they knew she was leading an army.

"This is a joke," she mumbled.

A soldier galloped in from the west field. "Governor!" he flagged her down. "Khan Kubrat's army was spotted near the ravine. They're coming this way."

"Are you serious?" she growled. "Keep firing at the Antes. Don't stop for anything!" she steered the horse backward and rode toward the camp.

Once inside the safe zone, she hopped off the horse and ran into the Khagana tent. She stepped through the partition and found Xena lying on her side, drinking water. Winded from the ride over, she dropped to a knee, and Xena furrowed her eyebrows.

"Something wrong?" Xena asked, wiping her mouth.

"I need your help. I just received word that Kubrat's army is heading this way. We're running out of ammunition, and nothing I've done is working."

Xena reclined on the pillows, sinking into the bed. She felt every part of her aching muscles twitch at even the slightest movement. She wiped the sweat off her brow and could see that Gabrielle was beyond desperate. A few days ago, she said she had everything under control, but things have clearly taken a turn for the worse.

"Well…I…" Xena huffed, "what do you expect _me_ to do?"

"Something! I need some other strategy. I'll throw bombs at them at this point."

"Well…" Xena scratched her neck, "you could use some of Boareks' tactics. They're pretty _barbaric_," she hummed a chuckle under her breath. "But they work. Do you remember some of the Sabir strategies?"

Gabrielle rubbed her chin. "I think so. I already tried every box formation that you use in battle all the time, but nothing's working."

"Just do the diamond formation or triangle. That should work."

Gabrielle beamed, "you are so right! Thanks, you're the best," she leaned in, and Xena clamped a hand over her mouth.

"Do not come any closer unless you want the kiss of death."

Gabrielle leaned forward and kissed Xena's cheek. "I'll take my chances. I'll come back to check on you later."

"I'd rather you be on the field. Don't worry about me. I'll just waste away here in this tent," Xena winked.

Gabrielle left the tent in a hurry, smiling on her way out, and then stopped in the camp's center. Khan Kubrat sat on his horse close to the camp's borders. He was surrounded by Arielle's men, who prevented him from entering. She frowned, marching forward to meet with the traitor.

"What do you want, Kubrat?" she asked sternly, folding her arms.

"I have a message from Emperor Justinian. He wants you to turn back to Pannonia."

Gabrielle guffawed at the proposal. It seemed that the letter she and Anastasia worked on didn't go over so well when Justinian received it. The Byzantine Emperor had several allies at his disposal, which wasn't always the best idea, but given how the Antes fought, Justinian wisely chose his minions.

"You should've joined us when you had the chance, Kubrat."

He smirked, "and you should listen to me now, governor. I am doing you a favor by warning you!" he called over his shoulder as he trotted away.

"Gabrielle!"

The governor turned at the familiar voice and instantly felt relief. Before, a few seconds ago, she fought the urge to scream. "Eksama, I'm so glad you're here!" she never thought those words would come out of her mouth.

The redhead galloped ahead and whistled as soon as she laid eyes on the dysfunctional battlefield. "This is quite the mess. Where's Xena?"

"She's sick and has been in the tent for over ten days now."

Eksama nodded. "What a lovely time to fall ill," she joked. "What was Kubrat doing here? Giving you a hard time?"

"Something like that," Gabrielle muttered in annoyance. "I really need…help, in case you can't tell."

"I will see what I can do to clean up this mess you've left for me," Eksama teased and whistled at her men to ride into the field. "I would leave this area as soon as Xena is able. I wouldn't want you two to get caught in the crossfire."


	58. Chapter 58

**Only two chapters left! I'm a little sad this is about to end, ah. Thanks for reading :)**

Chapter 58—_A New Generation of Shahs_

For safety reasons, Eksama forced both Gabrielle and Xena to leave the camp and return to Pannonia. Throughout the journey, they stopped once during a horrible storm. Now, they were on their second rest stop and only a few days away from home. Gabrielle increasingly worried over her spouse's condition worsening as they continued onward.

As they came closer to Pannonia, the storm withered away, but the rain followed them. In the tent, Gabrielle sat, writing notes from what she observed in the Baltic camp. She was optimistic that Eksama would handle Mezamir's army, but she had some doubts. As she kept writing, she peered over at Xena sleeping curled under heavy blankets.

Unable to focus on her notes, Gabrielle closed her journal and crawled on the floor to lay down beside Xena. She sighed, laying on her side using her elbow as support. She brushed several strands of hair behind Xena's ear and checked her temperature with a hand to her forehead.

Xena stirred awake, eyes fluttered open, and smiled.

Gabrielle grinned weakly. "How are you feeling?" she whispered.

"Better."

Gabrielle arched her eyebrow, "you said that two days ago, and you look worse now."

"I just don't want to worry you," Xena teased, shifting underneath the blankets. "How far away are we?"

"Just two days." She toyed with Xena's fingers, drifting in thought. "I think you should ride the rest of the way in the caravan."

Just then, Xena's eyebrows pinched, and she coiled her fingers beneath her chin. "I am not incapable of riding my horse. I'm not a cripple," she cleared her sore throat. "I left on my horse, and I'm arriving on my horse."

That stubbornness was something Gabrielle knew all too well. There was also a sense of pride that Xena forbid to forgo, but it was time that she stopped. Gabrielle couldn't witness her wife's condition worsen as the days went on, and the only thing getting in the way was pride. Sole, ugly, festering pride. That was it.

"You're very sick, Xena. You're only making it worse by riding through this weather."

"I'm riding my horse. End of discussion."

Gabrielle sighed. "I don't want something to happen to you. You're letting your stubbornness get in the way. Look what happened to Kreka! She became so ill so quickly, and she refused treatment."

"It took her five years to die!"

"And do you want to die in five _days_?" Gabrielle spat.

Xena swallowed, widening her eyes. She licked her dry lips and settled into the pillow, averting her eyes. Most days, Xena forgot how old she was compared to everybody else. She never felt her age, but now she felt the age that she was supposed to be. She couldn't remember the last time she was this ill. Maybe when Anastasia was a child was probably the last time she was in such poor health from contracting an illness on one of her raids.

She also denounced how concerned Gabrielle was and didn't take that into account either. Smothered in her own guilt, she reached for Gabrielle's hand and gripped tightly.

"Sorry. I don't like being reminded of my own mortality."

Gabrielle kissed Xena's hand. "Nobody does. Will you please ride in the caravan tomorrow?"

"This topic isn't up for debate, I see."

Gabrielle shook her head. "I would _hate_ to have to report your behavior to your daughter."

"That's just dirty, Gabrielle. You two always gang-up on me."

"Then quit being so difficult," she playfully pinched her wife's hand.

* * *

_Assyria_

In the middle of a siege against the Lombards, Navaz was by himself, observing how well Rodelinda was able to keep afloat despite losing hundreds of her soldiers. Xerxes remained on the lower field, instructing archers and the ballistic fleet. Navaz figured out that he didn't like any of the Persian tactics early on. It was no wonder that the Persians were easily defeated in small numbers, although their army was usually so massive that nobody could beat them. That was the Persians main flaw—they relied on pure manpower and not on strategy alone.

Xerxes may have been the General of his father's army, but he wasn't very good at dividing up the military and relied solely on the archers to do most of the work. This, in the end, wasn't a good idea, which Navaz coached him several days into the war. When they had a little bit of downtime in between sieges, Navaz was able to teach Xerxes some strategies he learned over the years, either through Anastasia, Ellac, Xena, and even his own daughter, Arielle.

So far, the plans were working, and slowly, Rodelinda's men retreated from the area. As Navaz stood by and watched underneath a canopy, he kept picking at his beard to calm his nerves. To his left, he heard horsemen traveling into camp. He walked ahead, keeping an eye on the field, and frowned at the Persian horsemen.

"Another message from the Khagana?" he asked, slightly annoyed.

"Shehzade Xerxes is ordered to come back to Pannonia."

Navaz's mouth gaped. "Ordered by _whom_? The Khagana?"

"By Banu Nousha, your highness," the soldier said, and Navaz groaned. "I have a letter specifically written for the Shehzade. I need to deliver it to him."

Navaz held out his hand. "I will give it to him."

"I'm sorry, your highness, but I must make sure this is hand-delivered."

Navaz peered back at the field, watching Xerxes command the archers. "He's a little _busy_ at the moment."

"We can wait."

Navaz eyed the mounted soldiers and sighed. He knew that they weren't going to leave and decided to send a few men to retrieve Xerxes from the field. He didn't understand why the Persians were so secretive at times, but he wasn't going to question their ways anymore. It was best if he knew less and went through the motions.

Minutes later, Xerxes traveled uphill and hopped off the horse to greet the horsemen. Navaz grabbed his arm, pulled him aside, and whispered, "your mother is requesting you go back to Pannonia. This better be important, and it better not involve _gossip_ among the women in your family."

Xerxes smiled nervously and approached the soldiers, taking his mother's letter of their hands. He read through the message quickly, and with each sentence read, his eyes enlarged, and his mouth opened inch by inch. He gaped up at the soldiers who calmly waited for his reply.

"Is this true? Is this really written by my mother?"

"Yes, Shehzade."

Xerxes walked over to Navaz, who was overtly irritated. "I need to go be with Arielle. She…she came back from the campaign," he could barely speak.

"Is she hurt?"

"No, I…no," Xerxes' hands trembled as he held the parchment. "She's carrying _my_ child," he said aloud, then grinned from ear to ear. "I don't know how given the last letter...I need to go back."

"We are in the middle of a _war_!" Navaz shouted, motioning to the chaos below.

"It's tradition. I can…" he thought quickly for a solution, "I can ask my little brother, Khosrow, to come here. He is not far and is currently guarding lower Persia. He will aid you."

Navaz pinched his nose and waved his hand, dismissing the prince. Xerxes smiled and ran over to his horse, tucking the letter into his coat pocket. He ordered the soldiers to ride over to Persia immediately to ask for his brother's aid. As soon as he gave the orders, he called for his men to follow him, and then, as a group of six, they rode out of the camp.

Navaz ran a hand over his face, fingers digging into his skin. "Dammit, Arielle."

* * *

A week since her arrival, Arielle was immediately bombarded with more Persian customs and traditions to follow. It was painfully evident that she lied when she told Nousha she was aware of all the rules and rituals she had to commit to when it came to delivering an _heir_. She really was tired of hearing that word and felt like her child was more of an object.

Not only was she supposed to adhere to a specific diet, which wasn't too terrible, but she didn't see it necessary to be so strict. Arielle was also schooled by Nousha and learned that there were not one but _three_ ceremonies prior to the birth she had to participate in. Arielle really despised parties focused primarily on her, but she was kind enough to allow the Sassanian traditions to follow through.

Arielle stood in the center of her room while several maids were circling around her like pestering hens. She allowed them to mumble and inspect her, pick at her dress, and pinch her. She didn't like Nousha talking to the maids in her native tongue, leaving her clueless.

Off to the side, Anastasia sat with Cera and Farah. All three women listened to the Persians talk amongst themselves, wearing the same confused expressions.

After finishing discussing, Nousha stepped forward, smiling at her daughter-in-law. "If you don't mind taking off the dress so you can be measured."

"Ha…" Arielle nervously smiled. "Take off my dress?"

"We're all women here," Nousha reassured. "You need to be fitted for two different gowns. We already missed the first ceremony because you were _away_," she snidely added.

Not in the mood to argue, Arielle pulled her dress over her head and tossed it aside. She heard gasps from her family and shielded her face.

Farah sat with her mouth agape. "Arielle! I didn't know your _entire_ body was covered in tattoos!"

Arielle avoided looking at every pair of eyes in the room. She flinched at the hands, wrapping around her waist from behind. The intrusive maids measured almost every inch of her body, and Nousha walked around, whispering to the maids. A pair of cold hands touched the middle of her back, and she took in a deep breath.

"Are we almost finished?" she hoped.

"Have you been eating everything I've given you?" asked Nousha, raising a skeptical eyebrow.

Arielle's face reddened, and she nodded. She then heard Nousha whispering to her maids again, and that immediately hit a nerve. "Is there something wrong with the way I look?" she asked, placing her hands on her hips.

"You're too thin."

Arielle snuffled, mildly insulted, "well…I still have my exercise routine I stick to."

"You're _still_ exercising?" Nousha widened her eyes.

"Is that a problem?"

"May I remind you that you're carrying my son's child, a Sassanian heir, a dynasty member!"

Arielle growled inwardly. "Stop talking about my child like it's some sort of forbidden treasure!" she snapped, silencing the room. "It's _my_ baby, and this is _my_ body. I've done everything you've asked of me, Nousha, and I've been very tolerant of your rules, but I draw the line here."

She snatched her dress off the floor, threw it on quickly, and then grabbed her bow that hung on the wall. She marched across the room, desperately needing to get out of this room before she said something to Xerxes' mother that she would surely regret later.

Nousha gasped, "where are you going?"

"Target practice!" Arielle swung open the doors and stormed off.

Anastasia resisted the urge to laugh. "She just needs to blow off some steam."

"She needs to cooperate with me. Because of her little disappearing act, we missed a significant ceremony for the fifth month. I need to have this dress made for next month!" Nousha growled, throwing down the fabric onto the ground.

Ana sighed and whispered to Cera and Farah to leave the room. She stood up, waving her hand to the maids, who then quickly left the room. She waited for a few moments until the room was completely void of extra bodies. Staring at the petite Persian, there were so many things on her mind that she wanted to say, but she promised Cera that she would be on her best behavior.

She never had to deal with in-laws before, aside from Navaz's mother, but Tuya was nothing compared to Nousha and Sambice. Ana also recalled a few tiffs she encountered with Yana, and even then, Yana was more accommodating than Xerxes' family members.

"Nousha," she began, and the Persian looked up at her with piercing eyes. "I know you mean well, and I know your traditions are very important, but you need to be more reasonable."

"Considering that I even _allowed_ this union and that I'm living with you all proves that I am very _reasonable_," Nousha spat back.

Anastasia dug deep inside herself and put on her diplomacy act gained through decades of practice. She took in a deep breath to keep her composure and prevent herself from yelling at this woman.

"You can't control my daughter. I can't even control her," she mildly joked. "I haven't been able to control her since she was three. Arielle loves your son, and it's the only reason she's participating in all of these rituals. You need to give her time to process everything."

Nousha softened her rigid posture. "Delivering a Sassanian heir is very important. I want to make sure she does everything properly."

"Yes…" Ana sighed, "I can see that you all take this baby thing _very_ seriously," she snorted, receiving a glare.

"Her health is my only concern."

Anastasia raised her eyebrows, surprised to hear that. "Mine too."

"Xerxes should've received my letter by now. He should know better than to be off at war during a time like this," Nousha smoothed her tongue across her top teeth. "The father _must_ take care of the expecting mother."

Ana found that hard to believe, especially since Xerxes hardly had to follow any of the extensive rituals before, during, and after the wedding. Now, she wished she were here from the very beginning when her mother filled in for her when the rules of all these rituals were laid out.

Nousha noticed the dumbfounded look on the Khatun's face and smirked.

"I expect my son to take excellent care of Arielle. If he doesn't, I _will_ find out."

* * *

Confined to her bed since arriving back home, Xena was forced to work from her bedroom, which wasn't an ideal situation in her mind. She did convince Gabrielle to write a proclamation to hold Arielle's duties off for an entire year and hand them over to Anastasia for the time being. At first, Arielle refused to sign the decree, but after receiving an abysmal and terrifying lecture from her mother, she finally signed the order three days after it was written.

Xena now understood why Gabrielle wanted to leave the bedroom after just a few days recovering from her life-threatening injury. She was restless and hated doing work in bed. The only nice thing about this situation was that everything was brought to her, including Gabrielle and Anastasia. They all came to her, spent hours going over paperwork, and discussing future plans.

Today, they went over plans to send more ammunition to Eksama in the Baltic Region. As far as they knew, they were winning against Mezamir, but Xena couldn't be too sure of that since she was there overseeing the battle herself. She had many reasons to distrust Eksama, but she hoped that the reports were truthful.

Sifting through the documents, Gabrielle plopped another stack down onto her lap, and she released a heavy sigh. Gabrielle handed her a quill, which she snatched into her hand and wickedly glared at the blonde sitting by the bed.

"Sign here," said Gabrielle, pointing to the bottom of the page.

"Just wait a second. I need to know what I'm signing first," Xena muttered, reading the document until about halfway through she realized it was written in Persian. "What the hell is this?"

Gabrielle hesitated to explain, "it's an order for…a Persian midwife to come here, and family members to come to stay here for the upcoming ceremony. Anastasia already agreed, so I just need you…to…sign it," she smiled.

Xena tapped the pen on her knee. "But we have plenty of midwives here. Why do we need one from Persia?"

"Because Nousha wants one from Persia. Can you just sign it? You're supposed to be Ana's de facto notary because she can't sign."

"My goodness, I swear," Xena muttered under her breath, signing the document. "It's like this child is made of gold or something. Anything else I need to sign my life away to?"

"No, I think that's it for today. At least I hope it is," Gabrielle gathered the documents and placed them in her journal. "Did you take your medicine today?"

Xena reclined on the pillows. "Yes…"

"_All_ of it?"

"Gabrielle, come on."

"What? I can't trust you!" she chuckled softly. "I know that you tried to get out of bed this morning. I have spies, you know."

Xena shifted her weight and pulled her hair back, fanning her neck. "I know you're very concerned, but I'm fine now. I feel a lot better, and I'm not just saying that so you'll get off my back."

"I'll tell you what," Gabrielle climbed onto the bed. "If you're really _good_, I'll let you come downstairs and eat with us tonight," she winked.

Xena frowned and lightly slapped her wife's arm. "Don't patronize me, Gabrielle."

"Hey, I just want you to get well. I don't know where we would be right now if I hadn't forced you to ride in the caravan the rest of the way. Your stubbornness could've killed you—no, it would have!"

Xena's lips curled into a weak smile. "I'll work on that."

"So you've said for the last thirty years."

"I try my best. That's all you can ask for, isn't it?"

At great speed, Aurora charged through the doors and hopped onto the bed. She stood up, twirling around, jumping lightly on the mattress. Xena's eyes danced around, watching the energized princess prance around on the bed.

"Are you," Aurora made a final turn around herself and plopped down onto the bed, "feeling better?" she asked, crossing her legs, breathing heavily.

Xena, amused, smiled. "Yes, thank you for asking. You're in a good mood. What's going on?" she narrowed in, skepticism blatantly apparent in her eyes.

"You _know_ why I am in a good mood," Aurora hinted.

Xena looked over at Gabrielle and comprehended her wife's silent words being mouthed to her. It took a few seconds for the words to register, and she smiled, resting her hands on her knees.

"Ah, your birthday is next week."

The princess threw her hands in the air. "Yeah! And daddy is sending me presents. I wish he could be here, but he's busy with the campaign."

This was news to Xena, and she instantly snapped her head around to Gabrielle, who was shielding her face. She didn't know that Bayan had been helping Eksama with the campaign, nor was she notified that this decision had been made without her. This was definitely Anastasia's doing, and there was no way Xena would've allowed this. This was the very reason why she hated being out of the loop when it came to decision-making.

Gabrielle switched topics and asked Aurora, "where's your mother? I'm sure you're enjoying spending more time with her."

"She's taking a nap. She promised she'd take me to the field for archery practice later."

"That should be fun," Gabrielle smiled, nudging her irritable wife's arm. "I hear that the upcoming ceremony for your mother is very important. Are you excited about the party?"

Aurora sighed, "I'm not invited." She twisted her hair around her finger. "You're not invited either, Gabby."

Xena crinkled her eyebrows. "What do you mean, Gabrielle isn't invited? Isn't everyone invited?"

"Only _mothers_ are invited to the party," Aurora said, disappointed. "Some ladies from Persia are coming too."

"Who's all invited to this…_party_?" Xena clenched her jaw.

"Um, you, grandma Khatun, Teyze Cera, Teyze Farah, Teyze Nisa, Teyze Pamira," she went down the list, counting mentally. "That's it, I think."

Picking at her nails in her lap, Xena smiled tersely at the oblivious princess. "Aurora, why don't you go polish your bow before your session with your mother?"

Once the room was clear, Xena glanced over at Gabrielle, who was painfully trying to hide how hurt she was, but it wasn't working. She could see that Gabrielle was trying to hold every emotion she was experiencing at the moment deep within her. Many things could be tolerated when it came to the Sassanian rules, but this was one of those times when the rules could be bent.

Gabrielle swallowed and peered over at her spouse, smiling weakly.

"Nousha can't do that. You should be there too," said Xena.

"It's alright, Xena, really. If this is one of their rules, then I won't attend. I _can't_, anyway."

Xena threw the blankets off her body and got out of bed. She grabbed her robe, gently making her way around Gabrielle, who tried to force her to get back into bed. She swung open the doors and marched off, searching the halls, asking maids where Nousha was. Gabrielle raced out of the room, yelling in desperation. Inwardly, she panicked as she anticipated that Xena would cause an egregious scene that would be gossiped about for weeks leading up to the auspicious ceremony.

* * *

Xerxes arrived in Pannonia quicker than he thought, but he assumed that would happen since he only stopped once to allow the horses to rest. As soon as he rushed into the Adame, he asked where Arielle was and ran upstairs to her room. Covered in blood, dirt, and drenched in rain that soiled his clothes beneath his leather armor, he entered the bedroom quietly.

He began stripping his leather armor off and took off his boots, leaving them by the door. He leaned to the side and saw Arielle sleeping on her side, hugging a pillow. Smiling, he took off his long-sleeve tunic and approached the bed. He kept his distance to not wake her up.

Too eager to wait for Arielle to wake, he decided to take a bath in her room. He didn't even bother to heat the water and took the quickest and coldest bath he thought he ever had in his life. Xerxes, knowing he didn't have any clothes with him, wrapped a towel around his waist. That is after he found one.

Stepping back into the bedroom, he found Arielle sitting up in bed, yawning. He grinned, holding the towel to his hip. Once Arielle rubbed her face and gave her hair a couple of rake-throughs, she spotted a figure by the door and gasped.

Xerxes smiled and climbed onto the bed, water dripping off his bare chest. He leaned over and kissed her, tasting the sweet fragrance of the rose sherbet she drank earlier. He nibbled on her pulsating lips, pulling away to see the delight and shock in her blue eyes.

"Wow," she licked the corner of her mouth, "thank you for…whatever that was," she said. "I…didn't know you were here!"

"I just arrived," he said, sitting in front of her.

"I know what you're thinking," she hinted playfully, "I look _different_," she gave him a cheesy grin.

Different wasn't the word Xerxes had in mind. He fixated on her belly, unable to believe it was true. Suddenly, his face contorted, rendering a worried expression from his wife.

"What is it? I mean, you knew I was going to look like _this_," Arielle teased, lightly punching his bicep. "Don't look so shocked. I told you I was pregnant months ago. You were the first to know! Well, aside from Ku," she stopped herself when she realized she was rambling. "Xerxes?"

"I…uh," he rubbed his throat, "I received a letter saying that you…miscarried."

Her eyes widened. "_What_? I never sent a letter saying that! I…" she paused, narrowing her eyes. "Sambice. That hag. She tried to kill me, you know!"

"Arielle," he gripped her shoulders, quieting her down. "I don't care about Sambice. She's always trying to ruin my life. I just care about you."

"But she –"

He pressed a finger to her lips, and Arielle's eyelashes fluttered. Chuckling softly, he kissed her hand. "I left the camp as soon as I received my mother's message. I'm sorry I didn't come back sooner but I…didn't know."

"Once again, you can blame Sambice for that, but I'm glad you're here!" she cupped his cheeks, swiping her thumbs across his strong jaw. "Thank you for rushing back, but you really didn't have to do that."

"Yes, I did. It's part of the tradition that I take care of you. Don't worry, I will do everything for you. Anything you want."

Arielle smiled mischievously. "_Anything_ I want?" she asked, and Xerxes nodded. "Really? Anything? You'll do everything I say?"

"Yes, _really_."

She reclined on the pillows, eyeing Xerxes with a smug grin. "Well, I think this is the only tradition in your culture that I might actually like."

Xerxes shook his head and rose off the bed. "First, I need to grab some clothes."

She snatched his wrist, "you don't need to do that."

* * *

Xena stormed into Nousha's chambers unannounced, startling the maids who were standing by the doors. Nousha sat at the desk, writing several letters to many women from different Persia regions to attend the ceremony. She lifted her head, calmly dipping the quill into the inkwell, barely acknowledging Xena.

"Feeling better, I see, Khanum," she said smoothly.

Xena called over her shoulder to the maids, "get out."

This time, Nousha frowned, setting the pen down. "They're _my_ maids. You can't give them orders."

"I _said_ get out," Xena's voice deepened. At that, the maids left and closed the doors.

Nousha crossed her arms. "You have my full attention. What do you want?"

"I need to talk to you about this _ceremony_."

"Ah, the _Agarni_," Nousha smiled, "what would you like to know?"

Xena opened and closed her fist several times before speaking. "I was told that only mothers are invited to this ceremony. No children or men are allowed."

"That's correct."

"Gabrielle isn't on the list."

Nousha smiled uneasily and let out a nervous laugh. "Well, she's not a mother. Only mothers attend _Agarni_ because they bring good fortune to my son's child. You understand, don't you?"

"No. I don't." Xena stepped forward, resting her palms on the desk. "Just because you don't give birth to a child doesn't make you any less of a mother. Gabrielle has helped raise most, if not all, of the children in this clan. She was there when Arielle was born. Arielle is named after her!"

Nousha sat, doe-eyed, unable to utter a sound.

Xena stood up straight, tracing her fingers on the wood. "Arielle will be very upset if Gabrielle isn't invited. And something tells me that my daughter doesn't know about this. Otherwise, we wouldn't be having this conversation, but instead, I heard this little tidbit from Aurora's mouth."

She walked backward and turned, holding her laced hands behind her back. She knocked on the door, and the maids opened them from the other side.

"I look forward to attending the _Agarni_," she said as she walked into the hallway.

* * *

_Estakhr, Persia_

Sambice anxiously waited to hear the news of the Shah's sudden illness. She wasn't looking forward to returning to her home, and she was ready with a slew of complaints to tell Shah Kavad. But as soon as she heard that her husband was ill, the only thing she could think about was the loss of her status in the empire.

Whenever the Shah was ill, it was meant to be kept secret from the public. Sambice made sure that the only people who knew of Kavad's illness were the physicians and herself. She thought to keep this underground but knew that Esther would raise hell if she kept out of the loop. Waiting more than ten days, Sambice finally informed Esther of her brother's condition, and now she waited for Esther to show up at the palace.

She tried to be calm and not alert the harem about what was happening behind closed doors. She made frequent visits to the harem wing, and she wished she wouldn't have. News of Xerxes' child had reached all ears within the harem, and the women talked about it nonstop for almost two weeks.

Clueless about the Shah being on his deathbed, several women were invited to the _Agarni_ in Pannonia. They began trickling out of the palace day by day to make the trek over to Hunnic land. Sambice stood outside the harem doors, watching several maids carry trunks of clothes, gifts, and other necessary items for the ceremony.

Sambice stepped into the harem quarters and spotted Shehzade Khosrow's mother, Talia, talking with her son's leading concubine, Sherine. Unlike the other concubines, Talia was basically untouchable due to her status, hailing from the House of Ispahbudhan. As Sambice walked further into the room, the women quieted down, and Talia looked her way.

Talia whispered to Sherine and walked over to greet Sambice. She bowed hesitantly. "Shahbanu, good morning."

"Preparing for your trip to Pannonia, I see."

Talia smiled, "yes, I received Banu Nousha's letter. It will be bizarre to host an _Agarni_ in a foreign land. I look forward to meeting the Shehzade's wife."

Sambice nodded, looking over at Khosrow's three small sons, one still an infant. "And, Sherine will be accompanying you?"

"Of course. We will be staying in Pannonia until after the birth. I hope the Huns won't mind putting up with all of us for a few months."

"I'm sure they will have no problem hosting you, Talia."

She did her best to hide her malice, though everyone knew how she felt about the Huns and Xerxes' wife. The only thing on her mind was the thought of the Shah's imminent death, and that meant that Talia would become the new ruler if Khosrow were to become Shah. Sambice couldn't allow that to happen, but Khosrow would make a far better ruler than Xerxes. And Talia was easy to sway, so Sambice thought to use this to her advantage for the foreseeable future.

Then there was Sherine. She was a quiet woman, and never caused trouble in the harem, unlike Nousha. She would become the new Shahbanu if Khosrow were to take the throne. Lost in thought, Sambice didn't even notice Talia speaking to her until a few minutes later.

"Shahbanu?"

She blinked, staring down at the lithe blonde. "Hmm?"

"I asked if you were going back to Pannonia for the ceremony."

"No," she answered quickly. "I am needed here, but please do enjoy yourself. The Huns are very _hospitable_," forcing a smile, Sambice turned on her heel and exited the room.

* * *

Overlooking the main balcony, Gabrielle watched as a horde of Persian women entered the Adame. Many of the women were older, but a few were younger, perhaps around Arielle's age. She felt bad for Arielle, knowing that she was going to be smothered by these strange women. Gabrielle turned around as a hand clamped on her shoulder.

Xena whistled upon seeing the trail of women. "This is going to be _fun_."

"Look at all of those chests!" Gabrielle pointed to the maids carrying the trunks through the foyer. "It looks like they're moving in."

"I'm sure most of those are filled with gifts. That child isn't even born yet, and it's going to have a mountain of presents."

"I'll say," Gabrielle sighed, turning to her wife with a smile. "Oh, I forgot to tell you. I got a letter from Eksama. The Antes are slowly pulling back, but she thinks it's just a diversion so Justinian can ship in more soldiers."

Xena rubbed her chin. "Is Bayan still there helping out?" she asked, and Gabrielle confirmed with a curt head nod. "Then, I'm not worried. He may be a lying, cheating, piece of goat shit, but he is very good at commanding an army."

"That's probably the nicest thing you've ever said about him. I'm proud of you," she paddled Xena's shoulder.

Xena rolled her eyes and walked down the hallway, and heard Gabrielle laughing from behind. She walked to the bedroom and was advised by her wife, daughter, and almost everyone in the household to stay in bed as much as possible. Xena came to terms with this weeks ago, mostly because she hated arguing with everyone here, and it wasn't like she could win. But, she couldn't get used to the fact that she couldn't be on the field, advising Eksama. Letters were the only way to communicate, and she hated waiting on the sidelines. Suddenly, she knew precisely how Anastasia felt and realized that she had been too hard on her over the last couple of years.

She really downplayed how her daughter felt about being left out of everything to do with the empire. But currently, Xena was forced to work with her daughter since Arielle was on leave. She thought that was going to be a disaster, but Anastasia proved that she was very easy to work with this time around. It was a nice distraction from Nousha and the Sassanian traditions being shoved down everybody's throats.

As they walked together, Gabrielle discreetly clasped hands with Xena and then paused at the balustrade as soon as Nousha was making her way up the stairs. Xena halted, feeling a tug on her arm, and spun around. She leaned over the railing and frowned at Nousha leisurely, walking up the stairs, clearly with a mission on her mind.

Nousha huffed and came to stand before the women. She held out two folded letters.

"Invitations to the _Agarni_," she said.

Gabrielle gasped, taking the letter and ripping it open. She grinned, eyeing her wife, who returned the gesture. Meanwhile, Xena was glad that Nousha changed her mind and decided to invite Gabrielle to the ceremony. For once, she was listened to.

"Thank you!" she held the letter to her chest. "Is there anything you need from us? Do we need to bring anything? Gifts?"

Nousha cleared her throat, "no gifts are necessary. Gifts are to be distributed by the husband's side of the family. I do request that you wear…_dresses_," she fixed her attention on Xena.

"She'll wear one," Gabrielle said enthusiastically. She received a pinch to her back and winced.

Nousha crinkled her eyebrows then made her way back down the stairs. Once she left the area, Xena dug her nails into her wife's back.

"Ow, stop!"

"_Gabrielle_," she growled.

"What? You heard her! Now you have no excuse. You _have_ to wear a dress."

* * *

Feeling restless, Arielle sat on her bed, chewing on her nails, waiting for Xerxes to return from the kitchen below. She could hear a sea of voices from outside her bedroom and knew the women were here. They arrived, which meant the ceremony was happening. She secretly wanted to avoid this entire party but knew she couldn't.

At first, she was okay with the idea of having the _Agarni_, but now she wanted to cloister herself in her bedroom and never leave. In a few short days, she would be surrounded by women she's never met in her life, and they would be giving gifts and greeting her.

She took in a deep breath and dropped her hands in her lap. Xerxes entered the room, holding a glass of juice. He smiled at her, closing the door to block off the talkative crowd outside. He sat on the bed, handing her the glass.

"_Anba_ juice," he said.

Arielle took in a shaky breath and stared at the drink. She didn't mind all of the attention he gave her over the last couple of weeks. It was nice, but it took a while to get used to it. She also didn't mind having this juice every single morning, but today, she just couldn't bring herself to drink it.

"I'm going to be sick," she said aloud.

Xerxes' cheeks chalked. "What? Should I send for someone? You were fine earlier." He began checking her pulse.

Arielle smiled, finding his concern amusing. "No, no, I'm okay. I just…I'm a little nervous about this ceremony. And I hope your family likes me."

"Oh," he laughed. "They will love you."

"I wish you could be there. I would feel so much better if you were with me," she grasped his hand tightly.

"I wish I could," he kissed her nose. He now focused on her stomach and smiled. "Can I?"

Arielle sighed and reclined on the pillows, adjusting her body. Finally, able to stomach the juice, she sipped it slowly and kept herself from laughing as Xerxes inched closer to her. She mentioned to him several times that she wasn't accustomed to the attention received, mainly due to Bayan. He didn't acknowledge her very much when they lived alone, so it was different to see how attentive Xerxes was with her.

Lifting the dress, Xerxes looked up at his wife's smirk on her lips. His hand roamed across her tattooed belly, then pulled his hand away to wait for a response. Raising an eyebrow at the lack of reaction, he tapped his unborn child a few times.

"It seems that someone is sleeping," he said.

Arielle wiped the corners of her mouth and set down the empty glass. "I would hope so, especially after last night. I couldn't sleep for the longest time."

"Why didn't you tell me?" he gasped.

"You were passed out," she flicked his shoulder. "Besides, you're no help. The baby seems to like your voice, and…" she paused and felt a small flutter. "You see what I mean?" she pointed to the side of her belly.

Xerxes grinned, "our baby likes me. What can I say?" he placed his hand on her stomach. "By the way, the midwife is coming here next month. Her name is Mehry. She delivered my brothers' children and several other children in the empire."

She exhaled heavily. "I don't see why your mother wants a Persian midwife. We have plenty here that are very good at their jobs."

"It's just trad—"

"Tradition, I _know_," she finished his sentence, and Xerxes snorted. "I'm trying my best, I really am."

"And you're doing a great job. You and my mother seem to be getting along better."

Arielle cast a skeptical look. "Xerxes," she grabbed his hand, "your mother does not like me. She only puts up with me because of _this_," she pointed to her stomach.

"That's not true."

"Oh, yes, it is. And she hates my mother."

"Well…" he furrowed his eyebrows, "at least my mother never tried to kill you," he winked.

* * *

On the eve of the ceremony, the women's quarters were completely blocked off from all children and men in the Adame. While Anastasia suggested hosting the party in a larger room, Nousha wanted to make sure that all women were secluded from everyone else, so Ana immediately lost that argument.

Gabrielle opened one of the doors and stepped inside with a big grin on her face. All of the Persian women had their own little circles, talking amongst themselves. They all kept talking, waiting for Arielle to arrive. Gabrielle looked around at the decorations and spotted a dais in the back of the room, adorned with flowers and fruit.

"Wow, you know, I thought Farah's people were big on parties, but this is insane!" she said aloud and reached behind her and grasped air instead of a hand.

"Xena?" she turned and pulled her wife's hand, jerking her in the room."Get in here!"

Xena groaned, adjusting her dress. She had an urge to hide her face with the veil of her headdress. As soon as she walked into the room, most Persians turned to her with uncertain smiles.

"This is going to be a very long night," she whispered, forcefully smiling at the several eyes. "At least with our parties, men are allowed to come! This is going to be torturous, Gabrielle."

"You're overexaggerating." She pulled Xena through the crowd, nodding and smiling at the Persians. "We're here for Arielle. I'm just glad that I got invited! _How_ did you convince Nousha to invite me anyway?"

Xena crookedly smiled, "oh, you know me, I have a way with words."

"No, you have a way with _swords_. Did you threaten her with a weapon?"

"I do a nice thing for you, and you accuse me of threatening? I'm offended."

Gabrielle rolled her eyes playfully.

"I told her that you deserved to be here, which you _do_," Xena whispered. "Besides, I wasn't going to stay here all night by myself. These women are like piranhas."

Letting out a soft laugh, Gabrielle weaved her way through the sea of women and finally found the lonesome Hun women huddled at the back of the room. They all stood by the dais, waiting for Arielle, Nousha, and Anastasia to arrive. Farah halted her conversation with Nisa and smiled at the two.

"You two look nice," Farah complimented.

Gabrielle smiled, "and you look gorgeous, as always. All of you look gorgeous! So, how come you all aren't mingling with the others?"

"I'm going to need _several_ glasses of wine to converse with these women," mumbled Farah, sipping the wine.

Nisa leaned over, "they're not very friendly."

"She's right," said Pamira. "They're my people. I know them very well. They're only here because of Nousha and Shehzade Xerxes."

Gabrielle frowned, taking another look around the room. "But this ceremony is for Arielle."

"They're here out of respect. It would be rude to turn down an invitation from the Shehzade's mother."

* * *

Halfway through the ceremony, Arielle lost count of how many women had kissed her cheeks and hand. She began to feel overwhelmed by the gifts that kept piling up behind her. She also felt a bit of tension from her mother and Nousha. They hardly said a word to each other throughout the evening, and with the two on either side of her, she was more anxious.

The celebration was quite different from a senlik, since the guests were _only_ women, and Arielle didn't know any of the women at her own party. There also weren't any dances, children, or men present, which she thought strange. She got the feeling that the women on her side of the family were bored out of their minds. Especially since none of them made an effort to talk to the Persians.

After the last of the women gave their gifts and greetings, Arielle was itching to get out of the chair and walk around. She sat for the last couple of hours and was uncomfortable with the amount of attention placed solely on her. She also wanted to wipe all the makeup off her eyes and lips. Her eyes immediately went to the table filled with food, and she turned to Nousha.

"Can I get up now?" she whispered.

"Not yet. We have to recite a prayer with everyone here."

Arielle groaned. "I've been sitting here for hours!"

Anastasia raised an eyebrow, listening to the hushed conversation. In order to preserve the tranquility among everybody while also appeasing Nousha to not disrespect their traditions, she decided to intervene.

"Nousha, let her get up. We can do the prayer later." She suggested, noticing her daughter about to lose her temper.

"The priestess is going to recite the prayer soon. She's about to gather everybody to sit on the floor. It won't take long," Nousha said, glaring at Ana.

Arielle, impatient, rose from the chair, stretching her back, and stepped off the dais. She heard several women stop talking as soon as she walked through the crowd. A path was made for her, and it was then that she heard whispering. She assumed that they had nothing nice to say. She stood in front of the table, lined with several trays of food.

She grabbed a silver tray and began putting several bowls of various foods onto it. She turned, smiling at the women who gawked at her as if she was committing some blasphemous act. She carried the tray and walked over to her family members, and took a seat on the floor with them.

Xena lowered the glass of juice from her mouth and saw the Persians' horrified eyes upon them. Farah picked at the food she ate on the floor and snickered, amused at the chaos that was about to unfold.

Arielle ignored the stabbing stares boring into her backside and ate quietly, barely acknowledging everyone else seated in a circle around her. She lifted her eyes briefly as she scooped a handful of rice into her mouth.

"Are you supposed to be sitting here?" Xena whispered, nervously staring at the Persian women who gossiped from afar.

Arielle said with a mouthful of rice and bread, "I am starving! How can she expect me to sit there for hours like that? They can wait. This is _my_ party, after all."

Satiated with the amount of food, she was already in a better mood than just moments ago. She finished off the rice bowl and then began eating the yogurt with just a spoon and nothing else. Cera, sitting across from her sister, gaped in shock, astonished at how quickly her sister was finishing off every single bowl on the tray.

Farah wiped her hands, tilting her head, also in amazement.

Arielle paused and looked around at the many eyes fixated on her. Embarrassed by her ravenous appetite, she wiped the corners of her mouth, set down the finished bowl of yogurt, and then smiled at all the women.

At the room entrance, the door creaked open slightly, and Aman poked his head inside. He tried to search for his mother in the crowded room, but it was nearly impossible to find her. He slipped into the room, hoping to go unnoticed. As soon as he tried to stay hidden behind the pillars, a few Persian women spotted him.

The women gasped, and Aman smiled nervously. He made himself visible and side-stepped out from behind the pillar and bowed his head.

"Good evening, ladies. I don't want to intrude, but I'm—"

"Aren't you handsome," said Talia, causing the prince to blush.

"Um…I was just looking for my mother. Do you know where she is?"

Talia smiled at the other women and stepped forward. "And _who_ is your mother?"

Aman felt he was about to be bombarded by these women, and he regretted ever stepping foot into this room. "Ah…Queen Farah…"

She pointed to the back of the room, and Aman quietly excused himself. He escaped just in time before the women were to question him. He tried to make his way through the sea of Persians, and many of them made a path for him, which he thanked them for. Utterly oblivious to the fact that they talked poorly about his appearance, he waltzed over to the back of the room where he saw his mother sitting with the others.

Xena, in the middle of a conversation with Gabrielle, looked up at Aman heading their way. She could see Nousha seething from afar and held in her laugh. The prince happily approached, smiling at the women.

Farah gasped, "Aman, what are you doing here?" she whispered. "You aren't supposed to be in here."

"Sorry, I know. You ladies look very pretty," he nodded, admiring their dresses.

Xena nudged her wife, "look at Nousha. She's going to implode. Nothing is going according to her plans."

"You're enjoying this a bit too much," Gabrielle whispered.

Aman continued to say, "um, father wanted me to tell you that he's going to the west wall with Ernak because the Byzantines are trying to breakthrough."

Farah screamed, "_what_?!"

Arielle smiled, "does this mean I have an excuse to leave?"

"No," Xena spat then whispered to Gabrielle, "did you know about this?"

"It's the first time I'm hearing about it."

Anastasia hurried over to the circle and bent over next to her daughter, "Nousha wants you to come to sit back down in the chair. She said once the prayer is finished, then you're free to do what you want."

Arielle groaned. "Fine, but this better not take long!" she grabbed her mother's hands and stood up.

Ana kissed her daughter's forehead and gently pushed her along to meet with Nousha. She tilted her head, staring at her grandson, who stuck out like a sore thumb. Aman grinned boldly and kissed her hand, putting on the charm.

"Grandma Khatun…" he nervously laughed. "That dress looks good on you!"

"Ah, thank you, now, run along. You aren't supposed to be here," Ana waved her hand, shooing her grandson away. "Is everything okay over here?" she asked the women, specifically her mother, who was awfully quiet.

"We'll talk after this party is over."

* * *

All the hard work the soldiers put in building the wall had been wasted. Catapults were aimed directly at the wall, slowly breaking through into west Pannonia. All Huns and Persians stood on the other side of the border, watching the massive stone construct crumble and fall apart. Ernak encouraged the soldiers to climb the wall and shoot at the Byzantines on the other side.

Csaba sat on his horse, watching the chaos unfold. He knew that once the wall was completely torn down, the Byzantines would rush forth into his territory. He wondered when this was ever going to end. Everyone always targeted his home and people. Their enemies wanted their land because it was considered the best. It was in the center of all surrounding empires.

Justinian, nor anyone else, was going to stop warring with the Huns. Csaba doubted that the wall would hold the enemy for long, considering how fast they were chipping away at it. Last time this happened, Arielle was in charge and so was Xena, but Csaba was alone with Ernak. Despite his many years of training and experience, he had to give it to his sister for being one of the best military leaders, aside from his grandmother.

Occupied by his uncle shouting commands yards away, he heard loud horse hooves from behind. Csaba looked over his shoulder, grateful to see his grandmother approaching with over fifty soldiers in tow.

Xena pulled up beside him, smiling softly. "Farah has been crying her eyes out for three days, by the way," she said casually.

He knew that this was going to upset his wife, but he had no choice but to leave their home. He needed to be here. Ernak couldn't defend Pannonia all by himself.

"Does mother know you're here?" he asked curiously. "Better yet, does Gabrielle know? I thought she forbid—they both—forbid you to go onto the field."

Xena ignored his questions and persisted, "you can't let Justinian's men through. Pannonia has been attacked more times in the last two years than I can count on one hand."

"I know. Ernak is trying his best to hold them off. I don't know what's going to happen. That wall is going to fall eventually."

"And when it does, you will make sure that they don't go beyond the western pass. Do I make myself clear?"

Csaba scratched his throat, but agreed silently, staring into her stern eyes.

"Do whatever you have to do to stop them."

She steered her horse to ride back and Csaba felt instant panic settle in the pit of his stomach. He reached for her arm, gripping firmly.

"You're not staying?"

Xena smiled, setting her hand on his. "I'm not always going to be here to save you, Csaba. I trust you know what to do. Be careful," she gave his hand a strong squeeze.

* * *

Bored from her satiated lifestyle at the moment, Arielle decided to wait in her grandmother's room until her return. She constantly had Nousha on her back, as well as Xerxes, but she also couldn't get rid of Aurora. On the one hand, Arielle was happy that she had so much extra time to spend with her daughter, but she rarely had a moment's peace.

Sitting in a chair with her legs propped up on a stool, she watched Gabrielle pace back and forth, chewing her nails. On the floor, Aurora sat quietly, painting with the new brush set that Cera gifted her on her birthday. Arielle anxiously bobbed her ankle as her eyes followed Gabrielle, making a hole in the floor.

Aurora tugged on her mother's arm to grab her attention. "What do you think?" she lifted up the parchment.

Arielle looked at the painting of trees and what looked to be a river. "Wow, it looks great. I see you're really enjoying the new brushes."

The princess nodded, smiling at her own work. She stood up and began fiddling with the lace on her mother's long sleeve. "Can we go practice some archery today?"

Distracted by Gabrielle's pacing, Arielle spaced out for a moment. "Oh, um, I'm actually really tired today, _tatli_ _kiz_. We can practice tomorrow, okay?"

Storming into the room, Xena growled, "those motherfu—" she paused at the unexpected company in the room. "Oh, _hi_…"

Gabrielle gasped, "you're here!" she wrapped her arms around her wife, embracing her tightly.

Xena sighed and noticed Arielle attempt to rise out of the chair. "Don't get up," she raised a hand, "it's painful to watch you struggle," she teased.

Arielle rolled her eyes. "Well? What happened? What's going on out there?"

Gabrielle finally released her wife, checking her over. "Is it really that bad? Are the Byzantines breaking through the wall?"

"I expect they'll break through in the next three days. Maybe less," Xena took her headdress off, smoothing out her hair.

Aurora gasped, slapping her hands to her cheeks. "We're gonna get attacked _again_?! I can't go through this again!" she breathed heavily.

Xena walked over, lifted the frantic princess by the waist, and plopped her down onto the bed. She bent over with her palms resting on the mattress, staring into Aurora's teary eyes.

"Nothing happened last time, and nothing's going to happen this time," she calmly explained.

Aurora, on the verge of tears, spoke brokenly, "all this war stresses me out."

Everyone in the room wore smiles, and Xena rubbed her lips together, trying not to laugh at such a serious, yet relative, comment from the child.

"Me too."

Breaking the tension, Anastasia walked through the open doors and glanced around the room, seeing quite a few more bodies than she expected. She supposed she couldn't scold her mother in front of Aurora, so she contained her thoughts and emotions for the time being.

"I didn't realize there was a party in here," she announced, causing alarm.

Aurora grinned, free of tears, and soared off the bed, running to Anastasia. She wrapped her thin arms around her grandmother's legs, hugging tightly. "Did you hear? We're gonna be attacked again!"

"Don't worry, you'll be safe here."

Xena closed her eyes and turned to her slightly annoyed daughter. "Hello there."

"Hello," Ana responded with a terse smile. "Navaz just arrived. Either we're victorious against the Lombards, or we sorely lost."

Arielle's eyes lit up, "father's here?" She sprung up from the chair, brushed by her mother, and hurried down the hallway to greet her father.

Anastasia frowned and thumbed over her shoulder. "She's _never_ that eager to see _me_."

Gabrielle shrugged her shoulders.

"Yeah, I'll say. That's the fastest I've seen her move in a week," Xena joked, receiving a nudge to her arm from Gabrielle.

* * *

Outside the Adame, Navaz stood around, ordering soldiers to move horses, wagons, and weapons. He was looking forward to seeing everybody, but he carried some rather unsettling news. Knowing that both Nousha and Xerxes were here was a good thing, but then again, this news was bound to upset them. After he left Assyria, pushing the Lombards out, both he and Shehzade Khosrow were greeted by Persians who traveled all the way from Estakhr to report the news.

Navaz had no idea that the Shah was so ill, but he was sure that was kept a secret for a reason. This was going to change everything, for better or for worse. He hated being the barrier of bad news, and he remembered how upset Arielle was. Now, he was going to have to upset a few more people other than his daughter.

In the middle of a conversation with a soldier, Navaz heard his daughter yelling for him across the field. The soldier kindly excused himself, and Navaz smiled, albeit exhausted and worn from the journey, he was ecstatic to see Arielle.

She waved her hand and then picked up her dress, stepping around the large mud puddles. Hurrying as quickly as she could, she stepped over a large puddle, separating them both. Navaz grabbed hold of her hands and pulled her towards him.

Hugging him warmly, she dug her nails into his back. "Thank god you're back! I feel like you've been gone forever! How was the trip? How are you?"

Navaz kissed her forehead and then peered down at his daughter's belly, sighing gutturally, then looked into Arielle's big blue eyes.

"Don't worry about me. How are _you_?"

She brushed a few strands of hair behind her ear. "Oh, you know," she awkwardly laughed, "having a baby," she said, twirling hair around her finger.

"Yes, I can _see_ that," he raised a thick eyebrow. "You shouldn't have gone on the campaign, Arielle."

She rolled her eyes, fluttering her eyelashes. "Can we not talk about that right now? I do not hear the end of it from _anybody_."

"Later then," he pinched her chin. "I have some upsetting news."

"Did we lose the war?"

Navaz took in a deep breath, "Shah Kavad is dead," he blurted out, and Arielle's jaw dropped. "Shehzade Khosrow is going to be crowned Shah."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Agarni - a traditional Zoroastrian ceremony for expecting mothers in their seventh month of pregnancy.


	59. Chapter 59

**Almost to the finish line! One chapter left!**

Chapter 59

When in doubt, Gabrielle always knew that her spouse would be on the field, defying orders. She gave up trying to advise Xena over the years, but she always recalled how many times Xena scolded Arielle for the exact same behavior. Anyhow, Gabrielle rode, galloping furiously, to west Pannonia, which was only a few hours away from the mainland.

She did find Xena observing the battle ahead from afar, standing under a canopy. Shaking her head, Gabrielle stepped off her horse and marched over to the canopy. Immediately, she was acknowledged by her stubborn spouse. Now wasn't the time to scold.

They looked at the disaster several yards away. The wall had partially fallen two days ago, and they could see both Ernak and Csaba commanding simultaneously. If they weren't able to keep Justinian's men in this area, this could become disastrous if they entered the mainland. Per Xena's orders, half of the Persian army guarded the camp.

The use of catapults, and any other ballistic machinery, was useless now. Everyone was fighting in close quarters with traditional weapons, which wasn't ideal if Ernak and Csaba were to keep the army from invading.

Xena, itching to go out onto the field, was restless and felt useless standing off to the side. Since she was the Lieutenant General, it was her duty to command the army, but given that she was forbidden to fight, her commands wouldn't be heard from this distance.

"They're ripping us to shreds," Gabrielle painfully admitted, surveying the battle. "There's no way Ernak and Csaba can hold them off forever. This has been going on for seven days."

Xena's breath hitched as she saw Ernak in the middle of a fight between three Byzantines. She clenched her jaw hopelessly, watching him fend for himself. Her eyes darted to Csaba, who was by himself in the center of the field, surrounded by Persian soldiers who aided him. Back to Ernak, he took a blow to the thigh, and Xena's nostrils flared.

She stalked over to the ballistic weapons that were held off to the side. She waved her hand to a few soldiers who stood on standby. They came rushing towards her, ready for given orders.

"Line these up on the west and east sides of the field."

Gabrielle, too focused on the war, hadn't noticed that her wife left her side. She spun around, searching, and found Xena commanding soldiers to move the large catapults downhill. She walked over and grabbed Xena's arm.

"What are you doing?" she asked, knowing the answer already.

"I'm going to blow up the field."

Gabrielle's cheeks numbed. "But…our men are out there too," she said, receiving a void stare. "Ernak…Csaba…they're both out there."

"I know."

This wasn't the time nor place to have emotions regarding family members, even though Xena desperately tried not to think about it. She was essentially putting both of them in danger, but this was getting out of hand, and she needed to put a stop to it before Justinian was to take over Pannonia entirely.

As soon as all of the catapults were lined up, the soldiers began loading ammo, igniting it. They stood by the machines, looking up at her, waiting for the command. Xena raised her hand, and then Gabrielle snatched her wrist.

"Xena! What are you doing?!"

She shoved Gabrielle aside and lowered her arm. The soldiers released the catapults, all ten of them, and Xena turned around, unable to look at the damage. Gabrielle mistakenly kept her eyes glued to the field, watching the flaming buckets of ammo soar through the air.

* * *

Arielle sat on the bed, combing through her wet locks. It had been a tough week since the news of Shah Kavad's passing, and she thought she had problems expressing her feelings, but she was wrong. Xerxes was very distant and reluctant to talk about his father's death. Nousha, on the other hand, had secluded herself in her room, following through with prayer to guide her through the pain. Another tradition, Arielle supposed.

She kept staring at her husband, who was sitting in a chair, polishing a bow. He was trying so hard to ignore his father's passing by constant distractions. Arielle set down the comb in her lap and inched her way off the bed. Invading his space, she sat on Xerxes' lap, and he set the bow down on a table.

She wrapped an arm around his shoulder, smiling softly, gazing into his dark eyes. She ran her fingers through his long mane. Finally, she was able to make him smile for the first time in seven days.

"You can tell me how you feel," she whispered. "I know you're upset. You have every right to be. I don't know what I would do if I lost my father."

Xerxes sighed, resting a hand on his wife's thigh. "I'm not as upset as you think I am."

She draped her legs over his thighs and situated herself on his lap to get comfortable. "Tell me what you're thinking."

"I didn't have a solid relationship with my father. Not like you have with yours," he began. "I was his favorite son, but…life in Persia is different than life here."

Arielle nodded, keeping her opinions to herself. There were many customs that she wished never existed in Persian culture.

"Fathers aren't very involved," he admitted, and his wife didn't look the least bit surprised. "But I promise I will be involved with our child's life," he smiled, resting a hand on her belly.

"You really aren't like any of the other Sassanians. Are you sure you're related to them?" she teased, pecking his nose.

He inhaled and added, "I am more worried about my mother. She is no longer part of the harem."

"So, does this mean she's not a concubine anymore?" she felt odd, saying that her mother-in-law was once a slave to Persia.

He looked up into her blue eyes silently.

"What does that mean for her? What's going to happen to her?"

Xerxes shrugged a shoulder. "I don't know. Since my brother is now…the Shah," he said bitterly, "he gets to decide. My mother is supposed to receive a portion of the treasury, and if my brother is logical and reasonable, he'll give my mother what she deserves."

Arielle hummed, tapping her fingers on her knee. "Politics. Well, as much as your mother and I don't see eye-to-eye on a lot of things, she is more than welcome to stay here."

Beneath them, they felt a thundering rumble throughout the entire Adame. They peered up at the chandeliers, gently swaying from side to side. Arielle eased off of his lap and hurried over to the balcony on the far side of her room. She swung open the doors and walked outside into the frigid climate.

A gust of cold wind blew her hair back as she stood, gazing at west Pannonia covered in a thick cloud of black smoke. She placed a hand over her rapidly beating heart and saw another explosion set off in the distance. She flinched at sight and could feel the after-effects of the explosion from where she stood.

She looked over at the balcony next to hers and the one beneath her bedroom. Soon, almost everyone came out of their rooms to observe the destruction. Her stomach knotted when she saw her mother appear on one of the balconies.

Xerxes placed a hand on his wife's shoulder, and she followed her gaze directed at Anastasia. He could tell by the forlorn look on her face that she was either on the verge of tears or ready to scream into the void. In a split second, Anastasia ran back into her room.

Arielle gasped, "mother!"

Running back into her room and out into the hallway, she grasped the railing, leaning over while panting. She saw her mother running down the stairs, furiously.

"Mother! Don't go out there!"

Navaz walked out from another hallway and furrowed his eyebrows, gawking at his daughter shrieking from the other side of the Adame. He peered over the balustrade and witnessed Anastasia running through the foyer.

"Dad!" Arielle shouted, waving her hand. "Stop her! She's going to the field!"

Without hesitating, Navaz darted down the stairs and jumped off the last few steps to catch up to his wife. He ran outside into the cold weather, and Anastasia had already mounted a horse. He sprinted across the field and leaped forward, grabbing onto Ana's arm, yanking her off the saddle.

They both fell to the ground, and Anastasia clawed her way through, trying to crawl across the ground.

"Let me go!" she persisted and even bit Navaz's arm. "Let go!"

"Anastasia, no!" he wrapped his arms around her in a tight bear-hug. "I can't…_let_ you go," he growled, struggling to hold her.

She gaped at the soldiers who kept eyeing her in her distressed state. Tears flowed down her cheeks, and unable to breathe, she kept trying to maneuver her way out of Navaz's arms by using all the strength she had within her. She jabbed her elbow into his ribs, which Navaz grunted. She shoved his face backward, and he fell onto his back, holding her squirming body on top of his.

Sitting upright finally, Anastasia stopped resisting, falling limp into Navaz's arms. She buried her face into his chest, and finding it hard to breathe, he cupped his hand over her head.

Arielle and Cera walked outside and frowned sadly, listening to their mother wailing on the cold ground. Cera reached for her sister's hand, lacing their fingers together.

* * *

They ceased firing, and the field was now covered in black smoke, lingering fires, and hundreds upon hundreds of wounded soldiers from both sides. Xena walked out from under the canopy and could see that many soldiers continued fighting despite the massive loss. She wafted the black clouds from her face, searching the field for Csaba and Ernak.

Gabrielle kept a hand planted over her mouth. The field was eerily quiet, all but the clashing of swords from a distance. She felt a heaviness in her chest that she couldn't explain. She couldn't speak. Glancing over at her wife, she could see the distraught feelings sweltering inside.

With a decision so drastic, she could understand why Xena made the choice she did, but at what cost? She could have and possibly did, send both her grandson and Kreka's son to their deaths.

Xena swallowed the lump in her throat and shouted, "search the field for the kings!"

Many standby soldiers mounted their horses and galloped into the field. Gabrielle approached her spouse, gripping her arm tightly. They waited in silence as the soldiers combed through the bodies. Seemingly, the dark fog cleared, and the sun beamed through the clouds out onto the land.

Continuing to fight against the Byzantines, the scouts returned with both kings, fallen over the saddles of the soldiers' horses. Xena let go of her other half's hand and walked forward. Minutes later, which felt like hours, the soldiers came to a halt and pulled both bodies off the horses.

Hesitant to take another step, Xena nodded to the men. Csaba and Ernak were carried over and laid down on the grass. Gabrielle, lingering behind, took a few steps forward, peering from behind her wife's tall frame. The crowd, still silent, as the soldiers bent over, checking pulses and any sign of life.

"He is alive," he pointed to Csaba, who was unconscious.

Xena smiled and then looked to Ernak, who was covered in blood of his own and others. Two soldiers inspected him more carefully. Her heart hammered in her ears, and the longer it took for the soldiers to keep checking Ernak's pulse and press their ears to his chest, the more anxious she became.

The soldiers stood up, backing away from the king. They looked up at the Lt. General, and Xena's eyes enlarged, as did her gaping mouth.

"Oh no," Gabrielle muttered.

Xena knelt down beside Ernak and examined his badly beaten body, bloody face, and mangled long hair. She caressed his cheek, which was cold to the touch. She reached into her pocket and pulled out a linen cloth. She grabbed a canister of water by the canopy and doused the cloth generously. Gently, she wiped off the blood and dirt from Ernak's face.

Gabrielle, off to the side, watched the interaction. She crinkled her eyebrows while Xena kept cleaning Ernak's face and combed out his hair. It was probably the oddest reaction she'd ever seen Xena in response to death. Although she supposed it made sense. Ernak was like another child to Xena. She had seen him since birth and watched him grow up to be the man he was today.

"There you go," Xena whispered, gazing down at the king's now clean face. "Your mother would kill me if I left you looking like that."

Gabrielle smiled softly. She wiped her cheek as soon as Xena headed her way. She took hold of Xena's hand, gazing into her glossy eyes.

"He should lay beside Kreka."

Gabrielle nodded.

"I had to do it," she said, finally meeting Gabrielle's eyes.

"I know," she kissed her wife's knuckles. "You did the right thing, Xena."

"They were going to invade."

Gabrielle kept nodding. "You did it to save everybody. I know that, we both know that."

Dropping her gaze, Xena wiped her nose, then her lips curled into a frown. "Take down that hideous flag," she shouted to the soldiers, referring to Justinian's flag planted on center field. "And burn it."

* * *

They returned to center camp by nightfall, and everyone waited outside eagerly. Once they heard that the war was nearly over, for the time being, everyone gathered to wait for their return. There was still a lot of cleanups to do, but many soldiers returned with the wounded for the most part.

Anastasia, still frazzled from earlier, spotted torches approaching. She dropped the shawl she wore and briskly crossed the field, leaving Navaz's side. She saw two stretchers being carried, and her heart sank. Heaving, she picked up her pace and ran. A path was made for her, and she looked up to her mother and Gabrielle sitting atop their horses.

She weaved through the horses and stood between the two stretchers, one with her son and the other with Ernak. Fearful of touching either one of them, her hand stretched out to caress her son's cheek. There was a warmth there, and her hand roamed over his chest and smiled once she felt a heartbeat.

She kissed his forehead and lifted the wool blanket and gasped. She would like to say she wasn't shocked to see the wounds, but she was. His ribs were bound by several thick bandages, and his legs were covered in bruises, gashes, and patched up gaping holes.

Anastasia's attention diverted to Ernak on her right and caressed his cold cheek. Her other hand rested over his chest, and her breath hitched. Her head whipped around to her mother, who was standing in the dim light. Frantic, she cupped Ernak's cheeks, and tears swelled as she brushed her thumbs across his face and jaw.

By the Adame, Nisa stood with her sons and maids, who held her two infant daughters. She walked forward when she saw Ana resting her head over Ernak's chest. She quickened her pace and ran across the field. When she halted beside the stretcher, Anastasia stepped away, drying her cheeks.

Nisa looked over at all the soldiers who refused to look her in the eye. She held Ernak's cheeks and then saw the expression on Xena's face. Suddenly, she belted out a loud howl, collapsing over Ernak's body.

* * *

The next day, Ernak was dressed in his best clothes before his body was set on a funeral pyre. His ashes were then spread around Kreka's gazebo nearby the Adame. Evidently, Nisa was the most distraught out of everybody and cloistered herself in the home, seeking refuge with her smallest children.

Ernak's eldest son, Kurt, who was now of able age to take the throne, would be crowned as the next king. Despite the loss of his father, the teenager took it well, more so for his mother's sake. He mourned later, he told himself. Three days after his father's funeral, he dressed in the best robes he owned. He was supposed to meet with the other family members in Arielle's Adame to conduct a meeting.

Upon entering the conference room, everyone stood up, waiting for his arrival. He walked in, and Arielle, seated at the front of the table, motioned for him to sit down. Once he took his seat, everyone else sat.

Arielle cleared her throat and flipped through the documents laid out on the table. "Kurt, I just want to say that your father was a very great king and man. I've known him my entire life, and everyone else here is very upset by his passing."

The teenager smiled briefly.

"But his death wasn't for nothing," she said, grinning weakly. "I would like to give you the right to the empire, and I have some documents for you to sign."

She passed the papers down the line, and Gabrielle, sitting beside Kurt, handed him the papers. Kurt looked down at the documents, very disinterested in what was written here and distracted by the many pairs of eyes surrounding him.

"While Csaba is recovering, you are in charge," said Arielle. "But, I am still above you. Any issues you have need to be reported to…my _mother_," she said, remembering the contract she signed. "You should be familiar with the chain of command. Do you have any questions?"

Kurt shook his head. After a moment of silence, he signed all of the documents and pushed the stack back over to Gabrielle once he was finished. He stood up, bowing his head to Arielle, and she waved her hand dismissively.

"Thank you, and I would like to spend time with my siblings and my stepmother."

"Of course," Arielle smiled. "Did anyone send a letter to Eksama and Ebnedzar? They should know."

Gabrielle raised her hand. "I actually…have some news about the war with the Antes."

"Go on…"

"Eksama has decided to surrender," she said, receiving glares all around the table.

Arielle slammed her fist on the table. "I did not order that! She can't _surrender_!"

Ana blinked and placed a hand over her daughter's fist. "Arielle, don't stress yourself out. It's not good for you," she whispered.

Smoldering inside, she glared at her mother. At the other end of the table, Xena leaned forward, tapping her nails.

"Arielle, go to your room."

* * *

Laying on her side in bed, Farah watched over her husband ever since he came back from the field. Initially, she thought the worst would happen, and fortunately, Csaba was alive, but she couldn't say the same for his uncle. She wondered if Csaba knew about his uncle, but she gathered that he didn't since he'd been unconscious for the last four days.

To keep her mood stabilized, she kept her daughter close by. Sitting on the bed, Aracsilla toyed with her mother's long hair, squealing softly every so often. Farah smiled, fiddling with her daughter's wispy dark hair.

Slowly, Csaba stirred, letting out painful groans and moans. Farah gasped and sat up, leering over him with their child in her lap. Csaba's eyes fluttered open, and he squinted at the bright sunlight beaming through the windows.

"Look who's awake," Farah whispered to her daughter.

Csaba turned at the voice and smiled at the two most important women in his life. He inhaled sharply, holding in a throaty growl, and caressed his daughter's cheek with a gentle finger. He was welcomed with a toothless smile, and he looked up at Farah, who had been sitting beside him the entire time, he supposed.

"Hi…" he said. "It's nice to see you here."

"I'm always here," Farah kissed his bruised hand. "Aracsilla and I have been waiting for you to wake up."

He shifted his weight and winced from the twinge in his lower back. He sat up gradually and smiled as his daughter crawled onto his lap. Albeit painful to hold her, he contained himself and dealt with the excruciating pain he was experiencing. He was just glad to be here, awake, and alive. The last thing he remembered was a series of catapults being fired onto the field.

"I…hope we won. I don't remember what happened."

Farah sighed, "we won, but…"

"But?"

"But, Ernak is no longer with us," she said and watched his expression change from content to immediate sorrow. "I'm sorry."

"Well,…" he looked down at his daughter, "he will finally be reunited with his parents and brothers."

* * *

Gabrielle took off her coat and flung it over a chair, ready for this day to be over. She was exhausted from all the events that happened this week, and after that meeting earlier today, she wanted to hit the pillows and forget everything. She should've known that Arielle would react so hostile regarding Eksama's plans to surrender. I should have known better, Gabrielle chastised herself.

"I probably could've waited to tell Arielle," she said aloud, more so talking to herself than her spouse. "She looked ready to flip the table."

She sat down, brushing her hair, and chuckled, adding, "I don't know why she was there at the meeting anyway! She forgets that Ana is in charge. I should've told Anastasia after Arielle left. I feel _really_ bad for Xerxes. Nobody likes to be around her when she's mad. Am I right?"

Smile fading slowly, Gabrielle swiveled around to see Xena sitting on the bed with her face buried in her hands. She set down the brush, walked over, knelt down, and rested her hands on Xena's bent knees. As she was about to speak, she heard soft sobs.

"Xena…" she whispered, "don't cry. I'm here."

Waiting for a response, she took hold of Xena's hands and rested her head on a knee. Finally, Xena's hands slid off her face and peered down at the big green eyes gawking up at her. She wiped her nose and exhaled shakily.

"I sent him to his death."

"Ernak, you mean."

Xena nodded.

"You can't blame yourself for that. I know what you did was to save thousands, and you didn't want to do it. I know he would've done the same thing if he were in your position."

Xena gripped her spouse's hand tightly, illuminating a smile of warmth, which then Gabrielle returned with a reassuring expression.

"Kreka is going to haunt me forever."

Together they shared a laugh.

"Thank you, Gabrielle."

"I'm here to please," she raised her eyebrows with a playful smile. "But, thank _you_!"

Xena arched an eyebrow, "for _what_?"

"For talking to me," Gabrielle smiled, "I'm glad you decided to say something. You've been very quiet for the last couple of days. I was beginning to worry, but you came through."

"You were _waiting_ for me to crack?" Xena leaned downward, narrowing her eyes.

Gabrielle pinched the cheek above hers. "Hey, I learned to stop trying to pry feelings out of you. Good on you for doing that all by yourself. I'm proud of you."

"I've never felt so insulted and flattered at the same time."

* * *

_Estakhr, Persia_

Nearly a month after the coronation, Khosrow made several changes in the empire. This included dismissing most of his father's old court, which was filled with corrupt politicians that were twice his age. Almost all of the councilmen once served Balash and continued to serve Kawus, even after his death. Khosrow knew that he would definitely be assassinated or overthrown if he allowed those men to remain close to him.

Being the young ruler he was, younger than his brother, Xerxes, he realized that his people might not take him seriously if he didn't act with a firm hand upfront. Khosrow advised his aunt to stay with him and guide him through the laws and politics for a while until he was able to rule alone.

Now that he dismissed most of the court, he needed to address his family. The family was important, but as everyone knew, the Sassanians were known to kill off relatives like flies. Shah Khosrow had no business worrying over Xerxes. His brother wasn't even on his radar, but Shahbanu Sambice was.

By his orders, Sambice entered the throne chamber with guards following her. There, she stood in front of the young Shah and Shehzada Esther, who glared at her. Sambice could feel the burning gaze even from beneath the opaque veil Esther wore.

"It's come to my attention that you tried to assassinate my brother's wife, the Hun Khagana. That's one count of attempted murder. The Khagana also carries my brother's child, a Sassanian Dynasty member. That's two counts of attempted murder."

Sambice narrowed her eyes, directing her attention to Esther, who was smiling, judging by the wrinkles around her eyes.

Khosrow continued, "members of the harem informed me that you have murdered two of my father's concubines and their sons. That's four counts of murder and two attempts. This doesn't bode well for you," he said with a sneer.

Sambice bowed her head, unable to look at both the Shah and Esther. She was simmering, but there wasn't anything she could do to save her life. Essentially, by the law, she knew she was powerless now since Kavad was dead. She expected the guards to whisk her away and take her to the gardens to be executed publicly.

The young Shah rubbed his chin, "you should be put to death." He noticed a flinch. "But, I will grant you mercy only because you were my father's wife."

Sambice lifted her head, crinkling her eyebrows.

"I will spare your life, but I am stripping you of your title. You will give back everything you own, and it will be given back to the treasury. This includes all the properties you own. You will also," he raised a finger, "live in seclusion in _Anosbord_."

Sambice's jaw dropped. "_Anosbord_?"

"You didn't expect to live in one of your villas, did you?" Khosrow rose from the throne. "You're my prisoner now, Sambice. You should be _grateful_ that I let you live."

* * *

After the long-extended war, Eksama was reluctant to return. She didn't want to face disappointment but knew it was inevitable. Riding at a slow trot, she entered the mainland and saw Xena waiting for her in the field's center. Austraia was also present, and Eksama gave a worn smile directed towards her daughter.

Ready to embrace the disappointment, Eksama dismounted the horse and approached her daughter first. She supposed she would have to deal with Xena later. Embracing Austraia tenderly, the teenager was taken aback by the response and stiffened her body.

Stepping away, she brushed through her daughter's curly auburn hair.

"Did you hear the news?" Austraia asked, still awestruck by her mother's warmth.

"About Ernak, yes I did. I know you liked him very much."

Austraia hinted a shy grin.

Xena cleared her throat and Eksama excused herself from talking to her daughter. She walked over, now standing face-to-face with her superior. The look she received was what she expected. Xena was very unhappy about the outcome.

"I didn't have a choice. I had to surrender or I was going to lose the entire army."

Xena raised her hand, "you don't need to explain yourself to me."

Eksama, stood in shock. She expected a lecture given the look of disdain on the Lt. General's face.

"I know you are smart enough to recognize a loss when you see one," said Xena, exhaling throatily. "But I advise that you don't come near this Adame," she pointed to Arielle's home. "Unless you want a very stern lecture. I am sparing you three hours of your time."

Eksama licked her lips, trying her best not to smile. "Right, of course. I will just head back to…" she eyed her brother's home.

"That's your home now. Kurt is king now, but that's your home."

"Really?"

Xena's upper lip quirked upward. "Yes, really. You still need to sign some documents," she waved her hand, clearly uninterested. "But, Gabrielle will come to you, _unless_ you want to face the wrath of Arielle."

"I'll pass."

"Wise choice. She's been in a bad mood lately."

* * *

Held up in the bedroom, both Gabrielle and Anastasia went through the documents together, concerning the church that Arielle originally wanted built last year. Other documents about projects that were still in progress were put off to the side for later dates. Gabrielle didn't think she read so much in one sitting before. Since Anastasia couldn't read very well anymore, Gabrielle opted to read all of the documents aloud, which proved to be super tiresome as the days passed by.

"Which one is this?" asked Ana, holding up a parchment.

"That's for the Adame that's being built in Kazakhstan."

Ana set the paper aside, "I didn't know Arielle still went ahead with that. I thought she was going to wait until after the campaign."

"You know how she is."

Gabrielle organized the papers, becoming flustered with the amount of stuff she had surrounding her. And her day wasn't over yet. All of these documents had to be signed by Xena and somehow, she knew, Xena wasn't going to be happy reading all of this.

"If you don't have anything else, I think I will go get Arielle. I'm supposed to take her to the midwife today."

Gabrielle sighed, already over with today's tasks. She had to carry everything over to the room down the hall and she wasn't looking forward to doing that, nor talking to Xena about this either. Still, she needed a break, and decided to join Anastasia. They left the room and made sure to lock the door so nobody could access any of the documents.

As they walked down the hall together, they flinched at a loud screech coming from Arielle's room. It was an odd scream. Not one of distress, but of fear, which was odd in of itself since neither one had heard Arielle scream like that in their lives. After a few moments of stunned silence, they walked towards the room and Gabrielle opened the door.

"What's wrong?" Anastasia walked inside, looking around for her daughter. "Arielle?" she glanced back at the governor, frowning. "Arielle, where are you?"

Finally, appearing from the bath chamber, Arielle walked out, hurrying towards the women. Gabrielle closed the door and gasped, covering her mouth. Arielle pulled down the collar of her dress, exposing the red splotchy patches on her chest and neck.

"Do you see _this_?" she spat, "my entire body is…is…"

"Covered in a rash," Ana said, examining her daughter's skin.

"Should you be touching that?" Gabrielle whispered, hiding behind Ana.

Arielle panted, rolling up her long sleeves. "It's everywhere! What am I going to do?" she began scratching her arm and then her neck, eyeing the concern in Gabrielle's eyes, which worried her even more.

"First of all, stop scratching," Ana said and Arielle's hands dropped to her sides. "It can't be anything you've eaten because you've been eating the same foods for months. You're probably just stressed, that's all."

Arielle griped, "stressed? I am not stressed!"

"Listen, Arielle, I talked with Nousha, and she has expressed some concern…"

"Oh, come on. You're actually listening to her?"

Ana frowned, gripping her daughter's chin, "she thinks you're overexerting yourself, and I am inclined to believe her. She and Mehry offered to teach you some exercises that will you help relax."

"I get plenty of exercise."

"Not that type of exercise."

Arielle raised an eyebrow, suspicion rising, "what _kind_ of exercises…"

* * *

The infirmary was cleared just for Arielle to meet with the midwife who just arrived in Pannonia a few days ago. So far, she was very nice, and from what Arielle could tell, Mehry was different from other midwives she grew up with. She wasn't surprised that there were certain customs related to this practice compared to her customs. Midwives in Persia were paid exceptionally well, and unlike the Hun midwives, they were obligated to live with the family prior to the birth, and forty days afterward.

Arielle began to wonder if all her stress was exacerbated by all the new traditions, rituals, and customs from her husband's culture. For now, she did everything as she was told, despite hating some of the rituals.

Outside the infirmary, Gabrielle lingered by the door, watching the midwife talk to Arielle. They sat on the floor together with both Nousha and Anastasia, who sat off to the side, observing. Gabrielle was interested to see what type of exercise Mehry was administering, and it was amusing to see the frustration all over Arielle's face, even though this exercise was supposed to be relaxing.

"There you are," Xena said from behind, walking down the hallway. "I've been looking for you everywhere."

Gabrielle looked over her shoulder, and put a finger to her lips. "Shh, I'm watching."

"What's going on in there?" Xena looked over the blonde head and frowned. "Is something wrong with Arielle? Why are they in the infirmary?"

Gabrielle groaned lowly, and whispered, "the midwife is teaching Arielle how to do a meditation exercise. It's called yoga."

Xena snorted, "meditation? Seriously?"

"Yeah, it's supposed to relieve stress," she looked up at her wife with a smug grin, "maybe _you_ should try it."

"Humorous, Gabrielle. No, thank you. I don't need to meditate."

"You might want to after you see how many documents you have to sign," Gabrielle snickered.

Xena grumbled, grasping the governor's shoulder, and pulled her aside. "Pardon me? _More_ documents? I thought we were finished for the week."

"Duty calls. Arielle is a very busy woman. I went over everything with Ana this morning. I just need your fancy signature on fifty pages, and then we're golden!"

"_Fifty_!" she shrieked. "Do I really have to sign every single page?"

Gabrielle lay a hand on her spouse's shoulder. "I would sign them, but…you're in charge."

"Hmm, yes, in charge. And _who_ decided that? Oh, that's right, my daughter. I didn't _ask_ for this position." She snubbed her nose, folding her arms, pouting silently while menacingly glaring at the wall.

"Meditative yoga is looking pretty good right about now," Gabrielle didn't even try to be subtle.

Inside the infirmary, Mehry sat opposite the Khagana, sitting quietly. Arielle sat with her legs crossed, palms pressed together, eyes closed, and exhaled deeply. She tried to follow all of this woman's instructions carefully, and for a few minutes, she was able to clear her mind, but the urge to scratch her body was more distracting than anything else.

"How do you feel?" the midwife asked.

"I _feel_ like…I want to peel my skin off." Arielle opened her eyes, staring at her mother and Nousha sitting together behind the midwife.

"I meant the exercises. Do you feel better?"

Arielle relaxed her shoulders and began scratching her neck. "A little bit better, yes."

"Good," Mehry smiled. "You should practice those exercises every morning. It will help you. I will give you some medicine for your skin as well."

Unable to contain herself, Arielle scraped her nails across her back incessantly. She huffed, then her nails migrated to scratch her stomach. She saw Gabrielle and her grandmother enter the room and scowled at the amused look on her grandmother's face.

Xena chuckled, "what's up with you?"

Gabrielle leaned over, murmuring, "she has a stress rash."

"It's not from _stress_!" Arielle barked. "Goddammit," she growled, scratching her thighs. "Did Eksama come back? I heard horns earlier."

"Arielle, don't concern yourself with that," Anastasia interrupted. "You're just going to make that worse and stop scratching!"

"I can't help it!"

Xena snuffed a laugh, holding a hand under her nose in an attempt to hide her smile. She walked over and grabbed hold of Arielle's hands, preventing her from scratching.

"Do we need to put mittens on you?" she teased.

* * *

_The Caucasus_

The only drawback of living in the mountains was that they were far from the family in Pannonia. Since the death of Ernak, it took nearly an entire month for the news to reach Balaam. Ebnedzar then sent a letter to Ursula, who currently lived in the Gokturk palace with Yeter and the children. Oran opted to stay in Balaam since he didn't want his father to be alone, especially after receiving the news of his brother's passing.

Ursula was in the middle of writing a letter, which she planned to send Mirac's family in Kazakhstan. Over the last few months, she and Yana exchanged several letters, but Ursula was more than eager to leave the home for a while. She thought it would be best to travel to the Nezak clan just for a couple of weeks.

The thirteen-year-old prince, Issik, and eldest of his siblings ran into the women's sitting area, interrupting his grandmother's writing session. He waited patiently, standing in front of the table until Ursula lifted her dark eyes, clearly annoyed.

"Morning," he greeted.

"Hello, _tatli_ _cocuk_. What are you up to today?"

Issik ruffled his dark short hair. "Oh, nothing. I see you're busy."

"Just a little, but I can see you want something." She set aside her pen and parchment. "Does your mother need help with your brother again?" she asked, and the prince wagged his head. "Is Muqan in trouble?"

"No, nothing like that."

Ursula drummed her fingers on the table, her patience withering away. "Then, what is it?"

"There's some Persians waiting outside. I think they want to speak with father, but I told them he isn't here. Should I get mother instead?"

"Persians?"

She jumped up from the chair and hurried out of the room. Issik followed her, racing down the hall, into the large foyer, passing her up, and stood outside the large double doors. Ursula frowned upon seeing Tegin Irkin standing at the bottom of the large staircase outside. She whispered to her grandson to go back inside, and after a few grumbles, he obeyed and ran back in. She raised a skeptical eyebrow and slowly descended down the stairs, meeting Tegin Irkin halfway.

"My name is Tegin Irkin. I don't know if you've seen me before or remember me."

"I remember you," she said tersely. "What can I do for you?"

"Are you the Gokturk Queen?"

"No, I'm the queen's mother-in-law."

Tegin nodded, smiling, "ah, yes. I spoke with the prince and asked to speak with Khan Oran, but I heard he isn't here. I would like to speak with the Queen."

"State the reason you are here first, and then I will go tell Queen Yeter. She may or may not speak to you, Tegin. She hasn't been feeling well lately."

"I'm sorry to hear that," he bowed his head. "I've come on the Shah's orders. As you know, Shah Khosrow has taken over his father's throne. He would like to propose a contract with the Gokturk kingdom. He wants to ally with you all, as well as purchase King Navaz's land."

* * *

Two weeks went by and only the medicine provided by the midwife was able to help Arielle's skin condition. She had help applying the medicine to her skin every day, twice a day, from Xerxes. She hadn't expected this to happen, and although she denied that the rash was due to stress, she finally agreed that it was definitely due to stress.

She had since tried to distract herself from everything go on in the empire. She tried her best not to listen in on her mother's conversations with Gabrielle in the conference room. In fact, she was practically banned from that side of the Adame. It was challenging, but it was for her own good.

Gabrielle sat on the bed, rubbing the medicine gently into Arielle's arms. "Have you been doing your exercises like Mehry told you?"

"Yes, yes, I've been doing the yoga exercises," said Arielle, sighing heavily. "I look so hideous."

Gabrielle chuckled, "you could never look hideous."

"So…how is everything going?"

"Arielle, you know I'm not going to tell you anything."

"I just want to know! Since Eksama surrendered, is Justinian going to attack again? I need to know these things."

Gabrielle wiped her hands on a damp cloth, shaking her head. "Forget it. I'm not telling you!"

Just as Arielle was about to scratch her shoulder, her father walked in, which distracted her. she gasped, immediately elated to see Navaz, despite seeing him last night during dinner. She stretched out her arms and Navaz walked across the room.

"Hey, daddy!" she beamed, wiggling her fingers.

Navaz smiled, kissed her forehead, and hugged her lightly so he was not to get medicine on his clothes. He sat on the bed, greeting Gabrielle briefly. He examined his daughter's red patchy skin and rubbed his thumb across her hand.

"How are you feeling?"

She shrugged a shoulder, "aside from this unsightly rash, I feel fine. Where's Xerxes? I heard you were with him."

"We were just talking," he said vaguely, "about things you aren't supposed to know," he pinched her cheek.

Gabrielle set the basket of medicine on a table and began washing her hands. "Don't give into her, Navaz. She's been trying to coax information out of me and everyone else that comes in here."

"Ah, of course she has," he winked at his bashful daughter. "So, it's getting close," he cupped his palm on the curve of her abdomen.

Arielle peered down, expressing a small smile. "Yeah, I'm a little nervous. Nousha has so many rules!"

"I don't think you're going to be thinking about all her rules when the time comes," he jested.

"I know I've had a baby before, but it still makes me nervous."

"You have several people here to help you," Navaz said and kissed his daughter's hand, cradling her cheek. "Has Xerxes been kind to you? Has he been helping you?"

Arielle beamed, "he's been so helpful! He does everything for me, and whatever I ask for, he brings it to me. He even offered to wash my hair," she laughed at the odd expression on her father's face. "But, I still let Ku do that for me, because she's the best at it."

"Uh-huh, I see," Navaz nodded. "Well, I'm glad he's helping you. Let me know if you need anything. I'm going to help your mother go over a few things. I overheard her and Nousha talking and I think there's another ceremony for you."

Arielle gaped, "_another_ one? I can't catch a break."

Chuckling softly, Navaz rose from the bed, and gave his daughter's shoulder a gentle squeeze. He left the room and Arielle rubbed the back of her neck, peering over at Gabrielle organizing the medicine vials on the table. In the midst of the quiet room, a loud explosion erupted outside and Arielle jumped.

"Fuck!" she yelped. "What was that?"

Attempting to get off the bed, Gabrielle rushed over, raising a hand. "Don't get up. I'll go see what it is." She walked over to the window and frowned. "_Xena_…" she groaned. "Nothing to worry about, it's just your grandmother."

"Gabrielle, you left grandma _alone_ with explosives?" Arielle shook her head.

* * *

In the middle of testing some weapons, Persian riders galloped through the field. Just as the next catapult was being loaded, Xena raised a hand to halt the soldiers. She crossed the open field and obstructed the riders from entering. She recognized Tegin Irkin, and she hadn't seen him for quite a while now. His presence meant that there was something happening in Persia, and she was sure it was all due to the new young Shah.

"Khanum, pleasure to see you again," Tegin inclined his head.

"I assume you're here on business."

"I am."

She pointed to the circle of Adames, "Xerxes is inside if you want to see him."

Tegin nodded, eyeing the large wooden home. "I would actually like to speak to King Khushnavaz. I heard he was staying here."

"Um, yes, he's here."

"Excellent. I will go speak to him. It was good seeing you again, Khanum," he tipped his head, then rode passed her, and into the camp, weaving through the yurts.

Xena folded her arms, not sure what to think of that short interaction. She hadn't expected Tegin Irkin to come to Pannonia at all, but she knew had it something to do with Shah Khosrow. While she expected him to immediately seek out Xerxes, she didn't expect him to ask for Navaz, of all people. Either way, she was going to find out why Tegin arrived anyway since she was bombarded with most of Arielle's tasks and duties shared with Anastasia.

No longer in the mood to test weapons, she dismissed the soldiers for the day. She mounted her horse, ready to ride back towards the Adame. Then there was Gabrielle, standing on the edge of the field. She must have walked right by Tegin Irkin and the rest of the Persian brigade and had a lot of questions.

* * *

In the conference room, Tegin talked through the Shah's proposal, which also included the new Gokturk alliance. Everyone including, Navaz, Anastasia, Soran, Xena and Gabrielle, were all present to hear the news. The table was completely silent for several minutes and most of all, Navaz was stunned and at a loss for words.

Navaz grew up in Balaam with his parents. Both his children were born in Balaam. He married Anastasia there, and Fairuza. It was his kingdom and he loved Armenia and the thought of selling his land to a Persian was unheard of. He never considered the idea to be a good one in the past when previous members of the Sassanian family tried to conquer his kingdom. But this was different. His daughter was married to a Sassanian, and Shah Khosrow was considered family now.

"I need some time to think this over," Navaz said.

Tegin nodded, then left the room to allow the family to discuss. Out of everyone, Prince Soran was the most upset by the proposal. He scowled the entire time.

"Father, how could you even consider selling our kingdom to the Sassanians?" Soran growled, slamming his fist on the table.

"Will you stop talking about them like they're some sort of horrible disease?" Navaz spat, digging his fingers in his hair. "The Sassanians aren't the same as they used to be. Khosrow isn't Peroz or Hormizd."

"Or Yazdegerd," Xena interrupted, and everyone shot her a glare. "What? I've had the _pleasure_ of meeting several generations of Sassanians."

Gabrielle grabbed her spouse's thigh underneath the table. "Maybe now isn't the best time to discuss that," she whispered.

"Let's just focus on the proposal. We won't be able to live in Balaam anymore if the Shah purchases Armenia," Anastasia said, trying to keep everyone on track. "And Shah Khosrow is…considered my family now…" she mumbled, realizing how odd it sounded.

"Maybe it won't be as bad as you all are thinking," Gabrielle said, smiling. "We have a good relationship with the Sassanians now. Better than ever, actually."

Soran sank in his chair. "That's only because Arielle married Xerxes. If that didn't happen, we'd all be fucking dead."

Anastasia whipped her head around, "you stop that," she said sternly, shocking everyone. "I don't know why you have such a terrible attitude lately. You're looking at this opportunity all wrong. Stop whining."

He felt like a small child being scolded, which infuriated him. "Ömma, you don't get it!"

"What don't I get? I know you don't like the Sassanians, but the worst of the worst are dead. You don't get a say in this decision."

"Oh, really? But _you_ do? This isn't even your kingdom!"

Xena's eyes widened, listening to them bicker back and forth. She draped her fingers over her mouth, and looked over at Gabrielle, who was also intrigued, yet mystified at what was happening. Normally, this type of argumentative attitude would be spewed from Arielle's mouth, but it appeared that her attitude somehow transferred over to her little brother.

"And fuck Yeter for agreeing to ally with the Shah!" he continued to spit hatred. "She isn't even one of us anyway. She's never tried to assimilate and look what she did!"

"Wow," Xena mumbled.

A brief knock interrupted the heated argument and Eksama waltzed in. She stopped in the middle of the room once all eyes were on her. She realized she was interrupting a meeting and smiled at everyone uneasily.

"I'm sorry for intruding. Xena, I need to talk to you," she motioned to the door.

"Fine with me. I hope you two…work it out," Xena grinned at the bickering party, then hurried out, snatching her Kozak off the table.

Unfortunately, unable to join her wife, Gabrielle was stuck at the conference table, recording the entire conversation between Ana and Soran. Some words she refused to write down. Who knew Soran had such a foul mouth just like his sister?

A couple of feet outside the room, Eksama whispered, "I found a spy on the outskirts of the camp."

Light illuminated in the Khanum's eyes. "Oh, yeah? Did you interrogate him?"

"I wouldn't be doing my job as commander if I didn't," the redhead snickered. "Anyway, apparently, Mezamir sent spies out here months ago before the campaign. It explains why I had to surrender. His army knew all of my tactics, yours, and Arielle's."

"Hmm. How _irritating_," Xena muttered, crossing her arms. "How did you find him? Were you scouting around?"

Eksama bobbed her head. "What's going to happen next? Should we start another campaign?"

"No, we've depleted too much of the treasury, and we still owe Persia. We're going to have to wait a while before we start another campaign. I don't think Mezamir will attack so quickly. He needs time to replenish too."

"We wait, then."

"For now."

* * *

Arielle awoke to a dull stabbing pain in her pelvis in the middle of the night. She curled her legs close to her and groaned softly, slowly waking up. She sat up in bed, and looked over at Xerxes sleeping peacefully on his back. She rubbed her eye, and nudged his arm.

"Xerxes," she murmured, trying to wake him, but he simply hummed. "Xerxes," she said louder this time, shaking his shoulder.

"Hmm?" he woke, barely, and looked up at her disgruntled face. "What is it?"

"I don't feel right."

Suddenly he was wide awake, and sat up, facing his wife. "What do you mean by that?"

Arielle frowned, drawing her eyebrows together. "I don't know," she paused, pressing her hand to her pelvis. "I…" she inhaled sharply, "signs of labor."

His face turned a ghostly white. "Already? It's too early. Are you sure—are you sure it's not something else?"

"I don't know!"

"Okay, I will go tell my mother to get Mehry."

She grabbed his wrist, "no, I…tell Ku to go. I want you to stay with me, please? Don't leave me here."

"I'll stay here, but let me tell Ku-Ilm first. I'll be back in a few minutes—less than a minute!" he gave her a quick peck to the lips, and hopped off the bed.

"Xerxes!" she called out, and he spun around. "You can't go out…like _that_."

He looked down at his attire, which was nothing but a pair of black pants, and his cheeks flushed, laughing nervously. "Right…" he grabbed a robe, and with a grand smile, he added, "wouldn't want Ku to see _too_ much of me."

"Very funny. Go!"

* * *

A strong smell of incense woke Xena, and she mumbled under her breath, refusing to open her eyes, but the foul smell in the room was hard to ignore. She stretched her arm out to the cold empty spot beside her. Annoyed, she rolled over onto her back and sat up, surveying the room. Gabrielle was on the floor, and there was that horrible smelling incense close by.

"What the hell…" she complained, looking outside at the dark sky. It was almost sunrise. Too early to be awake. "What the hell are you doing?"

"Morning, sunshine," Gabrielle chuckled.

"Morning? What _morning_? It's still dark outside!" Xena pointed to the windows. "What are you doing? Come back to bed."

"I couldn't sleep so I decided to meditate."

Xena rolled her eyes, releasing a dramatic sigh. "Not this again. You can meditate all you want, but for the love of God, get rid of that terrible smell. It's giving me a headache."

"It's relaxing!"

"You know what's _relaxing_?" Xena smiled smugly. "Sleeping."

"You're in a _mood_ this morning." Gabrielle snuffed out the burning incense and swiveled around on the rug, staring at her wife's mangled hair and sour expression. "That's a nice look you got going there."

"Get in the bed."

Gabrielle crossed her arms. "You know…I think you should try this yoga. It really helps!"

"Don't make me repeat myself."

"Meditation…"

Xena threw the blankets off, and stalked over to grab a towel and robe. She flung the linen over her shoulder and without uttering another word, marched into the bath chamber. Gabrielle, biting her lower lip mischievously, jumped up and raced towards the chamber. She hopped onto her wife, wrapping her legs around Xena's waist and covered her eyes.

"Gabrielle!" she grabbed the blonde's hands, trying to pry them off her eyes. "Are you trying to break my back? What has gotten into you?"

"I am _relaxed_," she whispered into Xena's ear.

A devious smile crossed Xena's lips. "Yeah? How 'bout I toss you into the cold pool? Will that _relax_ you?"

* * *

Waiting outside the bedroom for three hours, Nousha paced back and forth, fiddling with her nails. The door finally opened and she rushed forward to speak with the midwife. The rest of Mehry's assistants also exited the room and Nousha frowned skeptically.

"Well?"

Mehry wiped her wet hands on a cloth. "She is definitely in the early stages of labor."

Nousha hummed. "It's a little early. Are you sure?"

"I am positive, Banu. I gave her medicine to ease her discomfort, but it'll take a while for it to take effect."

Nousha nodded, and then eyed all of the maids. "Why are you all outside? Shouldn't you be in there with her?"

Mehry's gaze dipped to the floor. "The Khagana kicked us out."

"What? She…she can't do that."

"She doesn't want anyone in the room with her unless her mother is present. She keeps asking for the Khatun."

Nousha growled, pushed through the maids, and stormed into the room. She stood at the edge of the bed and Arielle shifted her weight, laying on her side, breathing heavily. Of all times to be obstinate, it had to be during a crucial time like this, thought Nousha.

"You can't kick the midwife out of this room."

Arielle glared at the petite woman. "I want…my mother."

"Nobody is allowed entry unless it's the midwife and her assistants. These are the rules."

Arielle snarled, and sat up, wincing. "I will go get my mother myself."

Nousha panicked and raised her palms. "_Alright_. I will get her," she said against her will. "Lay back down," she gently placed a hand on Arielle's shoulder.

Gradually, Arielle sat back down on the bed, scooting down until she laid down on her side again. She curled her legs close to her, and clamped a hand over her eyes, taking in deep breaths.

"But you need to allow Mehry and the others to come back into this room."

"_Nobody_," her breath hitched, "is coming back in here until my mother gets here."


	60. Chapter 60

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, I lied. This isn't the last chapter. I didn't like that I fit so much into the chapter, and it was too long, so I decided to break it into two parts. You're welcome, lol.

Chapter 60

Tucked away in the corner of their bedroom, Navaz delved into using the water pipe he brought with him from Balaam. He never thought he'd be the one using this as it was something he stopped doing a long time ago. He also had no business telling Anastasia to quit smoking since he had his fair share of opium in his life. But since the news of his land possibly, most likely, being bought and taken from him, he decided to give in.

As he sat on the floor, smoking quietly, he lifted his head, peering through the thick smoke at his wife. Anastasia leaned on the door frame, brushing her hair over her shoulder. Navaz blew out a long trail of smoke and smiled.

"Care to join me?" he offered her a seat.

Ana folded her arms, clearly uninterested. "I promised Cera I wouldn't touch that again."

He muttered, "you women and your promises."

"I know you're upset, Navaz. You don't have to tell me that. I can see it."

He set the hose down in his lap and rubbed his face.

"If you're upset, you can talk to me. I'm always here for you," Ana said with a smile.

Loud knocking jarred both of them, and Anastasia raised a finger, indicating this conversation was far from over. She padded across the room, tightening the sash around her robe, and slowly opened the door. She was surprised to see Nousha standing on the other side of the door.

"I need you to come with me," Nousha said, beginning to walk away.

Ana stepped out into the hallway. "Wait, what for?"

"Arielle is…possibly in labor, and she wants you with her."

Anastasia's mouth parted, and she closed the door, heading down the hallway with Nousha by her side. As she made long strides, she coiled her long hair into a bulky low bun that rested just above her robe's collar. As she neared her daughter's bedroom, she saw the midwife and five maids standing out in the hallway, talking amongst themselves. They all looked grateful by her arrival with smiles, and Anastasia barged into the room.

She rushed over, kicked off her shoes, and climbed onto the bed. Rolling up her sleeves, she scooted close to Arielle, who was lying on her side, drenched in sweat with flushed cheeks.

"Arielle," she whispered, running a hand over her daughter's hair. "Arielle, can you hear me?"

After a few moments, Arielle's hooded eyes opened, and she smiled softly. Grabbing her mother's hand weakly, she took in a hefty breath, and her face distorted in obvious discomfort when she exhaled. Her fingers wrapped around her mother's wrist until her knuckles turned white.

Hot tears filled her eyes, and her breathing hiccupped as she tried to speak.

"I'm here," Ana kissed her daughter's forehead.

The midwife and maids trailed back into the room, and Mehry quietly began giving orders. The young assistants scurried around the room, grabbing fresh linen, cloths, and several basins, empty and full of warm water.

Anastasia scowled, glaring at the midwife. "How long has she been like this, and what did you give her?"

Mehry approached wearily, "a few hours, Khatun. I gave her some medicine for pain."

Ana wiped the sweat from Arielle's brow. "It's too early to deliver the baby. Can you stop the process?"

"I can give her a tea with cramp bark root…"

Anastasia twisted her mouth in discontent and ran her fingers through Arielle's hair. She remembered that root all too well, and Kreka gave it to her when she was in labor with Arielle. The medicine made her almost incoherent and unaware of her surroundings.

"If it will help, then give it to her."

Mehry nodded and whispered to her assistants, and the two young women hurried across the room, digging through the bags filled with vials of medicinal herbs.

* * *

Sleepy from staying up most of the night playing games with Kazem, Aurora walked through the hallway, eager to see her mother. She was all smiles as she approached her mother's bedroom. Nousha sat outside, not appropriately dressed, exhausted from being up all night, and didn't even see the princess walking towards her.

Aurora tugged Nousha's sleeve. "Good morning."

"Hello," she tried to put on a face for the princess.

"Can I see my mom? Is she awake?"

"Oh, um, you can't see her right now."

The door swung open, and two maids exited the room, carrying soiled bedsheets. Aurora gasped and pushed through Nousha and ran inside. Her eyes danced around, watching the women rushing back and forth from the bed to a table filled with cloths. Her eyebrows furrowed, and she walked over to the bed. She tilted her head, eyeing her mother cuddling close to Anastasia.

"What's going on?" she asked, alarming Ana.

"_Tatli_ _kiz_, what are you doing in here?"

Aurora rounded the bed and peered over the edge, staring at her mother's jittery hands. "Is she okay?"

Anastasia smiled at her granddaughter, "she's alright. I think it's best if you leave the room. Nousha can take you to stay with Gabrielle and grandma Khanum, okay?"

The princess twisted her mouth, unconvinced. "Something is wrong. I'm not stupid. Is it the baby? Is there something wrong with it?"

"Aurora," her patience was wearing thin, and Arielle squeezing her hand was not helping. "Please leave. I'm not going to tell you again."

Smoldering and her eyes swelling with tears, she yelled back, "why can't you tell me what's going on?"

Nousha entered the room, calling for the princess. "Come with me," she ordered, and the princess refused to move. She made her way over, grabbing the girl's shoulder. "You can see your mother later. Come on," she said, extending her hand.

Aurora shoved her out of the way and darted out of the room, pushing through the maids. Nousha wore a look of distress and gaped at Anastasia, who was busy tending to Arielle and whispering to the midwife.

* * *

"Focus on your breathing."

Gabrielle sat opposite her wife, teaching her how to relax through meditation. She smiled, a bit amused at how Xena was trying so desperately to clear her mind. It was a struggle to even get her to agree to participate in these exercises, but Gabrielle was eager to teach once Xena finally agreed. She loved teaching, no matter what the subject was.

"What are you thinking right now?"

Xena exhaled through her nostrils with her eyes closed. "My back has an itch."

"Xena! You're supposed to be clearing your mind."

"I'm working on it, but that doesn't change the fact that my back is itchy," her lips turned upward into a smirk. She opened an eye to see the frustration. "Okay, okay. I'll really try this time. _Clearing_ my mind…" she whispered, inhaling deeply.

While she attempted to clear her mind and finally dig deep inside herself, so ridiculous, she thought, the doors swung open and slammed against the wall. Her eyes shot open, and Aurora came running in, then crashed into her, hugging her so tight, she could barely breathe.

Xena looked up at her wife, who was equally as confused as she was. She gently caressed Aurora's back, fiddling with her long hair. She heard sniveling, and Aurora wiped her wet cheek on the shoulder she rested her head-on.

"What's the matter?" she asked, wiping the tears away from Aurora's cheeks. "Why are you crying?"

Sniffling, Aurora fought back more tears, and she wiped her eyes. "Something is wrong with my mom," her voice broke.

"Oh? What's wrong with her?"

"I dunno."

Gabrielle stood from the floor. "I'll go find out what's happening."

Xena nodded and smiled at the princess, cupping her hot cheeks. "I'm sure everything is alright. Hey, let's do something together. We can do whatever you want."

Aurora shook her head, wrapping her arms around herself.

"Ah, come on. We can practice archery. I know you haven't done that in a while. Would you like that?"

"Only my mom teaches me that," Aurora mumbled.

"Okay, what about sword sparring? Or we can play a game. You like chess."

"You hate chess."

Xena sighed, finding this child to be very difficult to communicate with at the moment. "But _you_ like it."

* * *

Walking down the corridor, Gabrielle saw Nousha standing outside the bedroom with a scowl on her face. She was also blocking the entrance, and Gabrielle knew she wouldn't be able to go inside. By the looks of Nousha, she hadn't been able to put on proper clothes or even so much as to brush her hair. Whatever was happening in that room must've been severe, especially since Aurora came rushing in, crying her eyes out.

Gabrielle stopped in front of the Persian and pointed to the closed doors. "What's going on in there? Aurora came to my room, and she was very upset. Is something wrong with Arielle?"

"She's been in a lot of pain since early this morning. The midwife and Khatun are in there with her right now."

Gabrielle nodded her head and stood in awkward silence for a few moments. "Why aren't you with her? I'm sure Arielle would appreciate the support."

"She only wanted her mother there."

"Hmm. I see," Gabrielle rocked back and forth on her heels. "I know your relationship with Anastasia and Arielle isn't the best," she chose her words wisely, and Nousha shot her a _look_. "But I think it would be good for you to be there. Xerxes isn't allowed inside, and you're the next best thing to having him there."

Nousha folded her arms and gazed off in the distance. She flinched when she heard Arielle's soft moans intertwined with hiccupping sobs. She sighed, clapping a hand over her forehead.

"It's your grandchild, too," Gabrielle reminded her. "If Anastasia wasn't here, then you'd be the one in there with her. You can send a maid to stand outside the room. I'll wait here."

Nousha eyed the governor and tapped her fingers on her folded arms, contemplating whether or not to enter the room. All points Gabrielle made were valid, and she'd be lying if she said that she wasn't concerned. She didn't like standing outside, and the customary traditions were broken as soon as Anastasia rushed inside per Arielle's request.

She pushed the door open and briskly walked in, and Gabrielle smiled softly. Closing the door quietly, she waited for a maid to take her place.

Anastasia sat on the bed close to her daughter, holding her close with an arm wrapped around her. She wiped the sweat off Arielle's brow and looked up to see Nousha standing beside the bed. She didn't want to argue, especially considering the situation, but she wasn't sure how to feel with Nousha standing there in silence with those doe-eyes of hers.

"I want to help," said Nousha, staring down at Arielle.

Ana set down the cloth in her lap. Despite the plenty of hands in the room, another pair wouldn't hurt. "Alright…," she relented warily. "Mehry is making a tea for Arielle. You can give that to her, and I will help the others prepare the bath."

She crawled off the bed, eyeing Nousha carefully. Worried about leaving her daughter in the woman's care was one of the last things on her mind. Lingering for a moment, she finally left the area and went to the bath chamber to assist the maids.

Nousha sat on the bed, lifted Arielle's heavy long hair, and wiped the sweat off her neck. The blue eyes beneath her widened, and Arielle creased her eyebrows together, gawking intently. Nousha was handed the hot bowl of tea and raised Arielle's head off the pillow gently.

* * *

Once Gabrielle was relieved from her brief station standing outside, she made her way back to her bedroom, and there was Xena, holding Aurora's hand, talking quietly amongst themselves. Gabrielle smiled and stopped in front of the pair. Aurora wiped her eyes and refused to show her flushed face, so she hid her teary eyes in Xena's coat.

"What are you two up to?" asked Gabrielle.

"We're going to the horse pen. Right?" Xena peered down and pried the girl off her coat. "_Right_?"

Aurora grumbled and looked in the opposite direction, causing Xena to roll her eyes.

"She just being stubborn," she murmured.

"I'm not stubborn!" Aurora spat back.

"Uh-huh," she pulled Aurora close, holding a tight grip on her hand. "What did you find out?"

Gabrielle noticed the princess trying to eavesdrop and smiled uneasily. "I'll tell you later. So, am I invited to the horse pen too? Are we going to ride horses? You know, I'm pretty good at riding. I'll even let you hold the reins, Aurora."

The princess almost forgot about her mother for a second, seemingly excited about the offer. She quickly retracted and glowered. "You two are just tryin' to distract me. I know this game. I'm not little anymore."

Xena licked her lips, feigning laughter. "Oh _yeah_. You've been alive for a _whole_ eight years. You must know everything, right?"

"Don't be ridiculous. I don't know _everything_," Aurora rolled her eyes. "But neither do you."

Gabrielle's mouth hung open at the comeback, and she held herself back. It was so tempting to release a surge of laughter, but she knew if she did that, Xena would probably murder her later. But the most she could do was keep the smile plastered on her face, which didn't help either.

Xena ran her tongue across her teeth and walked down the hallway, gripping Aurora's hand firmly. "Not a _word_ out of you, Gabrielle."

"I said nothing!"

* * *

_The Caucasus_

Ursula stood outside, waiting for her son and husband to return from Balaam. She was anxious to see them both, but at the same time, she wasn't ready for her son to berate Yeter for her recent decision to ally with the Shah. The two women kept their distance after Tegin Irkin left for Pannonia. Ursula didn't want to argue with Yeter in front of the children, but she was sure her son wasn't going to be so nice to her.

Ebnedzar and Oran rode into the area, and Ursula smiled at the two. She descended down the steps to greet them, and Oran hopped off his horse, skipping towards her. He embraced his mother, kissing both of her cheeks, then frowned up at the palace entrance.

"Is Yeter inside?"

Ursula's heart hammered. "Yes…she's in her room."

Oran exhaled through his nostrils and gripped his mother's shoulder. "I'll catch up with you later," he kissed her forehead, then charged up the stairs.

Ebnedzar snuck upon his wife, and she jumped from his touch. He grinned and pecked her lips gently. "Didn't mean to scare you. How've things been here? Holding the home together…considering the circumstances?"

"I don't know what Yeter thought when she decided to do that," she admitted. "She will be in control of Navaz's kingdom now. I can only imagine what is going on in Pannonia right now."

Ebnedzar shook his head, wrapped an arm around his wife's slender hip, and walked up the stairs. "I imagine it isn't going well."

Entering the palace, a maid hurried over to deliver a letter. She blocked their path and extended her arm to Ursula. "A message from Chieftess Yana."

Ursula thanked the maid with a head nod, broke the letter's seal, and read the letter over quickly. She placed a hand over her chest, and Ebnedzar clasped hands on her shoulders, reading the letter over her head.

"What does it say?" he asked.

"Shah Khosrow is so brazen!" she grimaced, crumpling the letter. "He is taxing the Nezak tribes and taking them under his empire. Yana is asking for help. I need to write Anastasia and ask her what to do."

"Khosrow must think that since his brother his married to Arielle, that he can do what he pleases. He can't take control of all the eastern tribes."

Ursula grunted. "I wouldn't be surprised if he allied with the Yakuts by now. Madhiya hasn't been heard from since the siege in Pannonia."

He chuckled, "Madhiya is not a threat. She hasn't been a threat for decades. Persia gains nothing by allying with her. Khosrow wouldn't seek Madhiya out."

"Don't underestimate him, Ebnedzar," she whacked his chest playfully.

* * *

"You've caused a rift between our empires, Yeter!"

The queen rolled her eyes and stood from the chair, approaching her infuriated husband. "May I remind you that I am the queen. You'd have no position here if you weren't married to _me_."

"I married you because the Sabirs were invading every inch of Hun land, Yeter. You made a deal with Navaz. You were tied to his kingdom, and now you allied with the Shah without consulting everybody. Do you know how that makes me look?"

Yeter scoffed, "_you_? Since when do you dictate what goes on around here, Oran? Your people aren't my people. This is my kingdom and has been long before you came into the picture."

"You made a deal, and you broke it!"

Breathing heavily, he ran his hands across his face. His wife seemed unaffected by her decision, and this argument altogether. He didn't want to come home to this, especially after receiving the news about his uncle's recent death. He was happy living where he was now, but the last thing he wanted to do was get into a heated argument with his obstinate wife.

"Yeter, what you did was not smart. My family is going to hate you."

"Your family has never liked me," she said flatly.

"I _wonder_ why," he rested his hands on his hips. "I care about you, and I care about our sons, but our sons are tied to my family's empire. Since you allied with the Shah, our children are no longer considered part of the empire. Do you understand that?"

Yeter nodded. "Yes, I do. Our sons don't need to wait in line for the throne, Oran. They can be rulers hereafter we pass."

"You really don't care, do you?" he admitted, defeated.

"I don't know why you're so upset. You live in the Gokturk Empire with _me_. This is your home! We don't need your family."

Oran smirked, wiping his nose, and thought to laugh at the absurdity of the situation. "You'd rather make us an enemy, then?"

"Nobody said anything about being an enemy. I'm finished with this conversation," she waved her hand, dismissing the argument. "Your sons are in their rooms. I'm sure they'd want to see you."

Oran sighed, feeling drained already, and he hadn't even been home for an hour.

Yeter spun around as she waited by the door, "oh, and your mother refuses to speak to me, so I suppose you can talk to her about that. If this turns into an ongoing thing, then she can go back to Pannonia."

"You can't kick my mother out, Yeter."

"Then I guess she should start acknowledging my presence," she flashed a smile and exited the bedroom.

* * *

As evening approached, Arielle fell asleep, drained from the entire day, and awake most of the night. The pain subsided since she had the tea earlier, and she slept, laying on her side, cuddling with a pillow. Nousha sat behind her, and after taking a nap, she kept a careful eye on Arielle the entire time.

Keeping Aurora occupied was difficult enough, and the rest of the family was also hovering on the second floor, asking questions constantly. Xena was the only person allowed into the bedroom after pushing past everyone else. She stood with Anastasia on the other end of the room. They were both surprised to see Nousha with Arielle, being as attentive as she was.

"How is she?" Xena whispered.

"Better. I think Mehry was able to stop the labor process," Ana said, fiddling with her hair. "Arielle will stay in bed for a few days so we can watch her."

"Mhm. Nousha has been with her this entire time?"

Anastasia nodded. "She wanted to help, so I let her."

"Look at you, being inclusive," she nudged her daughter's elbow. "I know she's not your favorite person."

"I just wanted to focus on Arielle, and that seems to be the only thing we have in common."

Xena cleared her throat, "I'd rather deal with Nousha than Tuya any day," she snidely said.

"Mother, you shouldn't talk about the dead like that."

"I never liked her. She was horrible to me, and to you! But I was _forced_…to get along with her because of Arielle. It was the only thing we had in common."

Anastasia sighed.

Xena motioned her head to Arielle. "I told you she was too stressed out."

Ana quirked her mouth upward. "Well, you know how she is. She doesn't listen to me."

"Yeah, I know how that feels," Xena muttered and received a pinch to her bicep.

"I listen to you!"

"Who said I was talking about you?" she smiled at watching her daughter blush. "I was talking about you. I see you have a few grey hairs. Maybe you're stressed too…"

Ana gasped and clapped her hands over her head. "I do not have grey hair!"

In bed, Arielle stirred awake and looked around the room groggily. She rubbed her face and saw three faces in front of her, and was taken aback. She peered down at her belly and was instantly relieved, and exhaled shakily.

"You're okay," Ana said, caressing her daughter's cheek. "How do you feel?"

She mumbled incoherent words under her breath and tried to get up, but by the looks on all of the women's faces, she settled back into bed. She couldn't really feel her legs all that well ever since she drank that tea, but at least she wasn't in agonizing pain anymore, which was a nice feeling. She also didn't have a reason to worry, but the entire situation was not something she wanted to go through again.

"We should probably leave you alone to rest," said Xena, hinting for the others to leave. "Xerxes can come in here. He's been very worried about you."

That brought a faint smile to Arielle's lips, and she laid back down, settling into the pillows. She was afraid that as soon as her head hit the pillow, she would fall asleep again, but being in this room for so long, was terrible. Not that she didn't appreciate all of the help, but she definitely wanted to see another face aside from her mother and Nousha.

After convincing Nousha to finally leave the room, all three exited, and the entire family swarmed in the hallway. Even Csaba's children walked over from their home, anxiously waiting for news.

"Wow, I see Arielle's got a fan club," Xena mumbled. She spotted Xerxes sitting down behind everyone. "Xerxes, she wants to see you."

Aurora gasped. "He gets to go in, but I can't? I wanna see my mom! Can I go in, please?"

"Another time," Xena ran her hand over the girl's silky hair.

As soon as Xerxes left, there was a flurry of questions from all the children. They backed both Anastasia and Xena into a corner. They shot so many questions at them that they didn't know how to answer. Nor could they understand any of the children all at once.

Out of all people, Nousha clapped her hands, silencing everybody. The children closed their traps, and Nousha flicked her wrists, and they all stepped away from the doors. Her size didn't seem to matter, as most of the children were much taller than her. But those who towered over her felt so small.

"She's fine. Go back to your rooms and _homes_…" she glared at Farah and Csaba's sons. "You can all see her in a couple of days. Go on," she shooed them away.

Xena leaned over to her daughter and whispered, "little…firework."

* * *

A few days after the whole scare with Arielle, everyone was relatively quiet in the home. Periodically, the midwife checked on Arielle several times a day, distributing medicine and giving her specific types of food. Aside from that situation, Arielle was forbidden to come anywhere near campaign planning or any duties she used to have. Before this happened, she would've argued, but now, she was too afraid to leave her room, let alone her bed.

Gabrielle finished going over documents with Anastasia and carried a satchel filled with paperwork. She was not excited about giving all of this work to her wife. Lately, Xena was not in the mood to do anything. Gabrielle only hoped that her partner would be more amenable, especially after what happened to Arielle.

She pushed the door open and saw Xena sitting on the floor. Meditating was something she tried to get Xena to do for a while now, but all her pleading never worked. But now, Gabrielle was shocked to see her wife in complete bliss. Well, almost absolute bliss.

"Hello, Gabrielle."

"Hi…"

Gabrielle walked in and set the satchel on the desk, still astonished by the display before her. She had to make sure this was real, and she just had to ask, "are you meditating?"

"Yes, and you're ruining my concentration. I finally cleared my mind," she opened one eye and smiled. "Aren't you proud of me?"

Gabrielle snickered and knelt down on the floor. She gently kissed her wife on the lips. "Yes, very proud. I hate to do this to you, but…" she motioned to the satchel.

"Oh no," Xena groaned. "You have more work for me, don't you?"

"I'm sorry…it's only ten pages! You know I wouldn't ask if Ana could sign on her own."

Xena sighed and wiggled her fingers, gesturing to the satchel. The paperwork was brought to her and her vision blurred once she attempted to read the documents. Already, she was getting a headache from the words taunting her.

"We need to get a move on with this campaign. Eksama should keep training the soldiers just in case something happens. I know Mezamir is planning to attack again, but I want to be more prepared. We are not surrendering _again_."

"We still owe Persia so much, and since we lost the war, we didn't get any funds."

Xena scratched her head and signed her name on the next few pages. "This time, we won't lose. At least we won against the Lombards."

"That's only because Navaz was leading, and it was a much smaller campaign. Maybe he and Eksama could work as a team? How well do you think they'd work together?"

"Hmm…I don't know, Gabrielle. That smells like trouble to me. Navaz doesn't like to take orders from others, and Eksama is bullheaded."

"We can call a meeting. We'll all discuss it together."

Xena hummed and finished signing the documents, smiling at her wife. "A meeting. Good idea. But I don't think we should start another campaign until Arielle has the baby. I think everyone is too worried about her right now. It's only one more month anyway."

Gabrielle sighed and reclined against the end of the bed. "You know there's another ceremony for her."

"You're joking."

"I'm _not_ joking."

"After what just happened, I didn't think Nousha would be planning yet another ceremony. I told you that woman is scary. You should've seen her the other day. She scared all the children mute!"

"You're overexaggerating."

"You weren't there!"

Gabrielle laughed, shaking her head. "You can kill people without hesitation, and yet you're afraid of a woman who is smaller than me."

"You're the same height as her, Gabrielle."

"She's a little shorter than me!"

"Uh-huh…"

Gabrielle pouted, crossing her arms. "I could probably pick her up. She's small."

"I bet you could," Xena winked.

* * *

Licking the last bit of yogurt off the spoon, she looked over at Xerxes, who was busy rubbing his hand over their child. She wiped the corners of her mouth and raised an eyebrow at her oblivious husband.

"I'm trying to eat, you know," she said.

"I know," he said casually. "Are you feeling better now?"

She nodded, finishing off the last bit of fruit, and set the bowl aside. She relaxed against the pillows and sighed. "Xerxes, can you stop?"

"Stop what?" he looked up at her innocently, but there was that little tilt of a smile on his lips.

"I want you to pay attention to me too, not just the baby."

He raised his hand, "I will, I will. I just want to spend time with my child first. It might not seem important to you, but it's important to me."

Instantly, she felt her insides melt when he said that. It never occurred to her that he could feel left out or like he wasn't doing enough, which he did more than enough. She was sure that he was worried about her since he couldn't be in the room with her a few days ago. It was a reminder for herself to be more aware of others.

He lifted her dress and cupped his palms on the curve of her belly. He swiped his thumbs along her skin gently. His eyes drifted upward to his wife, who looked more occupied with the tray of almonds and cheese at the moment.

"Why isn't the baby moving?" he asked.

Arielle paused, chewing a mouthful of almonds. "You're asking _me_?"

"Well…you feel more than I do. I haven't felt anything in the last half hour."

She smiled, "I don't know? Maybe the baby decided to take a nap," she joked.

"That's not funny, Arielle. I'm serious. Is something wrong? I really can't feel anything."

"Xerxes," she swallowed, "you're overreacting."

"No, I'm not!" he barked, startling her. "Something could've happened to you. You could've died, our child could've died, and you're sitting here telling me I'm _overreacting_."

Arielle sat with her mouth agape. It was probably the first time that she'd seen him visibly upset since they'd been together, married or not. She didn't realize what happened affected him so much. That was when she knew that she really needed to pay attention to his feelings more. He didn't like to express his feelings too often, but when he did, he was very passionate about how he felt once he uncorked the bottle.

"I'm sorry," she caressed his cheek. "I didn't know you were so upset about this."

"Why wouldn't I be? I care about you. I couldn't be in the room with you that day. I didn't know what was going on!"

"I…am not used to all of this…attention you're giving me."

Xerxes sighed, rubbing his forehead, and responded calmly, "I'm not Bayan. I told you I would be here for you."

Always finding it difficult to express herself in words, she decided to reply by kissing him on the lips instead. She clutched his jaw and then wrapped her arms over his shoulders, fiddling with his long hair.

"That is so disgusting."

Arielle's lips slid off his, and they both turned to Aurora, standing beside the bed. Xerxes smiled and laughed under his breath. He grabbed the princess by her waist and hoisted her onto the bed. Aurora sat in his lap and folded her legs.

She gasped, "mom, I didn't know your tummy had tattoos too!"

"Oh," Arielle peered down at herself. Her cheeks flushed, and she placed her hands on her hips. "What are you doing in here?"

"Teyze Cera sent me in here to spy on you."

"Ah. How did you get in? I thought your grandmother had this room guarded."

Aurora smiled mischievously. "I have ways. I am very sneaky, you know."

Arielle hummed, drumming her fingers on her knees. "I'll make sure to remember that when you're older."

The princess placed a hand on her mother's belly, cooing, and whispering under her breath. She felt a small jolt against her hand and let out an audible gasp. Xerxes, holding Aurora, frowned, as he was mildly annoyed yet relieved that nothing was wrong with their baby.

"The baby moves for _her_, but not for me?" he said sourly and roved his palm over his wife's belly.

"Hey, hey," Aurora peeled Xerxes' fingers off her mother's belly. "You can wait your turn."

Arielle pursed her mouth, chuckling. "Since when did you get so bossy?"

* * *

Out on the field, Navaz convinced Anastasia to spar with him. He hardly spent time with her, he felt. Ever since her eyesight worsened over the last couple of years, the thought of her picking up a weapon wasn't thought of anymore. Navaz knew that hurt her. Ana trained with weapons of all kinds ever since she could walk. She previously trained with Gabrielle while back in Scythia but hadn't picked up a weapon since then, except for when she was alone in Farah's home during the invasion.

Navaz considered himself a patient man, and he really needed patience from all gods to help Anastasia today. She wasn't terrible at wielding a weapon, despite her poor eyesight, but she was a lot slower than she used to be. Navaz tried not to show that he was holding back during the training session, but he was sad that his wife of two times couldn't fight like she used to.

Swinging the blade to the right slowly, Anastasia blocked it with the wooden staff she held. She smiled and could see that Navaz was grinning right back at her. With a swift twirl of the staff, she knocked her husband off his feet, and he fell onto his backside with a loud thud. Navaz stared at the gloomy sky, astonished.

Ana leered over him, and her long, plaited hair fell over her shoulder. "Weren't expecting that, were you?"

"No…certainly not," he gruffly said, rising from the snowy ground. "You impress me."

She took his hand to help him stand and finagled with his fur collar. "I _impress_ you?" she leaned in close, clutching his collar.

Navaz's cheeks flushed with color, and he gripped her wrist. There were many citizens in the area and soldiers around a fire, watching them.

"Not here," he whispered. "People are looking."

"I don't care if they stare!" she draped her arm over his shoulder.

A soldier approached and loudly cleared his throat. Anastasia looked back at the soldier, frowning, pinched Navaz's chin, and then stuck her staff into the ground. The soldier handed her a letter encased in a metal tube, and she slipped the parchment out of the canister.

"It's from Shamaness Ursula, Khatun."

"Ah, thank you," she smiled, dismissing the soldier. She walked over to Navaz, hoping he'd read the message for her.

Smiling, he took the letter and read it over. Ana rested her elbow on his shoulder, picking at the stitching on his coat. She expected good news every time she received a letter from Ursula, but given her husband's expression and silence, the content couldn't have been great.

"Shah Khosrow is taxing the Nezak tribes. Yana is asking for help," he said, broken by the news.

"Damn him," Ana cursed, reactively hitting her husband's shoulder.

Navaz winced. "Can you not take your anger out on me?"

"Sorry. What else does it say?"

"Ursula said Oran is not getting along with Yeter right now. She's disappointed by the entire situation," he sighed, rolling the parchment up. "She's not the only one. I lost my kingdom to my son-in-law's brother."

Anastasia rested her head on his chest, looking up at his dark eyes. "I know you're really hurt by that."

"I'll get over it. Now, about Khosrow," he whacked the parchment against his palm. "He suddenly thinks he can take over. He forgets that Arielle is the Empress of the Hun Empire. We need to handle this delicately."

She agreed, nodding her head. "What did you have in mind?"

* * *

Seated in the women's quarters, Nousha and the other Persian maids decorated the entire room with flowers and draperies. Tomorrow, just as Nousha explained to everyone, was yet another ceremony. Everyone was apprehensive about the ceremony, only because of what occurred two weeks prior concerning Arielle.

Unlike the other ceremony, everyone was invited, including the men and children. Arielle wasn't looking forward to the celebration, as she was tired and lately, not feeling the best. Still, she wanted to be a part of the preparation and sat on the floor, observing the maids decorating the place.

Aside from empirical duties, Xena was assigned the special task of sewing a headdress for Arielle. She had made many before, but this one was different. The headdress was a Persian design, and she hadn't made one of these before and was given a print to help guide her. Sewing the stitches on the hat portion of the headpiece, she looked down at the drawing of the headdress, grimacing.

Arielle peered over at her disgruntled grandmother and snickered. "What is that thing?" she asked of the fabric.

"Your stupid headdress," Xena grumbled. "I don't know how I get myself roped into these things."

Holding up the cone-shaped headdress, she wasn't sure if it looked the way it was supposed to. She twirled it around, showing Arielle, who contorted her face.

"Maybe you shouldn't have volunteered to make that," Arielle patted the Khanum's knee.

"I didn't _volunteer_. Nousha gave me no choice. It looks a little strange, but don't worry, I'll have it finished for tomorrow, even if I have to stay up _all_ night…" she uttered in dismay. "The things I do for you," she winked, smiling at Arielle.

"I appreciate it," Arielle put a hand over her chest. "Where's Gabrielle?"

Xena kept her focus on stitching and answered, "helping the maids with Aurora's dress."

"Oh, she's wearing a new dress?"

"_Persian_ dress," Xena lifted her eyes. "Nousha doesn't like to admit it, but she's very fond of Aurora. She likes to dress her up like a doll."

Arielle sighed, "well, I'm glad they're getting along. I was worried about that for a while."

Taking notice of the lackluster tint of Arielle's cheeks, Xena asked, "are you feeling alright? I know you've been locked away in your room for some time now."

"Yeah…" she ran her hand over her abdomen. "I can't seem to move an inch without someone fussing over me."

"It's understandable."

"I just want everything to go smoothly when the baby comes. I don't want any more problems."

"You're in good hands. Mehry is very alert. Nothing gets by that woman," Xena smiled, tugging the needle through the fabric.

Arielle quirked her mouth upward. "This baby is giving me a lot of trouble, and it's not even here yet. It's also incredibly spoiled! Did you see the number of gifts I got from the last party?"

Grinning wickedly, Xena added, "it's probably a small version of _you_."

"Grandma, that's not funny. I don't want a child that's like me. I was a monstrous child."

"Yes. My hair is proof of that," she joked, receiving a pinch to her arm.

Rolling her eyes, Arielle smiled, waving her hand as her daughter and Gabrielle came walking towards her. Aurora skipped ahead and jumped into the center of the rug, immediately showing off her sparkling black and gold dress. Twirling around in a circle, the princess donned a smile, which lit up her entire being.

"Wow, look at that," said Arielle, touching the fabric. "I can tell that you really like it."

"Mhm. Banu Talia said I look like a Shehzada."

Xena eyed her wife, "a _Shehzada_, huh?"

Aurora bobbed her head, "uh-huh. I told grandma Nousha to make a dress for the baby too."

Arielle cocked her head to the side, "well, what if the baby is a boy?"

"It's not! It's definitely a girl," Aurora said confidently, twirling around once more, looking down at the spread of her dress.

"And how are you so sure?"

"Cause me and grandma Nousha looked at a map—a map of the stars," Aurora said. She plopped down on the floor, dizzy from spinning around, and smiled at all the women.

Xena's eyebrows disappeared into the fringe of her hair, sewing quietly. "I'll be very impressed if those stars are correct."

Arielle scoffed, "grandma, nobody really believes that. That is so silly."

Coming in on the tail-end of the conversation, Anastasia inserted herself. "What's silly?" she asked and smoothed a hand over Arielle's hair.

"Nothing…" Arielle mumbled. "Where've you been? You should be helping. Nousha's been doing everything by herself."

"As much as I'd love to help, I have other duties—_your_ duties—to tend to. And…I need to borrow Gabrielle."

* * *

Locked away in the conference room, the governor read over Ursula's letter. Distraught by the news, she sat in silence for several minutes. Meanwhile, Navaz and Anastasia were on pins and needles. Gabrielle kept reading the last portion of the message and stroked her chin with her forefinger and thumb.

"This is a lot," she spoke, finally. "There's just too much going on, yet nothing is happening either."

"What should we do?" asked Anastasia. "I could go negotiate with Khosrow, but I want to be here for Arielle."

Gabrielle groaned, drumming her nails on the table. "I would _prefer_ that you go, but I know that Arielle would want you here. Also, I don't think your mother would like you to leave either."

She raised a finger to the ceiling and added, "I think we should give this assignment to Kurt and Soran."

Navaz's breath hitched. "Soran? Why him?"

"He's part Persian. Khosrow will be more open because of that connection. Kurt has been training since he was thirteen to be king. This will be good exposure for him, and this mission isn't dangerous. They're young, but I think they can handle talking to a Shah," she snorted. "Khosrow is fairly young himself."

"Soran is just a prince. He hardly has any political knowledge."

Anastasia rolled her eyes, "because you've spoiled him, Navaz. He is the laziest prince in the entire clan. All he does is play games, spars, and smokes opium all day."

"He is not _spoiled_. I just don't see it necessary for him to train heavily," Navaz spat back at his wife.

"He has no discipline, Navaz. He talks back to me. I've been like a mother to him since he was a child, even more so since Fairuza died."

Gabrielle intervened before this conversation would soon turn into an argument. "_Aside_ from Soran's upbringing, I think he and Kurt will be a good team for this mission. You can coach them on how to address the Shah," she said to Ana.

"Fine. I can do that," Ana crossed her arms. "Maybe this mission will be good for Soran. It may open his eyes to the _real_ world."

"He's my son, Anastasia. Watch what you say."

She slammed her palm on the table loudly, "I'm his stepmother!" she growled. "He needs to respect me."

Gabrielle pinched the bridge of her nose and intervened once more. "So, it's decided. Soran and Kurt will go to Persia and talk to the Shah."

* * *

The ceremony was a lot different this time around. Everyone was more relaxed, and it was nice to see the entire family altogether, instead of segregated like the previous ceremony. There were many games for the children to participate in, and all of the Hun women learned a few traditional Persian dances, which was amusing to watch. Arielle enjoyed seeing both her mother and grandmother being coaxed into joining in on the dances.

Despite their shyness, they were good dancers, but neither would ever admit to that. Towards the end of the lavish celebration, there was an announcement from Xerxes. He revealed to everyone that the baby was going to be a girl. Everybody already knew about the big surprise because Aurora blabbed. Apparently, Aurora didn't know that the revelation was supposed to be a surprise.

Unsurprisingly, the Hun side of the family didn't believe the prediction, but Xerxes' family was very adamant about it. The Persians trusted the stars more than they trusted people, it looked like. Like the previous party, there were several gifts distributed from Xerxes' family. At this point, Arielle thought she was going to need an extra room for the presents alone.

A week after the celebration, Arielle was mainly confined to her bed again. She would say she was bored, but she enjoyed the tranquility of her quiet bedroom for once in her life. She was also extremely cautious, but she didn't feel the need to be. Everyone and their mother checked up on her religiously.

Arielle woke to mild cramping and pulsating twinges in her lower back. She kicked the blankets off her body and rolled over onto her back, staring at the ceiling. Despite the snow outside, she was drenched in sweat. She rolled up her long sleeves and huffed. This type of pain wasn't a sign of labor, but just pure annoyance. As the time came closer to delivering her child, she increasingly became more and more uncomfortable. She was at the point where she couldn't sleep soundly anymore.

She struggled to sit up straight, lifting her heavy body. She glanced over at the empty spot beside her in the dark room. Frowning, she wondered where Xerxes went and how long he'd been gone. His side of the bed looked like it hadn't been touched at all.

Yawning, she got out of bed and padded over to the window. With a hand supporting her lower back, she drew the curtain, and her eyes widened. She poked her head outside and saw Gabrielle and her mother standing outside with a group of soldiers. She couldn't make out the two on the horses, but they were from the clan for sure.

The soldiers rode off into the darkness, heading towards the border. Arielle grunted, slightly aggravated that she didn't know what was going on in her own empire. Although she had a good reason not to be involved, it still irritated her. Whatever was going on might have something to do with Xerxes' absence.

Arielle grabbed her robe, suddenly cold after standing by the window, and threw it on quickly. She opened her door, poked her head out into the hallway. The area was clear of people, much to her surprise. She exited the room, closing the door very carefully, and head down the corridor.

"What are you doing out of bed?"

Arielle jumped, gasping loudly, and spun around to Xena standing in the center of the hallway. She placed a hand over her thumping chest, panting.

"Grandma, please don't ever do that."

Xena walked forward with hands behind her back. "It's the middle of the night. I'll ask again; why are you up?"

"I couldn't sleep."

"Why not? Something wrong?"

Arielle arched an eyebrow. "Have you _looked_ at me lately? I'm huge! I can't sleep at all! I'm so tired. I don't expect _you_ to feel sorry for me."

Xena rubbed her lips together, holding in laughter. "It's been a _very_ long time for me, but I know exactly how you feel."

"Uh-huh," Arielle massaged her lower back. "I…saw some soldiers outside. What's going on? Who left? Is Xerxes leaving? He wasn't in bed."

"Arielle, I'm not going to tell you. We went over this, and no, Xerxes is here."

"I would've thought that you might feel a _little_ sorry for me and give me information," Arielle teased.

"Nice try. Go on back to your room."

Arielle whined, "but I'm just going to stay awake forever. Can I come to your room? Why are _you_ up so late? Can we play a game?" she clamped her hands together.

This child-like behavior was both amusing and frightening. Just a second ago, Arielle complained about how tired she was, yet she wanted to stay up and play games. Xena rolled her eyes and walked towards her bedroom.

"Are you coming or what?" she called over her shoulder.

* * *

Gabrielle walked into the Adame with Anastasia, brushing the snow flurries off her coat. She shook her hair and shivered. Winter—she's always hated this season of the year. Spring couldn't come fast enough.

"We should hear back from Soran and Kurt in a month or so," said Gabrielle. "Until then, we'll hope for the best."

Ana nodded, taking off her coat. "Xerxes' brother seems reasonable. If Arielle wasn't due to give birth soon, I would send him to Persia."

"Does he have a good relationship with Khosrow? He didn't have a good relationship with his other brothers…" she recalled their horrible deaths from their betrayal to the empire.

Anastasia shrugged, "I don't know, but he hasn't said anything to make me think otherwise," she stripped her hands of the gloves she wore. "Anyway, can you write the report? We will go over it tomorrow, and then my mother can sign it."

"Oh _joy_," muttered Gabrielle. "She really hates signing documents, Ana."

"Let's hope she's in a good mood tomorrow then," Ana smiled, batting her eyelashes. "I'm going to bed."

Gabrielle wagged her head, saying her goodbyes for the evening, and walked up the stairs. Her feet were frozen, and she couldn't feel her face either. She took her fur gloves off and stared at her pale fingertips. Opening the door to the bedroom, she took off her coat with her back turned.

"Wow, it's so cold out there!" she said aloud.

Arielle smiled, eating slices of cheese. Her grandmother put a finger to her lips, and Arielle played along. Gabrielle walked across the room and sat down to take her boots off.

"I think my toes are numb. Can we take a bath later?" she called out.

"Yeah, sounds great," Xena answered.

Meanwhile, Arielle held a hand over her mouth, laughing within. She took another card from the deck and continued snacking while listening to Gabrielle's grunts and pants in the background. It was difficult to keep from shouting out that she was in the room.

"I can heat the water," Xena said.

Gabrielle threw her boots across the room. "It smells like…_onions_ in here. Did you have food brought to the room?"

Arielle eyed the bowl of pickled onions and sheepishly smiled.

"And it smells like cheese," Gabrielle made a grunt of disgust. "That's a disgusting combination, Xena. You don't even like onions."

"She has a good nose…" Xena murmured, drawing a new card.

"What was that?"

"I said, get in here!"

Gabrielle came from behind the screen, now dressed in a robe, still wearing her frigid stockings. She halted, seeing Arielle sitting on the floor, playing a card game with Xena. There was that bowl of onions she smelled, and the cheese.

"Well, that explains it." Gabrielle pointed to the food. "You're up pretty late," she said to Arielle.

"I couldn't sleep. We're playing a card game! Do you want to join us?"

Gabrielle smiled, sat down, and pecked Xena on the cheek.

"Your lips are cold…" Xena rubbed her icy cheek.

"Well, I _was_ outside!" she chuckled. "Arielle, must you eat that? It smells awful."

Arielle chewed slowly as her face tinged pink. "It's not my fault! You can tell that to my child," she playfully said, scooting the tray of food away only to appease Gabrielle.

"Don't you mean your _daughter_…" Xena raised her eyebrow. "I'm really curious to know if that's true."

"I don't believe it. Xerxes _really_ thinks it's a girl, but we will have to see. Okay, Gabrielle, choose five cards."

Gabrielle chose her five cards and tried to peek at her wife's cards. Xena slapped her cards to her chest from her cheating wife. Both smiled, and Xena turned her body so her cards weren't visible. Arielle chose her next two cards, studying them silently to herself. As the three sat in silence, Arielle felt a warm liquid running down her legs beneath her dress.

She gasped and touched the fabric. While the other women were whispering to each other, they paused at Arielle's extensive eyes—eyes that exuded fear and mild shock.

Xena set down her cards. "What?" her eyes drifted the soaked rug and dress. "That's just great. We _just_ cleaned that rug," her tone expressed minor irritation.

Gabrielle whacked her wife's thigh and jumped off the floor, grabbing Arielle's arms to help her stand. "I'll go take her to the room. Can you go get Anastasia?"

"Yeah, yeah, I'll get her," Xena sighed, staring at the puddle on the rug. "No sleep tonight. Unclean rug." She smacked a hand to her cheek.

* * *

Overcome with excitement, Aurora charged down the hallway, dodging through the maids passing by. She pardoned herself several times and ran up the stairs, dressed in her nightgown, long cotton stockings, and unkempt hair. She arrived in the hall of the Khagana's quarters, and apparently, she was late.

Csaba waited with his sons outside the bedroom, and Gabrielle was outside too, playing a game with the twin princes. Austraia was also waiting as well as Ernak's youngest son. Aurora puckered her lips and ran forward, sliding across the wood.

"_Why_ didn't anyone wake me up and tell me the baby was coming?" she slapped her hands on Csaba's knees, pressing her forehead to his.

"You didn't miss much," he said, pinching her nose. "She's been in there since last night."

"What!" she gasped, spinning around to Gabrielle. "Who's all in there?"

Gabrielle smiled, excusing herself from the game. "Everyone. Ku, Cera, Farah, Nousha, your grandmother Khatun and Khanum."

"Can I go in too?" the princess asked, widening her eyes.

Csaba laughed, overhearing the two. "I don't think you're old enough to see _that_."

Aurora tugged on Gabrielle's sleeve. "But I'm a girl too. I can go in, right?"

"Um…your uncle's right. You're not old enough."

"What's the big deal? I wanna see."

Gabrielle sighed, realizing the girl wasn't going to stop until she got what she wanted. She cracked open the door to peek inside. All the women were hovering around the bed, sitting, standing, and running back and forth to the bath chamber. There were a lot of bloody sheets in the hamper. All of the women were talking all at once to each other and to Arielle.

She closed the door and looked down at the eager princess. "You're definitely not going inside."

"But—"

Aurora paused as her mother's loud scream echoed in the hallway. Her entire complexion paled, and she backed away from the door. She hurried to go sit down on the bench next to her cousins.

"I'll stay out here."

Csaba relaxed, reclining against the wall with his hands behind his head. "I thought so."

"I hope this is over soon."

Gabrielle sat beside the princess, fixing her messy hair. "I'm sure your mother is thinking the same thing."

* * *

Two hours later, Xena emerged from the bedroom. She inhaled deeply and rested her back against the door. The first person to approach her was Gabrielle, and then Aurora was second, hiding behind the governor's green robes. Aurora gasped at the blood spatter on Xena's clothes.

"Well? I haven't heard Arielle in an hour. What's happening?" Gabrielle pestered.

Xena eyed the small princess, completely horrified at the blood. Ignoring her partner's question, she knelt down and grabbed Aurora's arm, bringing her forward.

"Why do you have…_blood_ on you?"

"Don't worry, your mother's alright."

"That blood is from my mom?!" Aurora cried loudly, alarming her cousins. "Is she gonna die? I wanna see her."

Xena gripped the princess's shoulders firmly. "I _just_ told you she's alright."

Fearing she'd be more sensitive than her mother, Xena inwardly panicked when Aurora began wheezing and sobbing simultaneously. Gabrielle stood behind them, observing the whole thing, and Csaba knelt down, attempting to comfort his niece.

"Aurora!" she screeched, and the child ceased sobbing. "The baby is here," she said slowly.

Hiccupping, Aurora wiped her eyes and beamed. "Really? Can I go see? Can I see the baby? Is it a girl? Can I see?" she panted, shaking her fists in anticipation.

"Later, you can see your sister. _Later_."

Gabrielle cast a lopsided smile. "So, those stars were right after all." She met her wife's tired eyes, and there wasn't excitement within those blue eyes at all. Something was wrong. "Csaba, can you take Aurora to go eat something?"

He nodded and scooped his niece into his arms. Aurora kept babbling in his ear about how excited she was, how eager she was, to see her new sibling.

"I didn't hear a baby," whispered Gabrielle. "What's going on, Xena? Tell me. I've been waiting out here since last night."

More silence. She couldn't handle any more silence.

"Can you just tell me? Something happened. Did…did the baby…did she…"

"No."

"Then what is it?"

Xena sighed, fiddling with her sleeve. "We just have to wait."

The cryptic language was never a good sign, but Gabrielle didn't question further. "Okay…and how is Arielle doing?"

"She passed out afterward. She lost a lot of blood," she said, noting her clothes.

"So, it's Arielle who I should be worried about?" she waited for an answer but received silence once again. "Xena, I've never seen you like this before."

"Can we just go to the room? I'm very tired, and I need to change my clothes."

Gabrielle huffed but gave in. "Sure, okay."

They hooked their arms and walked to their room. Gabrielle occasionally looked over her shoulder at the closed doors. It was eerily quiet. Her wife was also in some sort of unbreakable daze.

* * *

Xerxes was notified that his daughter was born just an hour earlier. He rushed to the room, eager to see both his wife and newborn daughter. The bedroom was clear of all women, aside from the midwife, assistants, and Anastasia and Nousha, who stuck close by the bed, watching over Arielle.

His presence disrupted their quiet conversation. He searched the room for his daughter, smiling happily. Both women stood from their chairs. Nousha smiled meekly and caressed her son's arm.

"Where is my daughter? I want to see her," he whispered.

Nousha pointed to the adjoining room. "You can't hold her or stand too close."

"Why?" his heart rate increased. "Why can't I hold her? Did Arielle hold her yet?"

"No, she's been sleeping. It was a difficult delivery, Xerxes. Just do as I say."

Xerxes furrowed his eyebrows, staring at his mother, then looked to his mother-in-law. He briskly walked into the adjoining room to see his daughter. Most of his worries were set aside when he saw the midwife whispering to a maid. A smile crept up, and he hesitantly padded across the room. Mehry saw him and stepped away from the bassinet, bowing her head.

"You can't hold her yet, Shehzade."

"Yes, my mother told me. I just want to see her."

He loomed over the bassinet, grinning from ear to ear. His daughter looked perfectly fine to him, swaddled in a blanket. He was surprised to see that she had very light hair, almost blonde, and dark eyelashes. It was tempting to touch her cheek, but he refrained and knelt by the bassinet, staring intently.

"Why can't I hold her?" he asked the midwife.

"Ah," she smiled uneasily, "she had trouble breathing earlier, Shehzade. We're just waiting to see if anything happens."

Xerxes' mouth gaped, and he leaned over the bassinet. "But she's okay now, right? She'll be okay?"

"We hope so."

"What about Arielle? My mother said she's been sleeping. Will she be okay too?"

Mehry sighed, "she'll wake up later. I gave her some medicine."

He wasn't sure how to feel about the answers he was given. They weren't straightforward answers, which meant they were either trying to spare him devastating feelings, or they were making it sound worse than it actually was. For now, he wanted to sit here, and he could, for hours, staring at his daughter. He'd been a father from the moment he found out Arielle was pregnant, but staring at their child truly made him feel more like a father now.

Anastasia walked in and head towards Xerxes, ogling the baby. She placed a hand on his shoulder, and Xerxes grinned up at her.

"She looks like Arielle," he said. "She has blonde hair."

"She's very beautiful, Xerxes. Congratulations to you."

He nodded, feeling rather proud of himself. "I have a name for her."

"Oh?"

"Abbaseh. It means 'lion' in my language. Like Arielle."

"A _very_ fitting name for her. It was difficult to get her here."

Xerxes kept smiling and traced his hand on the bassinet rim, eager to touch his daughter. "Where did the blonde hair come from? I haven't seen anyone in your family with blonde hair."

Ana tapped her cheek. "I think one of my mother's brothers had blond hair."


	61. Chapter 61

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, this is the end of our journey! Congratulations to everybody who made it, lol. I really enjoyed writing this series, and I love all of the characters here. I'm going to miss writing this, but it's been a great two years!
> 
> Xena's age is starting to dive into ancient territory (more like immortal) here, lol. But if I did continue this series, I definitely would not have her nor Gabrielle in the next installment, and who wants that, right?
> 
> Thank you for reading everyone, and enjoy this final chapter! It's quite long, for obvious reasons ;)

Final Epilogue

Two weeks after the much-awaited princess arrived, Arielle was supposed to stay in her room for thirty days. Another tradition was prompted by her husband's culture. She was opposed to it at first, but once she realized she could barely get out of bed and do anything independently, she didn't argue and stayed in her room. The two weeks flew by, but at the same time, they were the longest two weeks of her life.

She was very grateful for Mehry's help. Before Mehry arrived, Arielle wasn't too sure why midwives in Persia stayed for at least three months after assisting women giving birth, but now she didn't question it. Since she hadn't taken care of a baby in several years, she felt like she had to learn how to do everything all over again. Feeling inept was one of the worst feelings in the world, according to Arielle. She didn't like asking for help but thought she was constantly asking Mehry for assistance, even with the simplest things.

Visitors weren't allowed in the room, but Anastasia periodically checked on her daughter after convincing Mehry. Nousha broke her own culture's traditions and also checked on Arielle several times. But those two were the only people allowed entry, and it was near impossible to convince the midwife to let anyone else inside.

Xena offered to help several times but was denied entry. Mehry even went so far as to have the room guarded, but that didn't work out. One morning, Xena lingered by the Khagana's quarters and pressed her ear against the door. She heard both Arielle and Anastasia arguing over the baby's extremely loud wailing.

"_I know how to nurse, mother. I don't need your help," said Arielle._

"_If you just tilt her a little bit, that might work better."_

"_Mother, stop!"_

"_Just let me help you, tatli kiz."_

Xena pulled her ear away from the door, frowning, as she listened to the two bickering back and forth. She was prepared to embrace the repercussions, walked right into the room, and stood beside the bed. Finally, the two stopped arguing and gawked at her. Her eyes drifted to the wailing baby held in Arielle's arms.

"Where's Mehry?"

Anastasia pointed behind her, "she's preparing a bath for Arielle."

Xena eyed the door on the opposite side of the room. "Give her to me," she gestured to the baby.

"But…I'm trying to feed her," Arielle said, clutching her daughter close.

"I _said_, give her to me."

Arielle relinquished her daughter into her grandmother's arms. She adjusted her dress, pulling the strap over her shoulder. Xena walked across the room and entered the bath chamber. Arielle creased her eyebrows together and waited for several minutes until her grandmother returned without her daughter.

"What did you do? Why did you take her away?" she panicked, panting heavily.

Xena placed a hand on Arielle's shoulder, calmly saying, "I gave her to Mehry, and she's going to assign a wetnurse to your daughter."

Arielle gasped, simmering within. "A _wetnurse_!" she smacked the hand off her shoulder. "I can feed my own daughter! You can't just—just do that!"

She kicked the blankets off and attempted to rise from the bed, cradling her slightly swollen abdomen. Xena gently pushed her back down onto the bed, gripping her shoulders firmly. Arielle, red in the cheeks and breathing deeply through her nostrils, gave the most menacing glare to her grandmother.

"I listened to you two fighting outside. You've been trying to nurse for almost half an hour. Whatever you're doing isn't working, and your daughter isn't responding to you."

"But she's _my_ daughter. I'm not incapable of feeding her. I was doing fine yesterday!"

Anastasia sighed and spoke softly, "you been struggling to feed her for the last two weeks, Arielle."

"But…" tears streamed down her cheeks, and she buried her face in her hands. "I'm a terrible mother," her voice muffled in her hands.

Brimming with tears of her own, Ana looked to her mother. Listening to Arielle's sobs was hard enough, but to hear what came out of her mouth, felt like a punch to the gut. Anastasia switched spots with her mother and rose from the bed, turning her back to shield her teary eyes. Xena sat, rubbing her hand across Arielle's back.

"You're not a terrible mother."

"Yes," Arielle hiccupped, "yes, I am." She sniffled, wiping her red nose. "What kind of mother can't feed her own child?" she dug her nails into the fabric of her dress.

"She just needs extra attention. That doesn't make you a terrible mother."

Arielle, in between spurts of hiccups and stiff breaths, spat out, "I—I couldn't even protect her when she was inside me. She almost came an entire—entire month early!" she smacked her hands on the bed. "And—and now she has all these problems. And I can't even feed her. What did I do wrong?"

She looked up at the two, staring down at her, and said, "is this my fault? What did I do?"

Anastasia knelt down, taking her daughter's hand, and spoke calmly, "you didn't do anything wrong. Sometimes, we don't know why things like this happen. It's not anything that you did. Aside from her fussing, she's perfectly fine."

"That's right, and Mehry will take very good care of her for you," Xena half-smiled, gently patting Arielle's cheek.

Coming to terms with a decision that hadn't been made by her didn't ease her mind. She heard her daughter's soft whimpers from the adjoining room and wiped her cheeks. Sniffling, she tried to ignore the cries of her child, but it was practically ringing in her ears.

Anastasia stood and turned her mother, silently asking for advice. It was one of the few times that her mother didn't have an answer for her. She tapped her fingertips together and lifted Arielle's chin, staring into her red, puffy eyes.

"What am I supposed to do with _this_?" Arielle pointed to her breasts. "Am I just supposed to milk myself?"

Xena's upper lip curled. "Maybe it's best if you leave this room for a while. Listening to her cry isn't going to help."

Ana smiled, grabbing her daughter's hands. "You can stay at Csaba's. It's much quieter there, and there are fewer people. I'm sure Farah would love to have you."

Arguing against them both wasn't going to do anyone any good whatsoever. Arielle wasn't going to win this and knew it, and she was too exhausted to try and fight either one of them. This wasn't how she imagined being a mother for the second time. She expected everything to go so smoothly. It was now that she realized her eldest daughter and firstborn, was a lot easier to care for. The delivery was a lot smoother, and there weren't any complications afterward.

A little part of her thought that her second child would be much easier, but she was wrong. She also felt like kicking herself for thinking so naively. When she was a teenager, she didn't really think about her future and how much her daughter would affect her life. Initially, she thought she'd go on and continue to be how she was after Aurora was born. And for a while, that's exactly what happened.

But this time was a lot different, and the thing that she hated the most was asking for help. Arielle thought she could do everything on her own and originally scoffed at the idea of a midwife staying with her months after the baby arrived. Now, she couldn't be more grateful for the help provided for her.

She needed the help.

"Okay, I'll go, but I need to take a bath first. I haven't bathed in three days," Arielle ran her fingers through her messy hair.

With the help of her mother, she held the robe laden in her arms and slowly walked over to the bath chamber. They stepped into the adjoining room, and Arielle's eyes immediately went to the Persian maid nursing her daughter. Mehry stood beside the maid, supervising, and looked over at the hurt in the Khagana's eyes; the pain was written all over her face.

While at a fair distance, Anastasia didn't need to see what was happening to know why Arielle paused in the doorway. She gripped her daughter's shoulders, leading her to the baths. And with a bit of steady pushing, Arielle was finally able to turn away.

* * *

This wasn't how he wanted to spend his winter—traveling through thick snow. Bayan crossed through Pannonia's borders hours ago and trotted into the clan's encampment. Luckily, there weren't any issues for him passing through the gates. The wall, or rather what was left of it, was impressive. It felt like a lifetime since he was in Pannonia, which was the last place he wanted to be.

He grew accustomed to living in the Scythian palace with his wife and son, but it was incredibly lonely at times. With just the three of them and the servants, it was quiet all the time. Dismounting his horse, he came upon three Adames and eyed each one, puzzled as to which one Arielle lived in. he'd been gone far too long.

The last contact he had with Arielle was when she asked for his aid during the campaign. That didn't end well for either side, considering Eksama decided to surrender and Bayan ultimately, and reluctantly, was forced to pull his army back and retreat back to Scythia.

He had no desire to speak to Arielle, especially with the news he carried, but he had to, even if it meant being given the cold shoulder. He walked up to a soldier, took off his fur hat, shook the snowflakes off, and ruffled his long hair.

"I would like to speak with Arielle," he stated.

The soldier bowed and nervously looked at the Khagan. "The Khagana isn't available, your highness. She just had her child."

Bayan grunted and placed the hat back on his head. "I figured she did. I need to speak to her. It's _important_."

The soldier, his voice trembling, added, "she isn't available," he repeated.

Ready to pound the man's face in, Bayan held back as soon as he met eyes with Csaba across the way. He clenched his fist and averted his gaze to the ground. Csaba smirked, and ceased conversing with a Persian, then sauntered over with the smuggest of smiles.

Csaba dismissed the anxious soldier, continuing to smile at Bayan. "Well, _look_ what we have here. I didn't buy any goats this week," he snickered.

"I don't want to fight with you," said Bayan.

"What can I do for you? Would you like some hay?" Csaba bit his tongue, fighting to keel over with laughter.

Bayan rolled his eyes. "I need to speak to Arielle. Where is she? The soldier said she's not available, which means she probably doesn't want to speak to me. I'm sure she knows I'm here."

"She isn't available because she just gave birth, Bayan."

"Yes, I _heard_, but I have important news, so _kindly_…point me in the right direction," Bayan forced a smile.

Csaba crossed his arms. "She stepped down from her position for an entire year, so you won't be talking to my sister. My _mother_ is the regent Khagana as of right now."

This trip was disastrous from the start. First, it was the weather, and then it was gearing himself up to talk calmly and rationally to Arielle. But now, he came to find out that he would have to deal with Anastasia, and he did not want to be in a room _alone_ with her at all. This was not what he had in mind when he decided to make the trek down here. Although being in a room with Arielle's mother was probably better than being in a room with either one of her brothers, especially Csaba.

"Fuck's sake," Bayan mumbled. "Can I talk to her?"

"Let me go see if she's _free_ to talk," Csaba smiled, walking backward. "Stay there."

* * *

"Sounds like she's having a rough time," said Gabrielle, shaking her head.

Xena nodded, barely able to keep still. While she never had any problems with Anastasia as a baby, and hardly anyone here had similar issues, she could understand how helpless Arielle felt right now. There were times when Xena wanted more help raising Anastasia. But there just weren't many people in the clan at the time, aside from Ellac's mother, Cera. She was very helpful when she could be.

And there were indeed times when she felt the same way as Arielle. The only other person who had similar obstacles was her daughter, Ana. From the moment Arielle was born, there were problems. In fact, Arielle was troublesome before she came into the world. It seemed that she was sharing the same fate. Except, this was worse.

In the middle of the foyer, standing in silence, Gabrielle gripped her wife's hand to calm her nerves. Intertwining their fingers, Xena focused for a split moment and shared a smile with her partner.

Csaba strolled into the foyer with a smile that lit up the room. The women turned around and frowned at the king's sunny disposition. He halted, clicking his heels together, widening his toothy grin, as if that was even possible.

"You're in a good mood," said Gabrielle.

"I'm just amused," he bobbed his head slowly. "The goat is here."

Xena arched her eyebrow. "Goat?"

"Bayan. He's waiting outside. He wants to speak to mother. I said I'd go find her for him. So, where is she?" he asked, unable to wipe the grin off his face.

Gabrielle felt her hand being squeezed tightly and winced. "Ah, Ana is with Arielle right now. I don't think she can talk to him."

Csaba's eyebrows lifted. "Oh, _perfect_! So, you're up next," he fisted his grandmother's bicep.

* * *

He'd been waiting outside long enough. If he wasn't so mildly terrified of what lies inside the Adame, he would go in there and find Anastasia himself. Bayan kicked the snow around, humming under his breath, and then heard a guard by the entrance announce someone's presence.

He straightened up, adjusted his hat, then lifted his head, staring at the one person he didn't want to meet. Right now, he'd rather speak to Anastasia, but there was no way that he was going to stay in a room with _her_.

Not her. Not Xena.

"You've gotta be fucking kidding me," he whispered.

He had a gut feeling that Csaba sabotaged this plan. Csaba did this on purpose, he thought. He set him up for his death, for sure.

Xena walked down the stairs, approaching the sweating Khagan, halting a foot-distance from him. She put on a smile, though it was neither cordial nor kind.

"You traveled a long way," she laced her fingers together. "I heard you wanted to speak about something important."

"Yes."

She made a path for him, motioning to the Adame. "After you."

* * *

Xerxes spent most of his morning going through several documents that needed to be signed and sent back to Persia. His brother, now the new Shah, was very busy handling the new court and summoning several new councilmen to help rule the empire. Xerxes always knew that Khosrow would be crowned Shah despite him being the younger brother. Their father had wanted Khosrow to rule over their elder brothers.

He felt as if his father never wanted him to be Shah at all. Now that he and Khosrow were the only two living heirs of Kavad, it was apparent Xerxes was never destined to be Persia's ruler. He thought that his marriage to Arielle would've sealed the deal for becoming Shah, but that wasn't the case.

Instead, Xerxes' position as General of the Sassanian army was renounced. He was given a new role in the empire as a pasha, or governor, of a province in eastern Persia. He wasn't too thrilled about the new position because he was meant to reside in Persia for almost the entire year. It was considered an honor for a prince to rule over a province, but Xerxes didn't want to live in Persia indefinitely.

He certainly couldn't take Arielle and his daughter with him. Although if Arielle hadn't been the ruler of the Hun Empire, she would join him in Persia. She wasn't going to like this, Xerxes thought. From the letter sent by the Shah, he was supposed to leave for Persia in the next couple of weeks. This weighed heavily on his mind for the last week. He needed to tell Arielle, and he had waited long enough to tell her.

Given the recent health problems their daughter had after birth, Xerxes put off the subject of relocating, but he couldn't wait forever. He talked through a mock conversation he'd have with his wife several times this morning. And now, he decided it was time to talk to her.

Xerxes ran up the stairs, walking towards the Khagana wing, and knocked on the door, impatiently tapping his boot. Mehry opened the door, smiled, and bowed her head.

"Good morning, Shehzade."

"Morning, Mehry. Is Abbaseh awake?" he peeked inside, eager to see his daughter.

"She is," she opened the door and allowed him inside.

Xerxes smiled and walked in, heading towards the adjoining room. He looked over to see Arielle's bed made-up and empty. He fumbled for a moment and assumed she was with their daughter and went inside the room. There he saw his daughter in the hands of Mehry's assistant. Still no Arielle in sight.

The maid stood and walked over, lowering her eyes. She passed off the baby into Xerxes' arms and stepped away.

"Shehzada," he whispered, gazing into his daughter's brown eyes. "Has she had any problems breathing at all?"

"In the middle of the night sometimes, when the air is thickest. But I assure you that I oversee her with much care, Shehzade."

He kept smiling and sat down, cradling his daughter. He cupped his palm over the baby's head, swiping his thumb over the wispy blonde hairs. She was a lot smaller than he imagined she would be and probably the most fragile item he'd ever held in his life.

"She's very calm when you hold her," said the maid, observing from afar.

Xerxes looked over at the maid then peered down at his daughter's wandering eyes. Perhaps, all of those months of talking and engaging with his daughter had proved meaningful. And Arielle thought it was trivial at times. Well, apparently not, he thought.

"Where's Arielle?" he asked.

"She's at King Csaba's home."

Xerxes frowned. "Why?"

"She…has been having difficulty nursing the Shehzada. The Khatun requested she take time for herself," the maid nervously said and could see how bemused Xerxes was. "She hasn't slept in two weeks, Shehzade. The—the baby is always crying. I'm sure she senses her mother's stress."

He hadn't realized that so much was going on behind closed doors. Whenever he did see Arielle, she was asleep and when she wasn't, so was too frazzled to speak but a few words to him. This ruined his plans of telling Arielle about his departure. Sighing, he stood and passed his daughter into the maid's arms.

"_Who_ is feeding my daughter then?" he wondered, narrowing his eyes.

She stuttered, "the wetnurse, Rosha. Don't worry, Shehzade, your daughter is well taken care of."

"I will be back to see her this evening."

The maid nodded, "oh, Ku-Ilm asked me if Princess Aurora can come to visit."

He eyed his delicate daughter, twisting his mouth. "Only if Mehry allows it."

* * *

Sitting in a room with Xena was tense enough, but he thanked the gods that only her he had to talk to and not every person in the family who disliked him. Bayan gaped at the two women, and Gabrielle tapped her quill on the journal.

"You can begin at any time," Gabrielle urged him to break the silence.

Xena shifted her weight in the chair and crossed a leg over her knee. She groaned, releasing a long exhale, while her eye was on Bayan. Drumming her fingers on her cheek, she waited for him to open that damned mouth of his. They'd been sitting for almost half an hour, and she was getting very impatient.

"Well," she slammed her palm on the table, "it must not be very important since you haven't said anything. Thank you for wasting my time."

Bayan frowned, "it _is_ important."

"Then why haven't you said something already?" she folded her arms on the tabletop. "Oh, I see. You think I'm going to do something to you."

Smiling, she looked over at Gabrielle, who shook her head.

"Right. I'm not going to do anything to you, Bayan. I don't know why you're so nervous around me. I'm no threat to you. I'd be more nervous about speaking with Arielle if I were in your position."

Gabrielle rolled her eyes. "Let's just get on with this."

He finally mustered up the courage to speak, and when he did, he sputtered so much at once that Gabrielle had to stop him a few times so she could catch up. While he relaxed a few minutes into his spiel, Gabrielle was able to write at his speed. Xena tapped her fingers on the table, listening to Bayan discussing Yeter's inability to comingle with everyone else in the empire.

It was evident that Yeter never wanted to, and now isn't, part of the empire since she took over Armenia. Shah Khosrow probably didn't know what he was getting himself into when he wrote that treaty for Yeter, but she knew. Not only did this cause a rift between everyone, but Yeter also had more power up north. It was the most power the Gokturk Empire ever possessed since its existence. And she had no intention of stopping there, especially when Bayan explained what that woman was doing.

"She wants to take over the Scythian tribes," Xena repeated.

Bayan nodded. "Yes, and she sent her soldiers to barricade northern Scythia. I am close to the Beys of those tribes. I am not sure what to do, so I came here to ask for help. I can't protect all of those tribes and keep Mezamir off my ass at the same time."

"Yeter is out of control," Xena rubbed her chin and leaned on the back of the chair. "Have you had any contact with Oran? I don't believe he would be on board with his wife's _plans_."

"No, I received a message from Ursula. In the last letter, she said she was worried Yeter was going to kick her out."

Xena raised her hand, putting an end to the conversation. She rose from her seat, and Bayan did the same. "I will talk this over with everyone. You traveled a long way, and you're probably tired. Gabrielle can ask someone to make up a room for you."

He chuckled, "there is no way in hell I am staying _here_."

"Where're you going to stay then, Bayan? _Outside_ in the snow?" she raised an eyebrow.

Gabrielle gathered her journals and stuffed them inside her bag. "He can stay with Eksama. Her Adame is across the camp. I'll walk you over."

After Xena thought about it, that was probably the safer route. She forgot about Xerxes being here and pretty much everybody else that hated Bayan. He wasn't well-liked here, but everyone would be on pins and needles until his departure if he stayed here during his visit. Staying in this home was not an option, and sending him to stay with Csaba was out of the question.

"Since I'm here, can I see Aurora?" he asked, eager to see his daughter after being separated for a very long time.

Gabrielle stood by the door, waiting for him to follow her. "I'll tell Ku to bring her over to Eksama's."

* * *

News of Bayan's arrival spread like wildfire throughout all of the homes. The reaction from everybody was much of the same, except for Csaba's. Out of everyone, he seemed to express his loathsome attitude towards his sister's former husband more than anyone else. These last three days, Xena led a meeting regarding the Gokturk Empire's sudden expansion.

So far, nobody came to an agreement on what to do. Without Ernak here any longer, they were short of great military leaders. Kurt and Soran were still on their mission to meet with the Shah regarding another matter that would hopefully sort itself out. The Nezaks hardly caused a stir in the empire and were a small tribe of Huns. It was also the newfound family and home to Cera. In hindsight, Cera would've been the one to go to speak with the Shah. But any chance of her _speaking_ to politicians was slim to none, even though she had a keen eye and sharp mind.

They thought to send Csaba to help Bayan against the Gokturk horde, but after what happened with the Byzantines, there was no possibility that Farah would allow him to leave. She wanted him within reach at all times, perhaps a bit too much these days. Ever since Farah learned that she was pregnant and was separated from Csaba, she never wanted to let him out of her sight.

Sending Csaba was off the table. Xena proposed allowing Navaz to go to Scythia, but she was shot down by her daughter and spouse. Navaz assisting Bayan wasn't a terrible idea, but considering that Yeter stole his land right out from under him, it would be an emotional war of defense.

Xena cursed her age at this very moment in her life. If she had been younger, even by five years, she would already be packing to go to Scythia. But she couldn't do that. She could, but it would be a strain on her body, and the last thing she needed was Gabrielle worrying about her.

Yeter put everyone in a very tough position, including her own husband and family. Assumingly, Ebnedzar and Oran were not on Yeter's side, but this information was unknown. For all the clan knew, Oran could be siding with his greedy, warmongering wife and trample Scythia alongside her.

Three days of constant meetings, which lasted all day, left everybody at a standstill. There was still no confirmed military position for the Scythia mission. Xena made the final decision to take a day's break from the constant strategizing and negotiating. She thought it might be easier if their minds were put to rest before they began to tackle this subject once more.

With her mind in a fog, Xena made no plans for the next day. For once, she wanted to do something mindless, something that wouldn't make her head throb. Wine was not suitable since that only made her headaches worse as she aged. Games weren't exactly on the agenda either. Apparently, Gabrielle planned something for the two of them to do outside.

Xena wasn't sure if spending time with Gabrielle was the best thing to do after those heinous meetings, but she didn't plan to argue. But she hated that Gabrielle didn't tell her exactly _what_ they were doing.

_Surprises_, she scoffed.

"I hate surprises," she mumbled, walking through the foyer. "Go outside, she says. '_I have something fun for us_,'" she mocked her spouse.

Reluctantly, she walked through the camp, briefly smiling at the citizens passing by her. She wasn't in a great mood to greet people properly. She came to the spot that Gabrielle told her to be at, and of course, the blonde was missing.

"Goddammit, Gabrielle," she growled.

She was going to wait out here for a couple of minutes, and if Gabrielle didn't show her lucky face, she was going to march right back into the Adame. She'd rather be inside, next to a warm fireplace, than stand out in this chilly weather of hell.

One minute passed.

"You have two minutes, Gabrielle…"

Horse hooves galloped in from the right of her ear, and Xena spun around. Gabrielle trotted in on a horse and held the reins of her spouse's horse closeby. Xena folded her arms, clearly unimpressed and even a bit confused as to why she saw her horse.

"Come on, get on," Gabrielle threw the reins to the irritated wife of hers.

Xena mumbled a slew of inaudible words and caressed the animal's muzzle. "You brought me all the way out here just so I can see my horse?"

"No, Xena. Just get on the horse and follow me. Don't you trust me?"

"My trust in you is questionable at the moment."

* * *

Farah walked up the stairs, carrying a tray of food to Arielle's room. On one of the balconies overlooking the foyer, her two sons were shooting toy arrows at the maids below. She sighed, and the boys hid their bows behind their backs once they saw their mother coming towards them.

"Put away the bows," she ordered.

Aman sheepishly smiled, "but mother, we were just playing around."

Aladar nodded and piped in, "we didn't hurt anyone!"

"We talked about this. No using weapons inside. You two can go outside and shoot arrows all you want, provided that there aren't any people around."

The two princes sulked and stepped away from the balcony, allowing their mother to pass. They shared a mischievous smile together and then followed their mother, wrapping their arms around her slender waist.

"Can we take Aracsilla outside, too?" asked Aman. "We'll be really careful."

"My answer is no," Farah spun around, glaring at her sons, who seemed to be going through a bit of a naughty streak. "Stay out of this wing. I'm going to deliver this food to Arielle."

"How long is Teyze Arielle going to stay here anyway?" Aladar inquired, plucking the bowstring.

"As long as she needs to. Now, get out of here."

Farah entered the room, closing the door behind her. She was certain it wasn't the best idea to leave her sons alone to do what they wanted. They most likely were going to disobey her and go outside without supervision. She made it very clear that their baby sister was to stay inside and hoped they'd listen. But lately, they couldn't care what words came out of her mouth.

She set the tray down gently on the bedside table and drew the curtains, bringing in dim light. Arielle stirred in bed, opened an eye, and groaned. She sat up slowly with an arm draped over her sore breasts and stared at the food placed in front of her.

"_Günaydin_," said Farah, smiling.

Arielle muttered, "_iyi sabahlar."_

"Did you sleep well? Better than yesterday?"

Arielle nodded, then let out a long yawn. Too tired to make conversation, she immediately dove into eating the food. She ripped a piece of bread apart, dipped it into the eggs doused in yogurt, and ate at a languid pace.

Farah sat, observing closely. "I want you to eat everything on that tray." She received a penetrating glare. "You've barely eaten anything since you've been here."

"I don't have much of an appetite," said Arielle, picking at the fruit.

"You need to keep up your strength," Farah pressured. "Especially if you're going to continue nursing your daughter."

Arielle stopped chewing and threw the bread onto the tray. "She doesn't want _my_ milk!"

Farah flinched, "but, the wetnurse is temporary. The point of you staying here is so you can get plenty of rest before you go back to your daughter."

"I feel like I haven't done anything for her," Arielle said, tears brimming in her eyes. "She always cries around me!"

Farah set the tray aside, scooting closer to her sister-in-law, and placed a hand on Arielle's knee. "I know how you feel."

"No, you don't," she sniffled, wiping her nose.

"Yes, I do!" Farah lifted the Khagana's chin. "When I had my sons, I didn't know what to do. I was prepared for the baby. I did everything I was supposed to. But I wasn't prepared to take care of _two_ babies at once!" she smiled, holding up two fingers. "I really needed help, and I didn't want to ask for it, but I relied on your mother and my sister. They were so helpful, and I don't know what I would've done without them."

Arielle inhaled deeply, drying her eyes, listening to Farah tell a portion of her life that she didn't know. Nor would she have cared to know at that particular time in her life. Arielle was only focused on herself as a teenager and never cared about what was going on around her. Farah painted her life like it was perfect, but the fact that it wasn't made Arielle feel a little less alone.

"I had a wetnurse too," Farah continued. "I couldn't pay attention to both of my sons in the beginning. I thought I could, but it just wasn't possible. I felt very guilty for a while, but I realized that it was better for my sons in the end. I had the same problem with Aladar that you're experiencing right now with your daughter."

Arielle's eyes enlarged. "Really? Are you just _saying_ that to make me feel better?" she wondered, raising an eyebrow.

Farah chuckled softly, "no, I'm serious."

"I didn't know that…" she whispered, picking at her nails. "If I had known that back then, I probably wouldn't have been so rude to you."

"If I _recall_, you weren't exactly very easy-going back then," Farah snidely added.

Arielle's upper lip curled into a smirk. "Yeah, I was pretty shitty. I treated you badly—treated _everyone_ badly," she looked into Farah's sparkling green eyes. "I'm sorry."

"It was a long time ago."

Arielle nodded, twiddling her thumbs. "You know, I…after you had your sons…" she took in a deep breath, "I…became pregnant."

"Yes, I remember. You showed up one day after you ran away," Farah refrained from saying any more.

"No, _before_ that," Arielle met the eyes opposite hers. "I was…carrying a child while still living in Pannonia." She paused, noticing the shock on Farah's face. "I…I got rid of the baby," she said quietly. "I didn't know what to do, and Bayan was so dismissive about it all—like, he didn't care," she sighed, adding, "anyway, I felt guilty afterward. I feel the same way right now."

Farah blinked her eyes rapidly, unsure of what to say. She was surprised to see Arielle's vulnerability and even more astonished that she was one of the few people to experience hidden knowledge within the Pandora Box of Arielle's life. She assumed that many people in the family had no knowledge of this.

The only natural response she could do was to reach over and hug Arielle tightly. Wrapping her arms around Arielle as tightly as possible, she felt the body within her grasp, stiffen and relax in a matter of seconds. Pulling away, she cupped Arielle's cheeks, emitting a small smile.

"I'm sorry you went through that. That's a lot to go through for someone at that age." She brushed her thumbs across Arielle's tear-stained cheeks. "You must've felt very alone."

Arielle's gaze drifted downward, fluttering her wet eyelashes.

"Thank you for sharing that with me," Farah smiled, squeezing Arielle's arm. "And you shouldn't feel guilty, but that's a feeling all mothers feel at some point. It doesn't mean that you did anything wrong. Part of it is your stress. Your daughter must sense that from you."

Arielle sighed, "stress. Yes. I need to stop doing that."

"Mhm. Now," Farah pulled the tray over, "eat all of this."

* * *

This wasn't much of a surprise, Xena thought. They were in the middle of nowhere. Just a few more miles east, and they'd be on the cusp of the Black Sea border. That territory wasn't nearly as safe as it used to be, being so close to Justinian's capital. Xena hopped off her horse and whipped her head around to her wife, who wore a disgustingly cheerful smile.

"You brought me to the eastern forest," said Xena in a flat tone. "_This_ is my surprise?"

Gabrielle playfully rolled her eyes. "You're so impatient, not to mention ungrateful," she muttered, grabbing her spouse's hand.

"I heard that."

"Just follow me."

Reluctantly and willingly, Xena followed her petite wife through the forestry. She chose not to complain. As they walked deeper into the woods, the more uncomfortable she felt. There was a tribe up ahead, and she was sure it wasn't Justinian's citizens, but she was wary of who these people were. A woman walked around outside one of the yurts; her arms were laden with heavy rugs.

Xena abruptly halted. "You aren't taking me to a shaman, are you? Am I going to have to drink blood? Do you remember my last _surprise_," she air quoted.

"You aren't going to be drinking blood. Trust me, okay?"

They entered the small tribe of fifty yurts or so, and several eyes swarmed over them. Xena's face paled at the amount of attention she brought to the remote area. She hid behind a shielding hand and squeezed Gabrielle's hand tightly. They were nearing a yurt, the same yurt with the woman cleaning rugs outside.

She appeared to be young and stood up, setting down the brush. Smiling, she bowed her head slightly, eyeing Gabrielle. Xena averted her gaze elsewhere, noticing all of the pairs of eyes burning into her backside. She didn't want to be here, but Gabrielle didn't seem to care about that. As they waited outside the yurt, Xena heard a familiar voice from inside the home.

All her worries dissipated, and the voice neared, and finally emerged from the yurt. Xena smiled, loosening her grip on her spouse's hand, and walked forward, ignoring the onlookers from afar.

"Xena!" her younger brother sprung forward, hugging her warmly. Ditron pulled back and kissed her cheeks and forehead. "How did you find me?"

"I didn't," she looked back at the sheepish blonde."

Ditron raised an eyebrow. "Ah, Gabrielle, of course." He kissed his sister's hands. "I'm really sorry I never tried to contact you, but after what Eksama did, I didn't want to go back there."

"Eksama," she sighed, "she's no longer a problem."

"She's dead?" he hoped.

"No, she lives with us," Xena saw the shock in his eyes. "It's a long and painful story. So, you've been hiding out here. I'm guessing these people are the ones who fled Pannonia after the siege."

Ditron nodded, too excited for words.

"And who is this?" she gestured to the young woman. "Your '_lady_ _friend_?'"

"Hey, she's my wife now. Her name is Defne."

Xena smirked at her brother and held out her hand. "Nice to meet you, Defne. If you don't already know, I'm your husband's sister."

"I know who you are," the shy brunette said, grinning. "He talks about you a lot."

"Does he?" Xena tapered her eyes at Ditron. "Yet, he can't write a damn letter every once in a while."

He laughed nervously, hooked arms with his sister, leading her towards the yurt. "Listen, I'm really sorry about that. Are you going to stay for a little bit? I'd love to hear about everything that's happened!"

Xena smiled over her shoulder at Gabrielle, who trailed behind. "Where's Pirro?"

* * *

It was supposed to be a surprise, and it definitely was a surprise. Seated outside by the fire, Gabrielle walked up behind Xena, holding two cups of wine. She hesitated before making her way over, but she couldn't allow Xena to sit alone. Gabrielle sat down on the grass, handing over a cup of wine, taking notice of the warm tears long since dried on her wife's cheeks.

"I'm sorry. Maybe I shouldn't have brought you here."

Xena reached over and grabbed her partner's arm. "No. Thank you for taking me here. It was a lovely surprise," she wore a soft smile.

"But, now you're upset."

"I'm not upset," Xena wiped her nose. "I guess I'm upset at _myself_. I keep outliving everybody, even my own brothers. I only have one brother left. I don't know where Toris is. I don't even know if he's alive, still living in Greece."

"Maybe he is? I could find out!" Gabrielle cheered. "Would you like me to do that?"

Xena half-smiled, "I'd rather you not. It's okay, Gabrielle. I'll be fine. I just wish I could've stayed closer to my brothers growing up. There are a lot of things that I wish I would've done."

"Let's not go down that list again. We've been through it a hundred times, at least!" Gabrielle bumped elbows. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you feel this way. This wasn't supposed to be like this."

"Gabrielle." She gripped her wife's arm firmly. "Stop apologizing. I loved your surprise. What happened to Pirro isn't your fault. Thank you, and don't say 'sorry' again, or I'll punch you."

"You will not."

"I will."

Gabrielle twisted her mouth, snickering in a whisper. She swiped her thumb across Xena's hand, watching the dwindling flames. Picking up a stick, she poked the firewood. After allowing the fire to roar on its own, her eyes drifted to the stoic brunette beside her. Gabrielle took the liberty of leaning her head on her wife's shoulder, cuddling for warmth. If she complained about the frigid weather, she was sure that Xena would do her usual routine of eye-rolling, long sighs, and groans. The quiet was nice, and she was convinced that Xena needed that tranquility.

"Defne said we could stay the night. It's getting kind of late to ride back," said Gabrielle.

Xena sighed, sipping some wine. "But I didn't tell anyone I was leaving."

"I told Anastasia."

Xena grumbled, sipping more of the drink. "Damn you two. Always conspiring behind my back."

"We do it because we _love_ you."

"Ah, is that why…" Xena hummed, hiding her smirk.

* * *

As much as Arielle wanted to go back to her home, she found herself more and more afraid of her own child. She worried if she went back that her daughter would reject her many times over. She realized she took the bonding experience with Aurora for granted. She should've spent more time with Aurora as a baby instead of passing her off to her mother or anyone willing to watch her.

After a warm bath, Arielle dressed, and all she wanted to do was crawl back into bed. She had no intention of visiting her brother and nephews downstairs. Farah came to check on her twice a day, and that was all the contact she needed for now. When she settled beneath the sheets, loud raps on the door jarred her.

"Who is it?" she called out.

"Your husband."

Arielle smiled and combed through her hair. Moments later, Xerxes walked in, carrying a bowl of fruit. He rounded the bed and kissed her on the forehead and briefly on the lips. Setting the fruit bowl on the bedside table, he sat down beside her, cradling her hand.

"Farah asked me to bring that to you."

She nodded, uninterested in the fruit. "How is the baby?" she immediately asked.

"_Abbaseh_," he stressed their daughter's name, "misses you, I think. She's been crying nonstop, even when the wetnurse feeds her."

Arielle's smile increased, and she held her hot cheeks in her palms. "Really? So, she doesn't hate me. It's not _me_, then."

Confused by his wife's words, Xerxes scratched his head. "Why would she hate you? You're her mother."

"I don't know," her hands dropped into her lap. "I thought it was something that I did—something that I didn't do right. I'm so relieved to hear you say that."

"Does this mean that you'll come back home?"

"Yes, I'll have my things brought over as soon as possible. I can go tell Farah," she inched her way out of bed, struggling a bit until Xerxes grabbed her hand.

"I…need to talk to you about something, and it can't wait anymore. I've been putting this off, but I can't any longer."

She settled back into bed, widening her eyes. The worst she could think of was that he was going to tell her that someone died. What could be worse than that? Every terrible thing possible that she could imagine popped into her brain. But, she remained calm on the exterior, although her heart was racing, and blood pumped through her veins as she waited in anticipation.

Over the next couple of minutes, Xerxes calmly explained to his wife that he was in charge of an eastern province in Persia. Soon, in the next week, he'd have to leave to go live there for at least nine months out of the year. Arielle's expression changed from worry to frantic to anger and a combination of all three during his explanation.

"Nine months?" she exclaimed. "But I…I just had the baby! And you're leaving me?" tears streamed down her cheeks.

He didn't expect her to cry. He thought at the very least that she would hit him or scream, but cry? He wasn't prepared for tears, but he did remember that she was in a far more emotional and unstable state right now since their daughter's birth. It was probably the most vulnerable he'd ever seen Arielle since he'd known her.

"Hey, hey." He wrapped an arm around Arielle. "I was going to suggest that you, Abbaseh, and Aurora come with me," he whispered, kissing her temple.

She hiccupped and looked into his eyes. "Go _with_ you?"

Xerxes smiled, wiping the tears from her eyes. "You gave your duties to your mother for a year. You can come live with me in Persia. My mother will help you with Abbaseh. What do you think?"

The option of going with him hadn't occurred to her. It wasn't a horrible idea, but all she thought about was how upset her mother was going to be. She would be taking both granddaughters away, living in a secluded area far, far away from Pannonia. Persia isn't very close. If her father still had control over Armenia, she was positive her mother would relocate to be closer to Persia, but that wasn't feasible anymore. On the other hand, she wanted to be close to Xerxes.

"Only for nine months, you said?" she asked, rubbing her eye.

"Does this mean that you're thinking about coming to Persia?"

"Well," she picked at the hairs on his arm, "it would be better than waiting for you to come back. My mother is not going to like this."

Xerxes smiled, pulling her body to sit on his lap. "You really don't like to upset your mother."

"I've upset her so many times in my life already. It's just a pattern for me at this point," she shrugged a shoulder. "And she is going to be jealous of your mother taking care of the baby," she snorted.

"The baby has a name."

Arielle lightly thwacked his chest. "Sorry. I'm not used to calling her Abbaseh. I can't believe her name is Abbaseh _Sassan_…"

Xerxes corrected his wife, "_Shehzada_ Abbaseh Sassan."

"And she's very beautiful," she pecked him on the lips gently. "Thank you for giving me a daughter."

"I should be the one thanking you!" he squeezed her tightly in a warm embrace. He felt her fingers roam on his inner thigh and grabbed her wrist. "Hey, _rules_, remember?"

Arielle groaned and scooted off his lap. "You Persians and your rules. How long do we have to wait again?" she whined.

"Sixty days," he reminded her, biting his lower lip.

"For God's sake!" she crashed backward onto the mattress. "We really can't do…_anything_?"

Xerxes rolled his eyes. "We went over this. Sixty days, Arielle."

She pouted, folding her arms. "I liked your _rules_ better when I was pregnant. You did whatever I wanted."

* * *

A week passed, and everything had already been packed for the trip to eastern Persia. The person who was least thrilled about the abrupt move was surprisingly Navaz instead of Anastasia. Arielle expected her mother to have a mild fit over it, but she could tell that her mother was content with the decision. A part of her felt that she was forcing her role and duties on her mother. Or maybe she was a bit of a distraction to her.

Navaz was the most distraught as he had hardly spent time with Arielle in the last few weeks. Word on Shah Khosrow's taxation deal on the Nezaks hadn't been revealed yet. Navaz even went as far as to go take a 'trip' to Persia to conduct further negotiations with the Shah. But Navaz's plans were intercepted by Anastasia, as she assured him that Xerxes and his family would take care of Arielle.

The day before the long journey ahead, Aurora was busy packing all her dresses in her room. She had Ku pack all of her 'fancy' dresses, as she called them, and asked Gabrielle and Xena for their help. She picked out three different outfits to wear during the journey. It was explained that they'd have to stop a few times along the way given that they were traveling with a baby, the trip would be extended by some.

Gabrielle stood behind the princess, sorting through the dresses. She picked up a black and burgundy dress, showing Xena.

"What do you think about this one?" she asked.

Xena stared at the dress and looked over at Aurora, wearing a forlorn smile. "It's very nice, but do you really want to wear that? You might get it dirty."

Aurora skipped ahead, wrapping her small hands around Xena's knees. "Grandma Nousha said she will buy me another dress if it gets dirty," she whispered.

"Ah, of course, she will, because who washes clothes in Persia, right?" she jested, curling her lips at Gabrielle, who was busy picking out clothes. Gabrielle was far too interested in the princess' wardrobe—perhaps more than the princess herself.

"What do you think the palace will look like? Are the palaces like Adames?" Aurora blinked her eyes, pressing her forehead to Xena's.

"Um…" she grabbed the girl, gently pushing her backward. "The palaces are _enormous_ there. A lot bigger. And they're not made of wood like Adames. They have stone and marble—you know, similar to the palace in Scythia."

Aurora gasped. "Wow! Do they have markets too? And gardens? I hope there are markets. I want to _explore_ Persia."

Gabrielle walked forward, grabbing the princess's hand. "Remember what we talked about? No wandering off without Nousha, Ku-Ilm, or your mother."

"Yes, yes, I know the rules."

Navaz verbally and emotionally expressed how distraught he was to see his daughter and two granddaughters leave for an extended time, but Xena felt the same way. She hadn't shown how upset she was over the last week when Arielle broke the news to everybody. There were points in her life when she felt this way after being separated from family members. One moment that she'd never forget was when she said goodbyes to Anastasia and sent her to Greece for school.

Anastasia was so eager to stay, but she was also excited to leave as well. The only person she knew well enough was her mother. Xena watched her daughter blossom from a youthful teenager into a woman in less than two years at that time. She never expected her daughter to have a child of her own at that age, and for the same situation to spit right back at Anastasia was alarming and a bit karmic.

That seemed like eons ago, and yet the visions of that past life were still so vivid. Xena remembered every emotion and every event. It's true what she said to Gabrielle. She wished she could change certain things she had done or hadn't done in her life. One is that she wished she would've been kinder to Borias, but she felt she already fulfilled that wish—no thanks—thanks to Gabrielle's conniving slithery plans. Overall, she wished she could've developed a different outlook on life much earlier than she did, but she had Gabrielle to thank for that. And she didn't know if Gabrielle ever knew that, but she had to know, right? Another wish—express emotions better before it's too late.

Trapped in a daze, Xena watched the two interact, talking to one another. The voices muffled in her ears as she stared off into the distance. Fluttering her eyes, she smiled at Aurora, babbling on about how excited she was to live in Persia for a year. It was only a year. One year.

"I'm going to miss you," said Xena, drawing attention from the two.

Aurora smiled and padded over. "I'll be back! I'm not gonna be gone forever, you know."

"I know," she stroked the girl's silky dark hair. "Hey, you can still write me letters, but don't send anything in Persian."

"Grandma Khanum," Aurora lifted a serious eyebrow, "you should really learn Persian. It's not that hard!"

Gabrielle let out a laugh, "she doesn't like reading in her own language! Good luck trying to get her to learn another language, Aurora."

"See, even Gabby agrees. You are stubborn."

Xena's jaw dropped. "Yeah? Then maybe _Gabby_ can learn Persian. She can teach me. How's that?"

Aurora gasped and ran over to the governor, hugging her legs. "That's a great idea!"

Gabrielle shot a scowling glare at her spouse. "_Fabulous_ idea…"

"And we can all write in Persian together!" cheered the princess. "Oh, and Teyze Cera can learn it too and help me write letters!"

"Cera?"

Aurora spun around, facing the Khanum. "She's coming to live with us. I like spending time with Teyze Cera. She's so funny sometimes. I mean, she can't talk an all, but she tells funny stories with her paintings," she babbled on, giggling.

Xena sprung up and hurried out of the room. All the color drained from Gabrielle's face, and she set the dress back onto the bed. Watching Xena rush out of the room like she just did was unexpected, and it only meant that she had no idea Cera was leaving as well.

"Was it something I said?" Aurora asked, quieting her voice.

Gabrielle smiled, "no, no. Stay here. Finish packing. I'll be right back."

* * *

Xena barged into her granddaughter's room, interrupting their breakfast. Mirac sat, holding his toddler daughter in his lap, gawking at Xena. Cera looked over her shoulder, chewing her food slowly. Xena breathed deeply through her nose, crinkling her drawn-in eyebrows.

"You're leaving too?" she announced in a broken voice.

Cera swallowed her half-eaten food, coughing. She fisted her chest and instructed her husband to leave with their daughter. Mirac picked up Emese, grabbing a plate on his way out. He held his head down and closed the door, leaving the two to talk. Cera drank a large gulp of water and stood up, hesitantly approaching her grandmother. She couldn't tell if her grandmother was angry or extremely hurt, or both.

Standing at just a few inches taller than her, Cera softly smiled. It was one of the few times in her life that she was grateful she couldn't utter a word. It was a safety blanket during conflicts such as this.

"_Are you upset_?" Cera slowly signed, nervous to hear the reaction.

Xena frowned, "of course I'm upset. Nobody told me you were leaving!"

Cera sighed, "_I'm sorry_," she placed a hand over her heart. "_I thought mother would have told you."_

"She did this on purpose," Xena said, narrowing her eyes. "She didn't tell me because she knew I'd say no." She took a step closer, gripping Cera's shoulders. "You haven't been here that long. Are you planning to go back to Kazakhstan?" she hinted, trying to get her granddaughter to look into her eyes.

By the lack of eye contact, she received her answer.

"You are."

Cera lifted her teary brown eyes.

"And when were you planning to tell me this? You leave tomorrow!"

Gabrielle entered the room, out of breath, and halted in the middle of the doorway.

"It's bad enough that Arielle is leaving, and she's taking both her daughters and now…_you_ too!"

Gabrielle could hear the hurt in her voice. A pain that she hadn't heard in quite some time. Due to the recent news of her littlest brother's death, Gabrielle could only imagine that this news piled on top was not doing her any favors. She decided to intervene once she saw Cera was on the verge of tears. Cera had always been more sensitive out of her siblings and the least confrontational, and this conversation was meant to be avoided.

Grabbing the warrior's hand, she whispered, "Xena, let's come back another time." She pulled her wife's stilted arm.

"_Another_ time? She leaves tomorrow! Did you know about this?" Xena whipped her head around.

"No, I didn't," Gabrielle calmly replied. "You're really upset. I understand that but don't take it out on Cera. You're upsetting her. Look at her."

Xena's eyes softened, and she turned around, staring at the trickling tears running down Cera's face. She came to terms with Arielle leaving, but she had a little over a week to process it. Knowing that her other grandchild, and youngest of the three, was also leaving and gave her no time to prepare mentally or emotionally at the last minute.

She circled her arms around the redhead's thin body. "I'm sorry. The last thing I want to do is upset you," she pulled away, forcing a weak grin. "You should have told me."

Cera nodded in agreement. "_I will come to visit_."

"And she'll write too," Gabrielle piped in from behind.

Cera gave a sincere smile. "_I want to stay, but I need to go home_…" she made a circle with her fingers, then touched her fingertips together, "_my_ _other_ _home_."

"I know, I know," Xena let out a heavy sigh.

Cera snapped her fingers, "_and I promised to help Arielle take care of the baby_," she cradled her arms. "_She will need my help_."

"Make sure she doesn't get into any trouble in Persia. You know how she is," Xena raised a skeptical eyebrow.

Cera winked, tapping a finger beneath her eye.

"I'll miss you."

* * *

Ten Months Later

_The Caucasus_

Ursula crept around the palace in the middle of the night, rounding each corner with caution. As far as she knew, Yeter wasn't in the palace and instead off warring near the Scythian border. She suspected that Yeter might attack their family's numerous territories and thus concocted a plan. Briefly, she spoke with Zolten, one of Navaz's trusted men and former General, to ensure that she and her grandsons would be safe.

She waited until the right moment to strike, and this was the moment—the middle of the night. Dressed in a heavy coat and veil over her head, Ursula snuck into her two smallest grandsons' room. She closed the door quietly and hurried over to Muqan's bed, shaking him awake gently.

Muqan stirred and sat up, rubbing his eye. Barely able to see in the dark bedroom, he looked over at his grandmother, who now awoke his toddler brother, Tespar. He yawned, gazing at the window. It definitely wasn't morning, or even close to it. Rubbing his arms to warm his body from the cold wind breezing through, he yawned once more.

"Grandma, what're you doing?" he mumbled.

Ursula began dressing the toddler prince and grabbed a coat, shoes, and pants for Muqan. "Put those on, quickly," she whispered.

Muqan stumbled out of bed, slipping on the pants at a pace slower than his grandmother liked. The coat was flung onto him, and he grimaced, irritated by being woken up from his peaceful sleep. Before he could put his boots on, Ursula grabbed his hand, holding Tespar on her hip, and rushed out into the hallway.

Looking in both directions, Ursula briskly walked down the hallway towards Issik's bedroom. She knocked on the door rapidly and didn't stop until the door was opened. The teenage prince swung open the door, half-asleep.

"Put your clothes on."

Issik rubbed his face, "w-why?" he looked at his half-dressed brothers. "What's going on?"

"Don't argue with me and put your clothes on."

"Okay, okay."

Ursula waited in the hallway, panicking within as she stared at the empty halls. She hoped that no guards were making their rounds at this time. She tapped her boot on the floor, waiting for Issik. She felt a small hand touch her cheek and peered over at Tespar, smiling weakly.

Finally, Issik stepped out of his room and followed his grandmother and brothers down the hallway. He skipped ahead, adjusting the fur hat on his head, tucking his hair beneath the bonnet.

"Where are we going?" he whispered.

"Someplace safe," she said curtly and made sure the hallways were clear. She grabbed Muqan's hand, hurrying through the dark palace.

"Does mother know about this?"

Ursula looked back at her grandson, tapering her eyes.

"I'm not leaving mother here!" Issik yelled.

"Issik!" she hissed, grabbing his wrist. "You're coming with me and will do as I say. Do not argue."

He crossed his arms, standing firmly in the middle of the corridor. "You're taking us without permission."

"I'm trying to protect you. You're going with us, now stop being stubborn and come with me," she wagged her finger.

Slowly, Issik backed away, refusing to be a part of his grandmother's plans. He came closer to the rope attached to the bell tower above. Ursula's eyes widened, and she raised her hand.

"Issik, don't," she begged, "_don't_."

He wrapped his fingers around the rope and, with all his weight, pulled the cord. The loud bells chimed throughout the palace and its parameter, signaling distress of some kind. Ursula gasped and heard soldiers outside begin to circle the palace. Eyes brimming with tears, Ursula grabbed Muqan's hand and took off running.

Issik furrowed his eyebrows, glaring at the trio disappear into the next corridor. A couple of soldiers came rushing towards him from behind.

"She's kidnapping my brothers!" he yelled, pointing ahead.

Escaping out of the back entrance of the palace, Zolten waited outside, ready with two horses. He ran forward, grabbing Muqan by the waist and hoisted him on the horse. Ursula, out of breath, handed over the toddler prince to Zolten and climbed onto the horse.

"Where's the eldest prince?" Zolten asked.

"He's the one who alarmed the guards," she said, her voice signaled obvious hurt.

Zolten sighed and hopped onto the horse, securing Muqan on the saddle. He steered the horse backward and whistled for Ursula to follow.

* * *

On a cold autumn night, a gush of wind blew the window shutters open, snuffing out the candles' flames in the bedroom. Xena awoke, breathless as if all the air in her body had been pulled out of her. She rose from the pillow, peered over at Gabrielle, who was sound asleep. Xena ran her fingers through her hair and looked at the curtains gently swaying.

She put a hand over her chest, which felt like she'd slept with a weight on her body during the entire night. A whistling sound of wind breezed by her ear, and she turned around herself. If she wasn't so tired, she could've sworn she heard a voice in that slither of wind. No, she heard nothing. I am exhausted, she thought.

Xena closed her eyes, scratching her head, and took in a deep breath. Exhaling slowly, she felt a small nudge to her shoulder and gasped loudly. Her head spun around at Gabrielle, who hadn't moved from her position. She shook her spouse awake, shaking her arm violently.

"Gabrielle!"

"W-what?" she groaned and looked up at the piercing blue eyes above her head. "What's gotten into you?"

Xena held her breath and whispered, "did you touch my shoulder?"

"What?" Gabrielle sat up, supporting her weight on an elbow. "I…was asleep. What are you talking about?"

"Someone touched my shoulder. I felt it," she wrapped a palm over her shoulder.

Gabrielle glanced around their bedroom. "Nobody's here but us two. Are you sure it wasn't your hair?" she chuckled, mildly amused.

"It's not funny! It was real. I felt it, right here," she pecked her shoulder.

"Maybe Kreka is _haunting_ you again," Gabrielle cackled and settled back into bed, rolling over onto her side, facing away from Xena.

Xena tapped her chin and took a good look around the room. "_Kreka_…" she whispered. "You may be right. She doesn't just interrupt my sleep for kicks."

She got out of bed, snatching her robe, and slipped on her flats. Gabrielle peered over her shoulder and watched the dark figure of her wife exit the room.

She sat up, annoyed, and called, "I was joking!" she huffed and rolled out of bed. "Now, I'm gonna have to go after her. Jeez, I swear," she mumbled, slipping on her shoes.

* * *

The Adame was very quiet during the day and especially during the night since Arielle and Cera left with their families. All who resided here were Soran, Pamira, and their daughter, along with everyone else who was obligated to stay until Arielle's return. Since one could hear a pin drop at night, it was easy to spot something amiss.

Xena roamed through the hallways, checking the empty rooms. She knew she wasn't going insane. She felt something grab her shoulder. No matter what Gabrielle said, nothing was going to convince her otherwise. She checked the last bedroom at the end of the hall and groaned, coming to a dead end. If the deceased Khatun had _visited_ her somehow, she would expect more clues, like last time.

"Or maybe I am crazy," she whispered aloud. "No, no, I know what I felt."

Gabrielle hurried along and finally caught up to her wife, who was talking to herself in the middle of the hallway.

"Xena, I was just kidding about the whole Kreka thing. Come back to bed. It's cold."

"Listen, I am not crazy," she stepped forward, inches from Gabrielle's face. "Not. Crazy."

"I…I never said you were."

"Then—"

Every window shutter flew open, and squalls of wind flourished throughout the second floor of the Adame. Flurries of whistling rain poured in, and the curtains blew violently. Gabrielle shielded her eyes, huddling close to her wife, wrapping her arms around Xena, squeezing tightly.

Xena turned around herself, eyeing all of the windows swing open throughout the entire household. She approached one of the lower balconies with caution and looked outside to see the tallest trees craning in the furious wind. Narrowing her eyes, dust and soil was picking up from the ground, swirling in a cyclone of debris. Yurts in the distance waned and collapsed to the ground in seconds.

A firm hand pulled her shoulder backward, away from the balcony. She spun around, ready to pounce.

"Mother, are you nuts?!" Ana yelled, her hair violently blowing around her. "We need to get away from the windows!"

* * *

The bizarre storm blew in just as quickly as it left the area. Many families were gathered inside the Adame to wait for the storm to pass. Even though it was a brief storm, it left behind catastrophic damage. Many of the yurts were blown away, torn apart, or wholly destroyed. Trees were scattered around the encampment, and small fires erupted on the eastern side of the camp.

Xena was still irked by how she awoke in the middle of the night, almost as if she was warned about the incoming destruction. She knew what she felt, and it most certainly was not the wind or her hair as Gabrielle prompted her to think so.

On the first floor, she stood by one of the windows, biting her nail. She stared at the soldiers cleaning up the area in the dark. It would be morning soon, and this was a terrible way to start the day. People lost their homes, and as far as anyone knew, nobody was harmed or killed.

Gabrielle walked up to her distant spouse, tapping her shoulder. "Ana went to check on Farah and the children."

"Hmm."

"And Navaz is outside, instructing the soldiers."

Xena nodded, chewing on her nail.

"That was a really weird storm," said Gabrielle, laughing nervously. "I think Anastasia is going to let some women and children stay here until more yurts are built for them."

"Mhm."

Gabrielle sighed, resting a hand on her hip. "Xena, you're acting strange ever since you woke up. If this is about the whole 'Kreka haunting your dreams' thing, I didn't mean to put that in your mind or make a joke out of it."

"I just think something bad is going to happen," she finally met her spouse's gaze.

"Like what?"

Xena shook her head, not knowing the answer to that question. She didn't even know. While she continued gazing out the window at the cleanup crew, a group of distant horsemen caught her eye. She took her nail out of her mouth, leaned forward, and watched the horsemen cross the borders into the encampment.

She hurried out of the Adame, running down the stairs, and Navaz looked in her direction. He could see the horsemen as well and raised a hand for her to stop. Xena frowned, crossed her arms, and waited behind Navaz until the horsemen were near enough to dismount their horses. By the looks of the soldiers, they were not from here and were from Bayan's army.

"State your purpose," Navaz announced loudly.

One soldier hopped off his horse and hesitantly walked forward but kept his distance. "We were sent by Khagan Bayan. The Gokturks have been invading for the last month. Ebnedzar and Khan Oran are working with Khagan Bayan to push them out."

Navaz cursed under his breath and turned to see Xena, who was livid internally. "What about Queen Yeter? Where is she?"

"Leading the front line, your highness…"

"That crazy bitch," Xena muttered from behind. "She needs to be taken out before she destroys Scythia."

Navaz nodded and addressed the soldier, "I will send Kurt to assist."

"_Kurt_!" she scoffed, "he is not old enough to lead an army. He doesn't know anything about that! I can go with him and teach him."

Gabrielle halted a few feet behind, overhearing. "Go to Scythia?"

Xena spun around, hoping that Gabrielle wouldn't hear that last bit.

"No. You aren't going anywhere. You're staying here."

"But Kurt is young. He doesn't know anything about commanding an army—"

"And you really think Ana is going to let you go, Xena?"

"I don't need her permission," she grumbled, folding her arms.

"Yes, you do. She's the regent Khagana. You're _staying_…" Gabrielle pressured.

* * *

_Elam, Persia_

A couple of days after Aurora's ninth birthday, Nousha planned to take her and Kazem to the market to pick out several gifts that were promised. So far, living in Persia was better than Aurora thought it would be. It was her new favorite place, and while she missed her cousins and family back in Pannonia, there were plenty of things to do in Elam.

In a couple of months, they were ready to leave to go back home, but Aurora was having difficulty adjusting to the thought of going home. On the other hand, her mother was eager to get back to her family despite enjoying her time off. For the first few months, Cera and Mirac stayed in the Elam palace but left for Kazakhstan after four months.

In her bedroom, Aurora picked out a dress to wear for the trip to the market. She was thrilled to get out of the palace, even though she had a great time during her birthday. She even went as far as to suggest that all parties should be like the ones in Persia. Her mother wasn't too keen on the suggestion.

Kazem, only a couple of years older than Aurora, had spent the last couple of years with the princess. He remembered what his father told him, and he never took the possible future to be had with Aurora until this last birthday.

Standing by the door, holding a small box in his hands, Kazem lingered, watching Aurora pick out outfits. Aurora was mumbling to herself, tossing dresses aside. He took in a deep breath and walked into the room.

Aurora smiled, "Hi, there. I was just picking out an outfit to wear. What do you think?" she held up a blue gown.

"It looks nice."

He awkwardly held out the box, and Aurora looked at the box, slowly taking it into her hands. She shyly smiled, opened the lid, and gasped. She pulled out a necklace with a pendant of the same stone she received a couple of years ago while living in Scythia.

"Thanks. This will look really nice with my dress," she gently patted Kazem on the shoulder.

She could tell that he wasn't planning on leaving the room anytime soon and tried to keep picking out the outfit she wanted to wear today. Kazem swayed back and forth on his heels, humming quietly.

"Um," he rubbed the back of his neck, "you know…I…we…"

"Yes?"

"You like me?"

Aurora snorted, "yeah, of course, I do. You're my friend."

Kazem nodded, blushing from the compliment. "Like me enough to marry me?" he asked, and quickly said, "when we're older."

The princess's inner cheeks soured. "Marry you?"

"That's why I came to live with you," he wore a bright smile.

Aurora nodded, setting down the gift, and forced a smile. "Excuse me," she said, brushing by him.

* * *

Hurrying down the long hallway, curling her fingers into a fist, she came to her mother's quarters, which were blocked by two maids. She tried to supersede them and walk right in, but the two women blocked the door handles.

"Move aside," she waved her hand.

"The Khagana is busy, princess."

Aurora folded her arms. "No, she's not. Mother! I need to speak with you!" she yelled. "Mother!"

The lock turned from inside the bedroom, and Arielle swung the doors open, half-dressed, and her hair unkempt. She glared at her daughter then dismissed the two maids to leave. Arielle groaned, closed the doors, and tightened the robe's sash around her waist, folded her arms, and her daughter stood before her with a smile.

"See, you're not busy."

Arielle scowled. "What do you want, Aurora? I was sleeping."

"At this hour? Is Xerxes in there?"

"No, I—" she paused, reminding herself that she was merely speaking to a child, "is that really any of your business? What are you doing interrupting my sleep? Aren't you supposed to be with Nousha?"

The princess huffed, "mother, we need to talk about Kazem. He just told me he wants to marry me! Is that why he came to live with us? I don't want to get married to him!"

Arielle slapped a hand over her eyes, sighing deeply. It was too early in the morning, too early period, to have this conversation. She thought this topic wouldn't have come up until a few years down the road and didn't want to dive into the logistics of it all at the moment. She did, however, wish to wring Kazem's neck for even bringing it up.

Just as she was about to speak, a maid approached them, and Arielle excused herself, stepping aside. Aurora waited on the sidelines, listening to the two whispering back and forth until her mother waltzed back over.

"We will talk about this another time."

"But mom!"

Arielle tilted her daughter's chin upward and said, "I promise we will, but I have to do something first. Go to the market with Nousha."

Waiting in the foyer, Ursula looked around, holding both boys' hands, seemingly making sure that Tespar didn't run off to explore the large palace. She saw Arielle walking hastily down the hallway and immediately felt reassured. She walked forward, gently pulling the princes with her.

Arielle halted, staring at the two princes who gawked at her. She raised an eyebrow, confused by their presence. The maid who came to her didn't have any information other than that guests arrived from the Caucasus area. She first assumed that her father sent someone here, but she was surprised to see Yeter's sons here, well, _almost_ all of her sons.

"Ursula…I don't mean to be rude, but…what are you doing here?" asked Arielle.

"I can explain everything, but I would like to…get them into fresh clothes. We've traveled for a few days nonstop."

Arielle looked at the boys, dressed poorly in their undergarments. "I see. I'll have a room made up for you three. Come with me."

As they followed, Muqan tugged on the shamaness' arm. "Are we going to stay here now?" he whispered.

"For a little while," Ursula replied with a soft smile.

"What about Issik? Is he going to come here too?"

* * *

Two hours later, after the boys were given fresh clothes, a bath, and food, they instantly fell asleep in their beds. Both were tired after their long unexpected journey, and Arielle imagined Ursula was just as tired, but she was too wired to sleep and wanted to talk instead. In one of the larger sitting rooms, Ursula sat opposite Arielle, nursing a warm glass of tea in her palms.

Arielle was busy with her daughter walking around her, tugging on different portions of her hair. The situation amused the shamaness, but Arielle didn't find it so funny. Although she learned to ignore the incessant attention she received from her babbling, walking-everywhere, infant daughter.

"So, what brings you here?" asked Arielle as her lip was pulled on.

She grunted, grabbing her daughter, and settled the gurgling child in her lap.

Ursula smiled warmly, distracted by the child. "Ah, I don't know if you know what's going on in the mountains, but Yeter has decided to attack Scythia."

Arielle nodded, "I am not surprised. My mother knows more than me. I haven't been kept in the loop about what's happening."

"I asked for help, but I couldn't write letters without Yeter knowing. Anyway, I was finally able to get a message through to Navaz—your father," Ursula inhaled deeply, "and he arranged for Zolten to take us here. Going to Pannonia would be too obvious."

"So…you kidnapped Yeter's sons?"

"I did not kidnap them! And they're my son's children too."

Arielle raised a hand, "alright, alright. I see that you're one prince short. Where's Issik?"

"He…didn't want to come. He alarmed the guards that I took the other two boys. It is obvious that he sides with his mother. I didn't know what to do. I couldn't let them stay there, knowing that the palace could possibly be destroyed. Yeter's plans of taking over Scythia are reckless."

"I'm assuming Oran doesn't agree with his wife's actions."

Ursula shook her head in reply.

"Well," Arielle sighed, "I was going head back to Pannonia a month before Abbaseh's birthday. It seems that I'll be walking into a warzone," she snickered.

"I'm sorry."

"I am looking forward to it. But, I'm sorry it had to come to this," she rested a hand on Ursula's knee. "You're more than welcome to stay here. I don't know what's going to happen to Yeter, but it's unlikely that she will make it out alive with the number of enemies she's created."

Ursula let her head hang, staring into the dark tea that had now gone cold. "I know. I feel sorry for her sons. They are oblivious. Even Issik doesn't understand the extent of this mess!" she growled. "He's too young to understand."

"He's not that young, Ursula. He can see right from wrong. His mother has him wrapped around her finger. He's delusional if he believes that there will be a good outcome."

Amid their conversation, Princess Aurora stormed in, bypassing the maids, who tried to stop her. She stopped a foot away from her mother and peered over at the unexpected guest, smiling briefly.

"_Iyi günler_, Ursula," she greeted.

Ursula smiled, "_tünaydin_, princess."

Aurora smiled, leaned over, and whispered in her mother's ear, "what's she doing here?"

"Never mind about that," Arielle said. "What is it that you want since you barged in here so rudely?"

"It's about earlier. You _know_, about Kazem."

"Oh, right," Arielle tapped her chin. "I really can't talk about that right now."

"But you said! You _said_ we would talk about it. You _promised_."

"Aurora, I don't have time to explain that to you, but yes, in short, in a few years, you are supposed to marry Kazem." She saw the betrayal in her daughter's eyes. "You don't have to if you don't want to, and that's a long way away, so try not to think about it, okay?" she grabbed her daughter's hand, "_okay_?"

"So, I don't have to if I don't want to?"

"That's right."

"Then…I don't want to marry Kazem."

Arielle sighed, her eyes drifting over to Ursula, who tried not to eavesdrop. So polite, she thought. If any other woman from her family were sitting here, they'd instantly try to insert themselves in the conversation. One person that came to Arielle's mind was her mother.

"Talk to me in six years, _tatli_ _kiz_. Kazem's a nice boy, and you always have gotten along with him. He's still your friend. You two can still do the things you've always done together. This arrangement doesn't change your friendship, and like I said, in a few years, if you don't want to marry him, then I'll call it off."

Aurora sighed, relenting. "Okay…but what if he tries to kiss me or something?"

Arielle's eyes darkened, "he better _not_. Has he tried to?"

"No, no!" the princess panicked, waving her hands. "I swear, mother."

"Good," Arielle smiled, holding up her infant daughter. "Can you take Abbaseh to her room? Have Ku watch her for a little while. I have to talk to Ursula alone."

Aurora grabbed her baby sister, attaching her to the hip, and sauntered off. She struggled to hold her sister and muttered, "you are so heavy these days."

Ursula smiled, tapping her fingers on the glass. "Aurora has turned into a very smart young lady, and your youngest is adorable. She has blonde hair. Where did she get that from?"

"My grandmother's side, apparently. So, did any Gokturk soldiers follow you here? Should I expect Yeter on my doorstep?"

"No, they weren't quick enough to follow. I didn't tell Issik where we were going. He might think I left for Pannonia."

Arielle hummed, rubbing her chin in pensive thought. "Is Zolten still here?" she asked, and Ursula nodded her head. "I'll have him send a letter to my father and explain what's going on. In the meantime…you'll stay here even after I leave to go home. Nousha will be staying here."

The shamaness kept her opinions to herself, sipping on the tea. She raised her eyebrows at the thought of sharing this colossal palace with a woman whom she didn't care for. She could only imagine the trouble Nousha's caused for Arielle and her family over the last couple of years. But, since this was the only option she had, she would have to be cordial with Nousha, even if she didn't want to. She barely had a full-sentence conversation with the woman.

Arielle sensed the tension and assured her, "she's not that bad. She's great with children. Not so great with women, or…more particularly, _me_," she chuckled. "But I don't think you two will have any problems."

"Let us hope so," Ursula nervously grinned. "Thank you for letting us stay here."

* * *

"I don't see why I can't go to Scythia," Xena argued.

Gabrielle groaned, tired of this argument. This back-and-forth squabbling had continued for four days after Bayan's soldiers relayed the news. She didn't like arguing with anybody, especially someone who meant so much to her—someone so close to her.

"Your health is more important."

Xena scoffed, "my _health_? I'm perfectly fine! I haven't gotten sick in over a year, Gabrielle!"

"You almost died!" she snapped, silencing the room. "I almost lost you while fighting Mezamir's men." She knelt down, holding her spouse's hands firmly. "It was too much for you—too much for your body to handle," her voice trembled. "I can't let you go, especially with winter approaching."

Xena lowered her eyes, sighing.

"If you die, I'd much rather you be here, with me."

"I'd rather die on the field than in a bed like Kreka."

Gabrielle arched her eyebrow. "So stubborn."

Together, they shared a smile, and Xena gave a firm squeeze of her hand. "I don't plan on dying anytime soon, you know."

"No, of course not. You need my permission to do that," Gabrielle jested, kissing her wife's knuckles. "And your request has been _denied_."

Xena rolled her eyes, casting a lopsided smile. "You really don't want me to go."

"No, I really don't. You've been doing so much more off the field in the last two years, Xena. You've been helping Anastasia, Arielle, me, Eksama, everybody. You're still needed, and you don't need a sword to help others all the time."

"But sometimes."

Gabrielle sighed, "yes, sometimes."

Xena twisted her mouth, letting up, "well, if I can't go onto the field, can I at least teach Kurt some of the best tactics to use?"

"I guess that would be okay…"

"I can't teach him everything I know in a week," Xena said in mild disappointment. "But most of all, I don't want to send Ernak's son to his death."

Gabrielle, rubbing her thumb across the hand she held, added, "he won't be alone. Bayan, Oran, and Ebnedzar are there to help."

"Kreka would surely drive a stake in me if I got her grandson killed."

"I can't believe you're scared of a dead woman."

"She haunts me in my sleep, Gabrielle! I'm not lying about that."

"I believe you! I believe you," the blonde said, laughing lightly.

Xena brushed the soft blonde locks behind an ear and sat in silence for a few moments. Gazing down in the promising jade eyes, a warm smile was brought to her lips.

"Thank you."

Gabrielle chortled, "for what?"

"For grounding me, like you always do—for reminding me that others think about me and care about me. Even though it is _annoying_ sometimes."

"Ah…I'll take it. Good enough. Getting you to compliment anyone is like pulling teeth."

Xena puckered her lips and lightly punched her spouse's bicep.

"Hey now," the governor rubbed her arm, "I love you."

Xena hesitated, narrowing her eyes, then broke down. "Love you too…I guess," she teased.

"You _guess_!"

In less than a second, Xena found herself on her backside, lying face-up on the bed with Gabrielle mounted on top of her. Her arms were pinned beside her ears, staring up at the wild green eyes.

Xena, wiggling her fingers, spoke breathlessly, "it was a joke…"

"I know," Gabrielle smiled. "You always make jokes at inappropriate times."

* * *

Two Months Later

_The Caucasus_

Yeter, captured by Bayan's soldiers, was brought to the center of the field. There, Oran waited for her and glared at his wife as she was forced to her knees. With her hands tied behind her back, she wriggled her way throughout the entire trek across the desecrated field. She breathed heavily through her nostrils as Oran walked over, dismissing the soldiers who held her.

He lifted her chin, holding a sword in his other hand. He ripped her Kozak off her head and threw it to the left field. Yeter gritted her teeth, swiping her face away, but her chin was forcefully grabbed, and a blade held to her throat.

"You've exhausted your entire army," said Oran. "You've used up all your supplies, militia, and destroyed half of Scythia."

He pinched her cheeks together, pressing the tip of the blade to her throat.

"Now, look at you—on your knees."

"What are you waiting for, Oran?" she spat. "Why don't you just kill me then?"

He retracted the blade, sheathing. "I have orders to keep you alive."

Yeter groaned, almost as if disappointed she was kept alive. "Orders from _whom_?" she barked.

In the near distance, the jingling of metal against taut leather approached. Yeter craned her neck, and Oran parted ways to clear a path. Arielle walked forward, taking off her leather helm donned with fur, and halted in front of the defeated Gokturk Queen.

"Long time no see, Yeter," said Arielle, smiling.

"I'd rather die."

Arielle slipped off her gloves, nodding. "I know you would, but I'm not allowing that to happen. So, you see, you bow before _me_. You are beneath me. And, being the merciful empress that I am, I am keeping you alive."

Yeter grimaced, then forced a smile, "and why's that?"

"Because I want to keep an eye on you, and I would hate to tell your sons that their mother was slain by their own father."

She paused, smiling down at the ravaged queen.

"But do not think that you will go home and live your life the same. I have asked Shah Khosrow if I can have access to _Anosbord_. You should be familiar with it. It's a prison. I'm sure you and Sambice will become terrific _friends_ in no time."

With a wave of her hand, the soldiers hoisted Yeter to her feet, forcing her to a horse nearby. Arielle sighed, slipping her gloves back on. She turned around, absolutely horrified at the field and destruction that was left behind. Many soldiers waited on their horses and on foot, staring in silence. She looked to Bayan and Oran, standing side by side, then to Ebnedzar and Kurt, standing afar.

She stalked over to the Gokturk flag planted in the grass and ripped it from the ground from which it stood. She broke the wooden staff in half, shred the flag into several pieces, and tossed it onto the snow.

Arielle mounted her horse, slipping her helm back on, and trotted over to the gaggle of men. Bayan stepped forward, casting a soft smile, which she returned.

"Are you going to stay here and oversee the army?" he asked.

"No," she took a long pause, "I'm going home."


End file.
